Joseph Patterson, the man who was convicted in September of killing Adrian Peterson’s 2-year-old son Tyrese Ruffin, was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Thursday.
Patterson maintained that he is innocent while addressing the courtroom in South Dakota.
“This is probably where people expect a guilty person to turn around and ask for forgiveness,” Patterson said, according to Megan Raposa of The Argus Leader. “I’m not guilty. All I did was try to help.”
Patterson was already serving a 25-year sentence for aggravated battery. He was found guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, though state law does not allow sentences to be imposed on both murder and manslaughter. Patterson will serve a life sentence for the murder charge.
Before he was sentenced, Patterson told the court he loved Ruffin and the boy’s mother, Ashley Doohen.
“Losing Ty felt like losing a piece of my heart,” he said. “Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine dealing with that pain … and then be left with the finger pointed at you.”
Patterson was said to be dating Doohen at the time Ruffin was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after being beaten in Oct. 2013. Peterson found out about the boy shortly before the murder and had never met him.
