Pierce County man shot girlfriend multiple times, planned to dispose of body, charges say
A Pierce County man shot his girlfriend multiple times in their apartment with their child nearby then made plans with a friend to dispose of her body and flee to Florida, charging documents say.
Jonathan D. Ruffin, 26, faces charges of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault, according to court records. He is being held in the Pierce County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail. He does not have prior felony convictions in Pierce County.
Auburn police responded to the apartment Saturday after a friend of the defendant called 911 to report that Ruffin told him he’d shot his girlfriend, according to court documents. The friend said Ruffin asked to meet at a fast-food restaurant in Auburn.
Police began tracing the location of the friend’s phone, and he left the call open for dispatchers to listen to his conversation with Ruffin, charging papers show. Dispatchers overheard where Ruffin lived, and police confirmed officers had previous contact with the couple following an altercation.
Shortly thereafter, officers spotted Ruffin, who was holding his toddler, and the friend who had called 911 in the parking lot of Ruffin’s apartment complex in Pierce County, according to court documents. The friend told police that Ruffin said his girlfriend was abusing him and reached for his gun during an argument when he shot her “a bunch.”
At Ruffin’s apartment, no one answered the door. Officers went inside and found the girlfriend behind a closed bedroom door lying on the floor, charging papers show. Police treating her injuries discovered she was breathing but not responsive.
The woman had gunshot wounds to her head, abdomen and arm, according to court documents. After officers rolled her on her back, they found injuries indicating she’d been punched in the face. Police then realized her hair was not red, court documents say. It was blonde and soaked in blood.
Police discovered a spent shell casing nearby and noted many blood stains on the floor and walls, charging documents show.
A helicopter airlifted the woman to the hospital, and she remained in critical condition as of Monday, court documents show. She had at least two surgeries.
After the shooting, Ruffin’s friend told police that Ruffin told him he had money to flee to Florida and knew how to dispose of a body, according to charging documents. After agreeing to help get rid of the body, the friend said he called 911.
Ruffin later told police his girlfriend had a pattern of abusing him and his young son, court documents show, but police did not find any marks or cuts on Ruffin’s body to suggest domestic violence.
Court records do not show if Ruffin’s friend has been charged with a crime.
