He planned to kill girlfriend, discard her body, flee to Florida. Here’s his sentence
A 28-year-old man who shot his girlfriend in their Auburn apartment multiple times and then made plans to dispose of her body and flee to Florida was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 16 years in prison, according to court records.
Jonathan Dwayne Ruffin Jr. pleaded guilty March 11 to second-degree attempted murder against an intimate partner in the June 4, 2022, shooting. According to court records, the victim suffered gunshot wounds to the head, abdomen and arm. Police found her behind a closed bedroom door breathing but unresponsive, with her hair soaked in blood.
The incident reportedly occurred while a 3-year-old child that Ruffin and the woman had in common was nearby. Ruffin was holding the toddler when officers contacted him in the parking lot of his apartment complex.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Brian Tollefson followed prosecutors’ sentencing recommendation, giving Ruffin a prison term at the high end of the standard sentencing range for defendants prosecuted in similar cases, 116.25 to 189 months. That range carried with it an additional 24 months because Ruffin was armed with a deadly weapon when he attacked his girlfriend. Prosecutors also recommended that Ruffin be ordered to not have any contact with the woman.
Ruffin does not have any prior criminal convictions, according to court records, but police were called to his address for domestic-violence complaints before the shooting.
Officers from the Auburn Police Department found the woman in Ruffin’s apartment after the defendant’s friend called 911 to report that Ruffin told him he’d shot his girlfriend, according to the probable cause document. Police began tracing the location of the friend, and charging papers show he left the call open for dispatchers to listen to his conversation with Ruffin.
The friend later told police that Ruffin had asked him to meet at a fast-food restaurant where the defendant told him he had money to flee to Florida where he planned to “lie low,” records state. He also said he knew how to dispose of a body. After agreeing to help, the friend called 911.
Police found Ruffin, his child and the friend in the parking lot of the defendant’s residence and separated the men to speak to them. The friend said Ruffin told him his girlfriend was abusing him and reached for his gun during an argument when he shot her “a bunch.”
Officers then went to Ruffin’s apartment and found the woman, who was taken by helicopter to a hospital, according to court records. She underwent at least two surgeries.
Ruffin later told police his girlfriend had a pattern of abusing him and his young son, records state, but officers didn’t see any injuries or marks on him indicative of domestic violence.
Had Ruffin’s case gone to trial, prosecutors planned to call a Pierce County Sheriff’s Department detective as an expert witness on domestic-violence, according to court records. Attorneys for the state wrote that he would have testified about the cycle of domestic-violence, the many reasons a victim might stay in a violent relationship, such as love or fear of the other person, and the potential reasons a victim might be reluctant to report what is happening, such as feelings of guilt or lack of control over their lives.
The woman Ruffin shot spoke during his sentencing hearing Wednesday, according to court records. The defendant also spoke.
The Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence describes domestic violence and abuse as a pattern of behavior that a person uses to gain power and control over another. Those behaviors include isolation from friends and family, emotional abuse, controlling finances, monitoring and assault.
Resources are available for people who are in crisis or those worried about someone else.
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or 800-787-3224
- Teen Dating Violence Hotline: 866-331-9474
- The StrongHearts Native Helpline: 844-762-8483
The National Domestic Violence Hotline Deaf Services: 855-812-1001 (videophone) or 800-787-3224 (TTY)
This story was originally published March 20, 2024 at 12:53 PM.
