Tacoma man was shot to death at gas station in a setup robbery. Now 2 are sentenced
A man who shot and killed a 39-year-old man in Tacoma during an attempted robbery at a gas station, and the woman who prosecutors say was instrumental in setting it up, were sentenced Friday to 18 years and 10 years in prison.
Malik Dashun Patterson, 27, and Taushelle Devani Ellis-Dorsey, 26, each pleaded guilty to second-degree murder May 30 in Pierce County Superior Court for the July 30, 2022 killing of Ronnal Jovan Hines. According to court records, Patterson approached Hines at a gas station in South Tacoma early that morning, pointed a gun at him and demanded everything he had.
Hines, who was seated in a Ford Mustang, drew his own gun, and Patterson shot the man multiple times. During the defendants’ sentencing hearings Friday, deputy prosecuting attorney Robert Yu told the court that Hines ended up face down on the ground after the first gunshots, and then Patterson “essentially executed” him with a final gunshot through the back of his neck.
“I don’t think there’s any murder that’s not tragic, but Ronnal Hines was, he wasn’t seeking anything out, he was sitting in his car,” Yu said.
Yu said there was mixed information about what Patterson and Ellis-Dorsey were after, but that prosecutors believe they were trying to rob Hines of a firearm.
According to charging documents, Ellis-Dorsey, then 24, went with Patterson to a motel on South Hosmer Street the night before the shooting, and it was there where another man asked her to assist in robbing Hines. Prosecutors said Friday that they were never able to substantiate whether a third person was truly the “mastermind” of the robbery as Patterson’s defense attorney described in court filings.
Surveillance video from the Econo Lodge motel — now shuttered and replaced with apartments — showed Ellis-Dorsey and Hines talking with one another at about 3 a.m., according to the probable cause document. The two drove out of the lot shortly after 4 a.m.
From there, Ellis-Dorsey texted Patterson their whereabouts until they ended up at a gas station on the corner of South Orchard Street and 56th Street South. The shooting occurred about 5:20 a.m.
Before Judge Timothy Ashcraft handed down Ellis-Dorsey’s sentence Friday in a courtroom packed with enough onlookers that there was only standing room, he heard from Hines’ mother and father, Bertha and Ronald.
The parents both wore T-shirts with a photo of Hines, who was a father to two children. Bertha Hines told the court that the defendants had robbed their son of his life, but that they had also robbed her and Hines’ children of their futures with Hines, leaving them with nothing but memories.
“I no longer get to see my son, my baby,” Bertha Hines said. “I cannot touch him. I cannot hug him. I cannot see his beautiful, infectious smile. They robbed us of all that is and was Ronnal Jovan.”
Bertha Hines said her son was not a saint, and he had made unwise decisions, but he was a good son and father. And after his death, she said she learned that Ronnal Hines had done good for strangers on the street, helping people get back to school, guiding people to find God, helping people find jobs and medical assistance or a roof over their head.
“He was still a good man,” she said. “They had no right to take his life, and they took Ronnal’s life over some cheap, materialistic possessions.”
Bertha Hines told the judge she was blessed to receive justice for her son’s death, but that she knew no amount of time the defendants serve and none of their remorse would bring him back.
Ronnal Hines’ father, Ronald, addressed the judge next.
“I just wish it never would have happened, and I wish it never happen to anybody else again,” he said. “If you can, I don’t want these people to see outside no more. That’s just my opinion.”
Ellis-Dorsey’s defense attorney, Dana Ryan, told the court that his client was extremely remorseful, and he believed she had done the right thing in the case by agreeing to cooperate with police and to testify in the case.
Yu said Ellis-Dorsey’s willingness to testify and statements to detectives were part of the reason she had gotten a deal to plead guilty to second-degree murder with the recommendation from prosecutors and the defense that she be sentenced to 123 months in custody, 23-plus months of which she has already served. She has no prior criminal convictions.
When it was Ellis-Dorsey’s chance to speak, she said among all the things that have afflicted her these past few years, the most difficult to deal with has been her remorse. She said she lost her father at a young age, and her grief for him is still strong. Regardless of how she felt about the size of her role in this case, she said, she was disappointed that she contributed to anyone else experiencing the same sorrow and pain that she has.
She said she still wasn’t sure how she got herself caught up in the incident, but was remorseful.
“I know that there’s nothing I can say to ease the pain I know that Ronnal’s family feels, but I do sincerely apologize for not only the immediate grief but also the grief that will exist for the rest of your lives,” Ellis-Dorsey said.
After Judge Ashcraft imposed the woman’s sentence of 123 months, the low end of the standard sentencing range, deputies led Ellis-Dorsey out of the courtroom.
Then, Patterson rose from the gallery and walked to the defense table. He has been out of custody on $200,000 bail since September 2022, and he appeared in court Friday in a blue dress shirt.
Yu said the prosecution and defense had agreed to recommend Patterson receive a midrange sentence of 220 months in prison.
Patterson’s defense attorney, Dawn Farina, then addressed the court, telling the judge that her client was the caregiver to a 2-year-old girl and was someone who was regarded by family and friends as a respectful, kind and good-hearted person.
“He has repeatedly, in my presence, shown remorse for the family of Mr. Hines and for the senseless murder of Mr. Hines,” Farina said.
The attorney said there was no excuse for Patterson’s actions, but that at the age of 25 and with no prior criminal history, he was an easy target for “criminally minded individuals” who orchestrated the robbery.
Judge Ashcraft then heard from Patterson’s mother, Monique Patterson. She said she wanted to tell the court of the efforts her son had made toward rehabilitating himself and serving the community. She said he successfully attended counseling services, helped families move from emergency shelter to permanent housing and worked with various Tacoma artists painting buildings including a public library.
Patterson had also helped care for ailing family members. His grandfather died in 2022 and his grandmother this year, both of whom were pivotal in Patterson’s upbringing, she said. The mother said she believed these losses were the reason she was there Friday speaking to the court. She had Patterson at 15 years old, she said, and his grandfather was like a father to him.
“Your honor, Malik is not the person you have read about,” Monique Patterson said. “He is kind, loyal, funny, loving and caring. This young man made a mistake and will have to answer to what happened that night.”
Patterson then stood to speak. Reading from a piece of paper, he said he wanted to apologize to both Hines’ family and his own.
“I am truly sorry for Mr. Hines’ life I have taken and the pain I have inflicted, and I will strive to atone for my behavior for the rest of my days,” he said.
After court adjourned, relatives of Hines’ told The News Tribune they didn’t feel Patterson’s sentence was lengthy enough for his actions. Bertha Hines said she didn’t feel that Patterson’s last words to the judge were his own or that his apology was genuine.
Of Ellis-Dorsey, Bertha Hines said she reached out to their family from the very beginning, and her apology seemed sincere.
“She took responsibility from the very jumpstart,” Bertha Hines said.
This story was originally published August 10, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
