Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and the mother of his child, Ashley Doohen, are finally getting justice for the death of their son Tyrese. After a two-week-long trial, Joseph Patterson, the ex-boyfriend of Doohen who was accused of beating 2-year-old Tyrese Ruffin to death, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Tuesday. He will be facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Patterson was also convicted by the jury on charges of first-degree manslaughter and aggravated battery.
The murder of AP’s son occurred roughly two years ago in October 2013. The child had been left alone with Patterson in his and Doohen’s shared apartment in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. At some point in the night, Tyrese stopped breathing and was hospitalized. Patterson maintained that he had choked on a fruit snack but autopsy results show that the boy suffered severe blows to the head that caused his brain to bleed, which ultimately led to his tragic death.
AP had only found out about his son Tyrese two months prior to his death, and was in the process of making plans with Doohen to meet him when the incident occurred. Sadly, he only got a chance to meet his son for the first time the day before he passed away.
