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Joseph Patterson, 29, was also found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and aggravated battery in the death of Tyrese Robert Ruffin, according to the Associated Press. Ruffin was Peterson's son with Patterson's girlfriend. Following two weeks of testimony, the jury deliberated for just five hours.
Per the latest AP report, Patterson's lawyers stuck to the story their client offered on a 911 call the night of the boy's death — that Ruffin choked on a fruit snack. Patterson was taken into police custody that night, Oct. 9, 2013, after doctors determined the boy's injuries were consistent with abuse. An autopsy revealed Ruffin sustained four blows to the head while under Patterson's care.*He now faces life in prison.
The boy's 2013 death was another in a long line of tragedies in the 2012 NFL MVP's life. As Yahoo's Eric Adelson detailed at the time, a 7-year-old Peterson witnessed a drunk driver kill his older brother; three years later, his father was sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering; and on the night of the 2007 scouting combine, when Peterson was embarking on his NFL career, his stepbrother was murdered.
Public perception changed when the Vikings star revealed he had only learned Ruffin was his son in August 2013, and while he was making arrangements with the mother to meet the boy, Peterson did not see him until he was hospitalized in critical condition. A week later, Peterson attended Ruffin's funeral.
"It was a difficult day, just taking in the circumstance and the whole situation," he said in 2013. "A child was buried. That's difficult for anyone. I'm standing strong, man. I am. My main focus has been on my son and their family down there in Sioux Falls. Just trying to wrap my head around things and trying to stay focused and play ball as well."
A year later, Peterson was suspended for the entire NFL season when he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault chargers after injuring his 4-year-old son from Texas while disciplining him with a switch. Of course, none of this makes Ruffin's death any less tragic or Peterson's feelings any less valid.
On Sunday, Peterson's wife Ashley gave birth to a son, Axyl Eugene Peterson, prior to his 126-yard effort against the San Diego Chargers. The boy is reportedly Peterson's seventh child and second with his wife.
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