Judge sentences John Rose in death of Paul Ruffo
Jun. 19—JEFFERSON — John Rose was sentenced to life without parole on Friday afternoon after being found guilty of murdering Paul Ruffo in June of 2020.
Rose was found guilty of Ruffo's murder in May after a three-day trial. The jury deliberated for less than a day and found Rose guilty on one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault.
Rose said he will have to live with what happened that night for the rest of his life.
"It was never my intention for anyone to get hurt that night," Rose said.
Samantha Ruffo, Paul Ruffo's sister, read a pair of letters at the hearing, one from Ruffo's parents and another from his daughter.
In the letter, Ruffo's parents said he was a kind man.
"[Ruffo's] grandchildren will never get to know what a sweet, loving grandfather he was and would continue to be," according to the letter.
The letter asked Judge Thomas Harris to take Ruffo's family into consideration when sentencing Rose.
"What my brother's murder has taken away from my entire family is something that not one letter could sum up," Samantha Ruffo said. "At 5:30 on June 3, I woke up to a phone call from my father, the strongest man I know, who barely could utter the words 'your brother died last night' because he couldn't stop crying to let me know what happened."
Samantha Ruffo said she never heard any remorse from Rose during the trial.
The letter from Ruffo's daughter said she was not prepared to lose her father this way.
"My dad was the one who brought a smile to my face," she said in the letter. "He was my voice of encouragement when I needed it most."
Assistant Prosecutor Omar Siddiq asked the family to speak because they could put into words their suffering better than he could.
"This trial was about John Rose, and the actions that he did, but the crime, the suffering, is felt by [Ruffo's family]," Siddiq said.
If Rose truly felt sorry, he could have pleaded guilty and received a more merciful sentencing, Siddiq said. Rose did not show remorse in the trail, he said.
"At this point, the state is now seeking justice, because [Rose] no longer deserves mercy," Siddiq said. Siddiq requested life in prison without parole for Rose. "We ask that this court impose it, and spare the streets of Ashtabula and this county, from the specter of the defendant ever darkening anyone's doorstep again," Siddiq said.
Harris said he would not punish Rose for exercising his right to a jury trial.
"The court is aware that this defendant was at home, armed himself with a deadly weapon, and then went to Paul Ruffo's house, where he killed [Ruffo]," Harris said. "Paul Ruffo was not the aggressor. He was at home minding his own business."
Harris said Rose had at least two days to rethink his actions before killing Ruffo.
Harris said he did not find the prosecution's stance unreasonable, and sentenced Rose to life in prison without parole. Rose was given credit for 377 days in jail.
Rose will have 30 days to file an appeal, he said.
Prosecutor Colleen O'Toole released a statement after the sentencing, commending the court and everyone involved for keeping Ashtabula County citizens safe.
