Joseph Patterson, the man who was convicted in September of killing Adrian Peterson’s 2-year-old son Tyrese Ruffin, was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Thursday.
Patterson maintained that he is innocent while addressing the courtroom in South Dakota.
“This is probably where people expect a guilty person to turn around and ask for forgiveness,” Patterson said, according to Megan Raposa of The Argus Leader. “I’m not guilty. All I did was try to help.”
Patterson was already serving a 25-year sentence for aggravated battery. He was found guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, though state law does not allow sentences to be imposed on both murder and manslaughter.