Man charged in COVID murder sentenced to 10 years in prison

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ANN ARBOR, MI – A man charged with fatally shooting his longtime friend during a heated argument about COVID-19 restrictions will spend the next decade behind bars.

Washtenaw County Trial Judge Patrick Conlin Jr. sentenced Patrick Carl Brooks on Monday, May 23, to 10 to 30 years in prison for the shooting death of his roommate Jason Ruff. Ruff was shot multiple times the evening of March 19, 2020, in their home in the 1700 block of Weldon Boulevard in the Dicken neighborhood of Ann Arbor.

Brooks, 51, was sentenced as part of a plea deal to serve two years on a felony firearms charge consecutively with eight to 30 years on second-degree murder which he pleaded no contest to in April.

Ann Arbor man pleads no contest to murder in fatal shooting of roommate

“I think about this every minute of every day and it deeply saddens me,” Brooks said. “I wish it had never happened, but I cannot undo what has already been done.”

Early in the investigation, it was reported Brooks shot Ruff during a heated argument about COVID-19 restrictions.

“The loss of Jason has been extremely significant not just for me but for many people in the art community and to those across the nation who were collectors of his work,” said longtime friend Gregory Holm, speaking on behalf of Ruff as he had no family to provide a victim impact statement. “Most of his friends he had he has known since kindergarten including (Brooks).”

Victim of fatal shooting stemming from coronavirus argument was an accomplished glass artist

Brooks contended throughout the investigation he shot Ruff in self-defense, though evidence presented during his preliminary examination appeared to indicate differently.

While the pair did have several arguments about the virus, investigators said they discovered the pair had been at odds since Brooks told Ruff he wanted him to move out.

Brooks told investigators the two were arguing on the night of the shooting when, after being told again he had to move out. Brooks said he was going into the basement, armed with a 9mm handgun, when he was met by Ruff coming up the stairs holding a prybar.

He said he feared for his safety and opened fire on Ruff while they were both on the stairs. Brooks then put his gun on the kitchen counter and called 911, he said.

Officers called to the home found Ruff dead, lying on his back, in the basement a few feet away from the bottom of the staircase, the only way in or out of the basement, police said.

A six-inch prybar was found on the ground near Ruff’s head and a spent shell casing from the gun was found resting on Ruff’s body just above his belt buckle.

Medical examiner and forensic pathologist Dr. Jeffery Jentzen tested he performed the autopsy on Ruff and found that Ruff’s wounds, along with other evidence found at the scene, were contradictory to what Brooks told police.

Jentzen located five gunshot wounds on Ruff, one of which entered through the back of his head and severed his brain stem, drawing suspicion on how Ruffs body was found by police and where the prybar was located.

Conlin called the Brooks “an abnormality,” stating many defendants he typically sees who are charged with murder tend to have a criminal history whereas Brooks did not.

“There is no question that whether you spend one year in prison or the rest of your life in prison you are accepting punishment for what you did,” Conlin said. “Perhaps the friends (of Ruff) think longer prison term is more punishing, but going from being a fee person to spending 8 or 10 years in prison at a minimum is a punishment.”

Brooks was credited for 730 days served.

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