WILMINGTON — A third shooting suspect tried locally was sentenced to community control.
On Friday, Clinton County Common Pleas Judge John “Tim” Rudduck sentenced Corey Ruffner, 22, to begin three years of community control immediately upon his release that day.
Ruffner pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter in September in relation to the January death of 23-year-old Layne Hall.
Ruffner will be required to wear a GPS tracking device attached by the court supervision staff. Ruffner is required to follow all the house arrest rules, not leave his residence without appropriate supervision or permission, and take part in the STAR community program for six months.
Rudduck referenced Ruffner’s compliance with the law enforcement investigation as to why he did not receive any jail time.
He was one of four suspects charged in relation to Hall’s death.
The other three are Kevin Noe Jr., 22, Christian Terry, 22, and Joshua Williams, 18.
Noe and Terry, respectively, pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, dismissing other charges of murder and robbery.
Noe received three years of community control. Terry received a two-year prison sentence.
Williams now faces charges of “using a firearm in connection with a crime of violence” and drug possession with intent to distribute in U.S. District Court — Southern District of Ohio (Cincinnati).
Court documents indicated Hall, Terry, Noe, and Ruffner allegedly rode in a car together to meet someone at the Brownberry Apartments parking lot; soon after the four arrived, the person that they were to meet — allegedly Williams — pulled up in a car, and shortly after that is when gunfire was heard.
Although court documents indicate Terry, Noe or Ruffner did not purposely kill Hall, it alleges that if they had not taken part in initiating a robbery, the alleged murder would not have occurred. Williams is suspected of directly causing Hall’s death.
A federal trial for Williams is scheduled to begin Dec. 14.
