Joshua Richard Ruoff guilty of first degree murder of Timothy Sweeting

A Mendocino County Superior Court jury returned from its deliberations just before noon with a guilty verdict against the defendant.

Joshua Richard Ruoff, age 32, formerly of New Hamspshire, was found guilty of the willful, deliberate and premeditated murder (1st degree)  of Timothy Sweeting on May 18, 2016 at a Covelo marijuana operation. The jury also found true a sentencing enhancement that the defendant personally used a baseball bat in the commission of the murder.

After the jury was thanked and excused, the defendant's matter was referred to the Adult Probation Department for a background study and sentencing recommendation.  It is anticipated that the defendant will be sentenced to 26 years to life in state prison when he returns to court on June 20, 2018 at 9 o'clock in the morning in Department H of the Ukiah courthouse.

The prosecutor who presented the People's evidence to the jury at trial was Assistant District Attorney Rick Welsh.  The investigating law enforcement agencies who gathered the evidence to support today's conviction were the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, the network of Department of Justice crime laboratories, the New Hampshire State Police, and the New York State Police,

Special thanks are also extended to the experts in forensic anthropology from California State University Chico who directed the recovery of the deceased's body from the shallow grave.  Finally, the DA wants to thank Dr. Jacquelyn Benjamin, the forensic pathologist, who flew in from New Jersey to provide important testimony for the jury.

Mendocino County Superior Court Judge John Behnke presided over the  10-day trial. He will also be the sentencing judge when the case is called again on July 20th. Individuals interested in this case or this defendant are welcome to attend that July hearing date.