Man gets 45 years for murdering Rochester native

Jason Cote heads into Somerset County Superior Court today for sentencing. (Morning Sentinel photo)

SKOWHEGAN, Maine - Jason Cote, who while high on drugs brutally bludgeoned to death former Rochester native Ricky Cole in July 2013, was sentenced today to 45 years in prison.

Cote, 25, of Palmyra, faced 25 years to life after he was convicted in December of killing Cole inside his mobile home in Detroit.

The jury in December rejected Cote's defense that he had acted in self-defense when he killed Cole, who moved from Rochester to the Central Maine area about 13 years ago.

"Self-defense disappeared when he stood over Mr. Cole and struck him on his head and stomped on his head," Judge Andrew Horton said when he imposed the sentence, the Morning Sentinel reported. "This was a brutal, savage killing."

Ricky Cole

Cole's sister, Carmen Stanton, said the family wasn't satisfied with the sentence and wanted a life sentence, as sought by the prosecution.

The guilty verdict reached in mid-December followed closing arguments that closely parsed whether Cote was justified in using deadly force to defend himself. Cole was bludgeoned to death with a metal pipe on July 17, 2013.

Attorneys for both sides described Cole's intimidating personality and that this may have caused Cote to fear Cole, but Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea said they were not grounds to take his life.

One of Cote's attorneys described in closing argument a "struggle between two men" in which Cote was lucky to come out alive.

During the trial, Cote testified Cole asked him to come to his home in Detroit on July 17 to talk and had promised drugs.

On the same day, a federal ATF agent had subpoenaed Cote to testify against Cole in a weapons probe. Cote testified that Cole had asked him to "take the rap" for guns that Cole possessed illegally, but Cote said he told Cole he didn't want to do it since he might be charged with lying to a federal agent.

Cote testified that the discussion turned violent when Cole picked up the metal pipe, and then a knife, and threatened Cote.

"Ricky Cole was pacing back and forth with a knife. He was angry, angry at Jason because he knows the ATF had been at Jay's house that day," Cote's defense lawyer said. "Jay was in a very bad situation, with Ricky Cole swinging pipes, waving around knives.

What's he going to do?"

Zainea, in turn, argued that Cote had opportunities to leave but didn't. After he had struck Cole and Cole was lying on the floor, still alive, Cote continued to beat him.

Members of the Cote family refused comment after the verdict.