LONGVIEW, Texas (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – Deliberations are underway to issue a sentence against the Longview woman convicted of fatally shooting her boyfriend.
Angelita Ruiz, 45, was found guilty Friday of shooting and killing Joshua Huffman on April 29, 2020.
Closing arguments from both sides began Monday morning in Judge Alfonso Charles’s courtroom.
The defense is seeking five years in prison, arguing that Ruiz is working to improve herself and that her life has taken a positive turn since the shooting. They argued that she had not been arrested before the shooting and has not been arrested since, and they also cited the fact that she has been out on bond for the last five and a half years.
According to the defense, Ruiz has been sober and clean for the past five years, and her current husband does not believe she poses a future risk.
The defense also urged the jury to consider that Ruiz is a mother and will be housed with other violent offenders since she is now a convicted felon.
The prosecution argued that Ruiz is a violent offender and that she was attempting to manipulate the jury into believing Huffman was at fault for the shooting.
The prosecution noted how Ruiz had purchased the weapon used in the shooting eight hours before it occurred, how she had burned property and deleted text messages following the shooting, and how quickly she reconciled with other men after Huffman’s death.
The prosecution also highlighted how Ruiz had lost custody of her children and that methamphetamine was found in her system.
The state did not seek a specific sentence, but argued that if the roles were reversed and a man had killed a woman in this manner, “likely a life sentence” would be imposed.
The state said it is time for the jury to “have a voice and send a message to the community with their verdict.”
