ANN ARBOR, MI Joseph Jonathan Starr doesnt like the man he was a year ago.<\/p>\n
An admitted frequent user of alcohol and illicit drugs in 2018, Starr said he regretted the choices he made that led him to picking up a rock and hitting Ray Anthony Mason in a fit of rage, killing him.<\/p>\n
If I wasnt on drugs and alcohol that night, it would have been different, Starr said, as he held back tears during his Thursday, Oct. 31 sentencing. I cant take any of this back and Im sorry.<\/p>\n
For Masons death, Washtenaw County Trial Judge Darlene OBrien sentenced Starr to 28 to 55 years in prison.<\/p>\n
Starr, 28, pleaded guilty, Oct. 10, to one count of second-degree murder after previously rejecting a similar offer.<\/p>\n
Mason, 58, of Ypsilanti Township, was found dead, Sept. 18, 2018, by a pair of men fishing along the Huron River near Frog Island Park, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office.<\/p>\n
Initially, police said no foul play was suspected, but Masons death was later ruled a homicide and Starr was charged and arraigned.<\/p>\n
(Police) investigated this case thoroughly, interviewing everyone who ever met Mason and not a single person could come up with a reason why anyone would harm him, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Vella said.<\/p>\n
Vella found it tragic that Starr, a stranger to Mason, would have a run-in with Mason and kill him.<\/p>\n
Starr underwent a lengthy mental evaluation at the states Center for Forensic Psychiatry where he was eventually found competent to stand trial.<\/p>\n
Two of Masons siblings drove from their homes in North Carolina to the sentencing and spoke of their grief, still questioning why anyone would willingly hurt their brother.<\/p>\n
(Starr) took somebody real special from me and I want to understand why, Masons sister, Marshanne Mason said. It hurts real bad. He would have done anything for anyone. Why did you do this?<\/p>\n
His eyes puffy and red, Starr silently cried as he listened to Masons family tell the court how good of a man Mason was.<\/p>\n
Ray was a good man who raised four kids who were not his own, his brother Martin Mason said. Ray was better than all of us. You better believe he had a family, Starr. I pray you get your life together.<\/p>\n
As part of his sentencing, Starr was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to Masons family. Starr was credited for 408 days served.<\/p>\n
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Confessed killer regrets life of drug use as he heads to prison for murder - MLive.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ANN ARBOR, MI Joseph Jonathan Starr doesnt like the man he was a year ago. An admitted frequent user of alcohol and illicit drugs in 2018, Starr said he regretted the choices he made that led him to picking up a rock and hitting Ray Anthony Mason in a fit of rage, killing him. If I wasnt on drugs and alcohol that night, it would have been different, Starr said, as he held back tears during his Thursday, Oct. Continue reading