Cote guilty in Rochester native Ricky Cole's death

Ricky Cote in court earlier this week. (Central Maine Morning Sentinel photo)

SKOWHEGAN, Maine - It took less than three hours for a Somerset County jury to find a Palmyra man guilty of murder in the death of a former Rochester man.

The decision in the brutal bludgeoning death of Ricky Cole, who moved from the Rochester area to Central Maine about 12 years ago, was rendered Thursday afternoon.

Jason Cote, 25, who now faces 25 years to life in prison, took the news with little emotion, but both his family members and Cole's cried, for very different reasons.

"We're just glad justice is getting served," Cole's brother, Tom Cole of Rochester, told the Central Maine Morning Sentinel. "Two and a half years is a long time, and we're hoping everything works out in the best for us and hopefully (Cote) gets what he deserves. Justice is going to get served."

A sentencing date has not been set, but the Cole family is hoping Cote gets life.

Ricky Cole

"Even if he gets life, his family is still going to be able to see him. We have to see our brother, my dad has to see his son, by a cemetery. It's not fair," Tom Cole said.

Carmen Stanton, Ricky Cole's sister, said that although attorneys portrayed Cole as an intimidating drug dealer with a history of threatening others, that was not the person his family knew.

"He was a good guy," said Stanton. "He wasn't the guy they said he was. He was a great guy and a great father."

The verdict 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.

On Wednesday, 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.