PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The former Philadelphia police officer convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the 2017 shooting death of an unarmed Black man will spend no more than two years in prison.
Eric Ruch Jr., 34, was sentenced Thursday to 11 ½ to 23 months in prison for the death of 25-year-old Dennis Plowden. Ruch often sobbed throughout the sentencing hearing as he listened to his family describe how his single fatal shot, which hit Plowden in the head, has affected them.
A jury convicted Ruch in September of voluntary manslaughter and possession of an instrument in a crime but not guilty of a more serious third-degree murder charge.
Plowden crashed his vehicle in Ogontz after a brief car chase back in December 2017. The prosecutor and defense attorney both said that Plowden hit a police officer’s car as well as many other cars as he ran red lights and stop signs.
He was sitting on a sidewalk when, Ruch and other officers testified, he refused to comply with police orders to raise both of his hands. He kept his right hand tucked away.
Ruch shot Plowden in the head because, he said, he believed Plowden had a gun in his pocket and intended to shoot him. Investigators later determined Plowden was unarmed.
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Judge Barbara McDermott sentenced 34-year-old Ruch to 11 1/2 to 23 months in prison — what is known as a county sentence — meaning Ruch does not have to go to a state prison. She said Ruch is not a danger to the community and does not need to be rehabilitated — both factors to be considered in fashioning a sentence — but because there was a conviction related to loss of life, he must spend some time in prison.
McDermot said she needed to acknowledge that there was a conviction related to a loss of life, so Ruch needed to spend some time in prison. He has been behind bars since his conviction, so he could serve just the next eight months and get out as early as summertime.
“No. Justice is not served,” said Plowden’s sister Diamond after the hearing.
Plowden’s family said they were very upset about the sentence, how it was decided, and what was said in court, calling it a slap in the face.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, in a statement released after the hearing, said the sentence falls far below state guidelines, which recommend a minimum of 4 ½ years. Courts and county prosecutors can sentence up to a year less than that, the D.A. said, so his office is looking at options to potentially appeal McDermott's decision.
“The verdict in this case reflected that [Ruch] overreacted, but he’s very thankful and grateful that the court considered him, his character and his background,” Ruch’s attorney Dave Mischak said.
The sentencing hearing was tearful, as the court heard from Ruch’s family and Plowden’s family. Plowden’s sister, heartbroken, said she shares a birthday with her brother Dennis, and birthdays have not been the same since, now, she has lost two brothers to gun violence.
Ruch apologized to the family of the man he killed, which Plowden’s widow says isn’t enough.
“There was no remorse, specifically to us, until today, almost five years later. Where was the remorse before today?” she said.
According to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Ruch is the first Philadelphia police officer to ever be convicted for an on-duty killing. His attorney says they are still weighing whether they will appeal his conviction.