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. 31 sentencing. I cant take any of this back and Im sorry.

For Masons death, Washtenaw County Trial Judge Darlene OBrien sentenced Starr to 28 to 55 years in prison.

Starr, 28, pleaded guilty, Oct. 10, to one count of second-degree murder after previously rejecting a similar offer.

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.

Initially, police said no foul play was suspected, but Masons death was later ruled a homicide and Starr was charged and arraigned.

(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.

Vella found it tragic that Starr, a stranger to Mason, would have a run-in with Mason and kill him.

Starr underwent a lengthy mental evaluation at the states Center for Forensic Psychiatry where he was eventually found competent to stand trial.

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.

(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?

His eyes puffy and red, Starr silently cried as he listened to Masons family tell the court how good of a man Mason was.

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.

As part of his sentencing, Starr was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to Masons family. Starr was credited for 408 days served.

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Confessed killer regrets life of drug use as he heads to prison for murder - MLive.com