A Bangor man who murdered his friend was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Gary Brinson, 71, was found guilty of murder Feb. 26 in the death of Lee Ruona. Brinson killed 64-year-old Ruona on Dec. 4, 2024, at Brinson’s apartment on Union Street.
Brinson was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Tuesday by Penobscot County Judge Ann Murray.
Brinson and Ruona lived in the same apartment building and were drinking buddies, Brinson told police. The night of the killing they split a gallon and a half of bourbon and several cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
In recorded police interviews, Brinson maintained that he did not know what happened to Ruona, and that he woke up and found his friend dead.
Ruona was not perfect and he struggled with alcoholism, his sister Erin Macstravic said. They were close growing up but life took them down different paths. Ruona’s murder meant they lost a chance to reconnect, she said.
“I feel sorry for Mr. Brinson’s family, but I am here to plead that [Brinson] is never allowed back into society,” Macstravic said. “By Mr. Brinson’s own statements, he can become violent when he drinks. His alcohol-infused, violent outburst took Lee [Ruona] away forever. [Brinson’s] alcoholism makes him a ticking time bomb that unfortunately exploded on my family.”
Brinson’s attorney, Kaylee Folster, declined to comment after the verdict.
During the sentencing, Folster described how Brinson served 20 years in the Air Force, including two combat tours in Vietnam.
The sentence was lower than the state requested but is still long enough, Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin said. Brinson admitted to the killing to his daughter and showed no remorse, instead he was more focused on being allowed back into his blood-soaked apartment, Robbin said.
“[Ruona] is dead, and [Brinson] will spend the rest of his life in prison,” Ruona’s sister said in a statement read by a victim witness advocate. “Justice may be served, but nobody wins.”
In the years since the murder, Ruona’s daughter, Courtney Ruona, has had to live with the never-ending grief, she said. Therapy and medication have been little to no help as she navigates life, she said.
“I’m consumed by grief and guilt and an undying hate for Gary Brinson,” she said.
Brinson had admitted to the killing and made multiple statements that showed how little he thought of Ruona, Robbin said.
Throughout the investigation and trial, Brinson has shown no remorse, Courtney Ruona said. He killed another veteran and did not seem to care, she said.
“My only solace will be when he no longer breathes the air my father once did,” Courtney Ruona said. “[Brinson] can rot in hell in this world and the one to come.”
Brinson will file an appeal with a new lawyer, his attorney Jeff Silverstein said. The appeal was a surprise to Robbin, who said she was under the impression Brinson did not care how long the sentence was.
