Jump to content

Murderer in Ohio... (1975)


Coytee

Recommended Posts

My brother in law (born raised Georgia) is always making comments that all the mass murderers come from Ohio....  kind of a running family joke.  

 

Don't recall what I was doing the other day but a teenage memory hit me.  My two sisters and myself were down on Hilton Head visiting good ole Pops (who turns 92 this year).  As we were driving home, heard on the radio about a mass murder....  in our home town of Hamilton....  as time/life unfolded, after I left Jr. High School, that summer I took a class.  I don't recall what it was but one of those that  you are required to take.  So, I took it in summer school to get it over with.  We had a great time....  had pizza for lunch one day a week kind of thing...  then Ruperts trial came up and we had an opportunity to go to the courthouse and spend the day there during the trial.

 

It was strange how quiet spoken this man seemed to be.  Never could and still can't fathom what might have taken him to this point in his life.  (to do what he did)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ruppert  (copied the story below)

 

I googled his name and read another story about him.....seems that today, a gal who's a single mother bought his house and only discovered about the murders about a week prior to her closing.  She went back to check it out and ended up buying it.  She said just about daily a car will stop in front and people gawk....or someone will ask her if she knows what happened.

 

THEN, per another Google story that showed....  a number of years after this happened, some guy kills his girlfriend and cuts her body to pieces to dispose of her.  THIS murder happened right across the street from the Rupert murders.

 

 

James Ruppert

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
 
Jump to navigationJump to search
American mass murderer
James Ruppert
Born
James Urban Ruppert

(1934-04-12) April 12, 1934 (age 86)[1]
Parent(s) Leonard Ruppert
Charity Ruppert
 
Criminal penalty Sentenced to life imprisonment
Details
Date March 30, 1975
Location(s) Hamilton, Ohio, United States
Target(s) Family
Killed 11
Weapons .357 Magnum handgun
Two .22-caliber handguns
Rifle (not used)
 

James Urban Ruppert (born April 12, 1934) is an American mass murderer, who was responsible for one of the deadliest shootings inside a private residence in US history.[2] On Easter Sunday, March 30, 1975, Ruppert murdered 11 family members in his mother's house at 635 Minor Avenue in Hamilton, Ohio in what has been referred to as the "Easter Sunday Massacre."[3] He is serving two life sentences at the Franklin Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Early life[edit]

James Ruppert's early life was troubled. His mother, Charity, had told him that she would have preferred to have a daughter as her second child; his father, Leonard, also had a violent temper and held little affection for his two sons. Leonard died in 1947 when James and his brother Leonard Jr. were aged 12 and 14, respectively.[4]

Leonard Jr. became the father figure of the family and constantly picked on James during their upbringing, often taunting him for being a weakling.[5] At 16, James was so dissatisfied with his home life that he ran away and attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself with a sheet. He was unsuccessful and returned home.[4]

Adulthood[edit]

As an adult, Ruppert stood 5'5" and weighed 135 pounds. He was described as a modest, bookish, and helpful man who was unremarkable and quiet. In addition, he had no police record.

By 1975, Ruppert was envious of his older brother's successful job and family.[6] Ruppert himself had dropped out of college after two years, then trained as a draftsman, although by 1975, he was unemployed, had never married, and was still living at home with his mother. In contrast, his older brother, Leonard Jr., had earned a degree in electrical engineering, had married James' ex-girlfriend, owned his own home in the city of Fairfield, and had eight children.[7] Charity was frustrated with James' inability to hold a steady job and his constant drinking; she had threatened to evict him from her home on more than one occasion. James also owed his mother and brother money, having lost much of what little cash he had in the stock market crash of 1973-4.

The final month[edit]

A month before the massacre, James inquired about silencers for his weapons while purchasing ammunition. His behavior in general became more unusual as he neared the breaking point, battling a deep depression.

On March 29, 1975, witnesses had seen him engaging in target practice shooting tin cans with his .357 Magnum along the banks of the Great Miami River in Hamilton.

The night before the murders, James went out as he did nearly every night. At the 19th Hole Cocktail Lounge he talked with employee Wanda Bishop, a 28-year-old mother of 5. She would later state that James told her he was frustrated with his mother's demands on him and his impending eviction and that he needed to solve the problem. According to Bishop, Ruppert stated that his mother had complained that if he could afford to buy beer seven nights a week, he could afford to pay rent.[5] Ruppert left the bar at 11:00 p.m. that night and later returned. When Bishop asked him if he had solved the problem, he replied, "No, not yet."[8] James stayed at the bar until it closed at 2:30 a.m.

The murders[edit]

On Easter Sunday, March 30, 1975, Ruppert's brother Leonard and his wife, Alma, brought their eight children (ranging in age from 4 to 17) to see their grandmother at the house on Minor Avenue.[9] Ruppert stayed upstairs, sleeping off a night of drinking, while the other family members performed an Easter egg hunt on the front lawn.

At around 4:00 p.m, James woke up, loaded a .357 Magnum, two .22 caliber handguns, and a rifle, then went downstairs. Charity was preparing lunch in the kitchen, in the company of Leonard Jr. and Alma. Most of the children were playing in the living room.[9]

Entering the kitchen, he first shot and killed his brother Leonard, then his sister-in-law and his mother. Next, he took the life of his nephew David and his nieces Teresa and Carol, all in the confines of the kitchen. Ruppert then proceeded to the living room, where he killed his niece Ann and his four remaining nephews: Leonard III, Michael, Thomas, and John.[9] One child had been shot once in the chest; the remaining 10 victims had been shot three times, to ensure they had died.[7] The only sign of a struggle at the crime scene was one overturned wastepaper bin.[7]

The Butler County coroner theorized that Ruppert had likely shot some victims more than once to prevent anyone escaping.[10] The massacre was over within five minutes.[9]

After spending three hours in the house, James finally called police to report the shooting. He waited just inside the front door for authorities to arrive.[9]

Victims[edit]

  • Charity Ruppert, 65, mother
  • Leonard Ruppert Jr., 42, brother
  • Alma Ruppert, 38, sister-in-law
  • Leonard Ruppert III, 17, nephew
  • Michael Ruppert, 16, nephew
  • Thomas Ruppert, 15, nephew
  • Carol Ruppert, 13, niece
  • Ann Ruppert, 12, niece
  • David Ruppert, 11, nephew
  • Teresa Ruppert, 9, niece
  • John Ruppert, 4, nephew

Aftermath[edit]

The murders shocked the town of Hamilton and the entire country. Those who knew James Ruppert did not think he was capable of violence, especially at the magnitude of this particular massacre. By all accounts, neighbors considered the Rupperts a nice family.

James was arrested and charged that day with 11 counts of aggravated homicide. He refused to answer questions asked by the police and was very uncooperative. He made it clear he would plead insanity.

County prosecutor John Holcomb viewed the crime scene and stated that there was so much blood on the first floor, it was dripping through the floorboards into the basement, which to this day can still be seen on the wood. Ruppert had fired a total of 35 rounds, and all four weapons were recovered at the scene.[11]

All 11 victims were buried in Arlington Memorial Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio. A year later, the house was opened to the public and all of its contents were auctioned off. It was then cleaned, recarpeted, and rented to a family new to the area, whose members were unaware of the murders that had taken place there. The new family later left the house, claiming they were hearing voices and other unexplained noises. Other families have moved in and out, and the house is still occupied.[12][irrelevant citation]

Prosecution[edit]

The original trial was held in Hamilton, Ohio. The three-judge panel found Ruppert guilty on 11 counts of murder and sentenced him to life in prison. A mistrial was declared and it was decided that the retrial would be held in Findlay, Ohio, 125 miles north, because it was believed he could not receive a fair trial in the city of Hamilton.

The second trial began in June 1975 and prosecutors revealed evidence involving the witnesses who had seen Ruppert engaging in target practice, asking about silencers for his gun collection and admitting that his mother's expectations were a problem that he needed to solve. In July 1975 Ruppert received 11 consecutive life sentences.[13]

On appeal, a new trial was granted in 1982. Defense attorney Hugh D. Holbrock, convinced his client was insane, personally funded the hiring of expert psychiatrists and psychologists from all over the country.[14]

On July 23, 1982, another three-judge panel found Ruppert guilty on two counts first degree murder (his mother and brother), but found him not guilty on the other nine counts of murder, by reason of insanity. He received one life sentence for each count, to be served consecutively.

Because capital punishment had been suspended in the United States from 1972 to 1976 as a result of the Supreme Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia, and because the massacre on Minor Avenue had occurred in 1975, Ruppert could not receive the death penalty for his crimes.

Current status[edit]

As of December 2019[update], Ruppert remains incarcerated in the Franklin Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio,[15] a unit of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.[16] In June 1995, at the age of 61, he was granted a hearing before the state Parole Board, but his release was denied.[17] He received another hearing in April 2015, at which release was again denied. Ruppert's next hearing is set for February 2025, when he will be 90.[18]

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve had 2 brushes with ‘murderers’.
 

While in grad school I was out one evening walking the dog. We lived in a gate guarded community then and it kept security personnel on 24/7. Anyway a young man approached and asked if I knew a girl. I’d never heard of her told him so and went on my merry way. Later that night he gained access to the complex and he killed her. It was a lovers quarrel gone over the top. As I recall he was convicted of manslaughter, basically a slap on the wrist for what happened.

 

Years later living in north county San Diego I heard a lot of unusual activity out on the road behind the house. Peeked over and saw what looked to me like my neighbors Great Dane dead in the street. It was about 200 feet down the road. Turned out to be a young woman’s body, naked. Long story short she worked for the city and they would hire parolees as part of their post incarceration rehabilitation and this one man could not control his actions. He kidnapped and eventually killed her, dumping her body way too close to home. He was caught. Don’t remember his punishment but again being in California I doubt if it met the ugliness of his deed.

 

There are some twisted minds out there.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, JL Sargent said:

Off topic, but mentioned in your first post. How is Pops doing? Did he get a lot of birthday cards from the forum?

 

 

Visited with him about 2 weekends ago.  He didn't mention anything....  however, I then discovered he's on.....  memory pills.....  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Marvel said:

Closest I got was filming Richard Speck when he was moved from the courthouse in Peoria back to his jail cell.

 

Looked him up....  it's amazing how evil and just disgusting some folks can be.  I don't think I'd have any issues pulling the switch on some folks like this/these.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...