In a disturbing case out of Indiana, 71-year-old Alfred W. Ruf pleaded guilty to attempting to poison his wife over several months. The plan, revealed in Wayne County Court on Monday, was to kill his wife so he could marry her daughter. Ruf was sentenced for aggravated battery posing a risk of death, a level 3 felony, receiving four years in prison and five years of probation. A conspiracy to commit murder charge was dropped.
The case unfolded following a series of incidents in 2021, when Ruf's wife was hospitalized multiple times. Each time, she tested positive for illegal drugs, including MDMA, cocaine, and benzodiazepines—substances she denied ever using. According to a report from Fox News, Ruf later confessed to police that he had been poisoning her drinks in an attempt to end her life and marry her daughter.
In January 2022, Ruf's wife contacted the police after he allegedly admitted to trying to poison her. She reported that she had been hospitalized six times with symptoms such as headaches, drowsiness, and diarrhea. When police arrived at the couple's home, Ruf admitted to spiking his wife's drinks with a substance provided by her daughter. His wife turned over a pill bottle containing a white powder and a can of Coca-Cola with similar residue to the authorities.
During questioning, Ruf admitted to his actions after being read his Miranda Rights. He claimed that his wife's daughter, from a previous marriage, had given him the powder and instructed him to put it in his wife's drink. Ruf disclosed that he was in a sexual relationship with the daughter, who allegedly suggested the poisoning to inherit her mother's life insurance policy. They also discussed getting married after the wife was out of the picture.
Ruf revealed that between September and December 2021, he poisoned his wife's drink around 12 times. He noted that each time she was unconscious, the daughter and a friend would come over. According to court documents, Ruf acknowledged that their ultimate goal was for his wife to die from the poisoning.
The turning point came on January 3, 2022, when Ruf reportedly confessed to his wife because he felt guilty. However, the wife told police that she became suspicious and confronted him, which led to his admission that he was drugging her so he could have a relationship with her daughter and the daughter’s friend.
Court records indicate that Ruf’s wife had previously filed multiple reports with local police about missing personal items and had also expressed her concerns about being drugged to the Indiana State Police. At the time of Ruf’s arrest, local police mentioned that they were investigating two other suspects connected to the case, but no further arrests have been made.
