A 71-year-old Indiana man, Alfred Ruf, has been sentenced to nine years in prison, with five years suspended, after pleading guilty to poisoning his wife’s soda in a twisted plot to kill her and marry her daughter.
Ruf’s wife had been hospitalized multiple times in 2021 with suspected poisoning symptoms. After a welfare check at their home in January 2022, Ruf confessed to administering an unknown substance to his wife with the intent to kill her.
Tests later revealed traces of drugs like MDMA and cocaine in her system, which she denied ever taking.
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Investigators from Wanye County Sheriff’s Office discovered a white powdery substance on the wife’s Coca-Cola can, which Ruf claimed came from her daughter. He admitted to spiking her drink 12 times, aiming to eventually kill her.
Court documents unveiled a disturbing motive: Ruf and the daughter were sexually involved, and she expressed a desire to “get mom out of the picture” to collect her life insurance. The daughter and a friend also allegedly stole from the victim while she was unconscious from the poison.
Ruf’s wife had previously reported thefts and suspected she was being drugged. Ruf eventually confessed to his wife on January 3, 2022, claiming he “felt bad.”
In addition to the prison sentence, Ruf will serve four years of probation upon his release. Two other individuals are reportedly under investigation in connection with this case.
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