James Ruppert, who killed 11 family members in 1975 in a Hamilton home, dies in prison
Credit: Brian Horton
Credit: Brian Horton
James U. Ruppert, a Hamilton man who killed 11 members of his family on Easter Sunday in 1975, has died in prison, according to Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
Ruppert, who was 88, was convicted in 1982 after three trials of two counts of first-degree murder (now known as aggravated murder) and found not guilty by reason of insanity on the nine remaining counts.
Gmoser said he received word Monday from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction that Ruppert died on Saturday. Ruppert had been housed in the Corrections Medical Center, according to records.
Land of Illusion appeals $190M expansion dismissal
The Land of Illusion attraction in Madison Twp. has appealed a federal judge’s dismissal of a lawsuit they filed against Butler County officials and others to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Last month U.S. District Court Judge Susan Dlott cancelled a $190 million expansion at the Land of Illusion attraction by dismissing the lawsuit filed against Butler County and said claims officials showed ill-will against the owner were not proven.
Owner Brett Oakley filed a notice of appeal to the 6th Circuit on Friday but has not yet entered the actual appeal.
Woman wanted in case of fetus thrown away in trash can arrested
A Hamilton woman indicted 15 months ago on a charge related to a fetus found in a Monroe motel trash can has been arrested in Hamilton County.
Rebecca Houck, 31, was indicted in March 2021 by a Warren County grand jury on a charge of gross abuse of a corpse, a fifth-degree felony. The charge stems from an Oct. 9, 2020, incident in which the fetus was found dead at Motel 75 on Garver Road.
The fetus was 23 to 27 weeks, according to the Warren County Coroner’s Office report — not as far along as first believed. But, the evidence could not prove the girl was born alive.
Butler County man takes plea deal in 2019 assault case involving child
A Butler County man accused in 2019 of sex crimes involving a child in Hamilton County has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
Timothy Jay Smith, 41, of Hanover Twp. was indicted in September 2019 on four counts of gross sexual imposition and two counts of rape involving a child younger than 10, according to Hamilton County Clerk of Courts records. The alleged crimes occurred in May 2019.
On June 2, Smith entered an Alford plea of guilty to one count of aggravated assault in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. The remainder of the charges were dismissed.
West Chester officer resigns after investigation finds she did not report tip on missing man
WEST CHESTER TWP. — A West Chester Twp. police officer resigned after an internal investigation found she failed to check information on a missing man who was later found dead.
Alexander Enslen disappeared early Jan. 31 while walking on Cincinnati-Dayton Road. Police said Enslen and his roommate took an Uber to a bar and Enslen left his wallet and cellphone at home. When he left, he started walking to an apartment on Lakeside Drive.
Police searched the wooded area surrounding the bar with dogs and aircraft, but nothing was found. Enslen’s body was found March 19 in a pond at the Union Station Apartments.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
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