The Ruppert family massacre

James Ruppert stood five-foot-six and weighed under 140 pounds. He appeared unremarkable, non-threatening and had experienced many hardships in his life. Ruppert didn’t have any close friends, a job or any significant future plans. He lived at home with his mother Charity, who had grown tired of supporting James at her home on 635 Minor Avenue in Hamilton, Ohio. And it’s the tension between Ruppert and his mother that may have led to the events that transpired on March 30, 1975.

The 30th day of March had fallen on Easter Sunday. While James slept upstairs, his brother Leonard and sister-in-law Alma had arrived at Charity’s home to celebrate Easter with their eight children who ranged from four to seventeen. While the children played, Charity, Leonard and Alma finished preparing their Easter lunch.

James Ruppert killed his entire family in minutes

Sometime around 4 p.m., James rose from his bed and prepared himself for his moment of infamy as Ohio’s most evil man. He loaded his .357 Magnum, two handguns and a pistol, and went downstairs. He entered the kitchen and shot his mother, brother and sister-in-law to death. Afterward, he shot and killed his nieces and nephews.

In five minutes, he had executed the following eleven family members:

* Charity Ruppert, 65

* Leonard Ruppert, 42

* Alma Ruppert, 38

* Leonard Ruppert III, 17

* Michael Ruppert, 16

* Thomas Ruppert, 15

* Carol Ruppert, 13

* Ann Ruppert, 12

* David Ruppert, 11

* Theresa Ruppert, 9

* John Ruppert, 4

After killing his entire family, James sat in the house for several hours before calling the police. When they arrived, police found Ruppert sitting inside the front door. He didn’t offer an explanation or express any emotions. Investigators described the killings as unlike anything they had ever seen. Blood and gore covered the house on 635 Minor Avenue.

Originally, James was tried in 1975 and convicted of killing his family. After his first trial was declared a mistrial, he received a second trial. The results were similar. He received eleven consecutive life sentences. He successfully appealed his conviction and received a new trial by a panel of judges in 1982. This time he received two life sentences for killing his brother and mother. He was ruled innocent by reason of insanity for the other nine killings.

People claim the home in Hamilton, Ohio is haunted

Since 1975, several families have lived in the house. Some of them didn’t know about the history while others didn’t have any issues with living in the house. If you do an online search, you will find claims that ghostly voices can be heard throughout the house. However, I found a local article about a woman who lived there and never experienced anything unusual.

Believe what you will.

March 30, 2020 was the 45th anniversary of the Ruppert massacre. Today, Ruppert remains behind bars. He has been up for parole twice and has been denied both times. He most likely will die inside prison since he will be 91 at his next parole hearing scheduled in 2025. I have researched different websites looking for interviews with him. Based on my results, he doesn’t speak to the media or anyone else.

This story is troubling. How can anyone so callously execute their entire family? He ended his entire family history in minutes. His eight nephews and nieces never experienced love, marriage or the joys associated with having their own families. Does James Ruppert even feel any regret about killing his entire family? This is a question I would like to ask him. My guess is that if he feels any guilt, he will take it to the grave.

To pay my respects to the deceased Ruppert family, I visited the Arlington Memorial Gardens (Cincinnati, Ohio) website (www.amgardens.org) and looked up the Ruppert family where all eleven family members now rest in peace.