An Indiana man has admitted to poisoning his wife over a period of months so that he could kill her and marry her daughter.
Alfred Ruf, 71, was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to aggravated battery posing a risk of death for the 2021 poisonings that sent his wife to the hospital several times, the Kansas City Star, Local 12and FOX 59 reported, citing authorities.
The investigation into Ruf began in 2022 when his wife, 51-year-old Lisa Bishop, reported him to police claiming he was trying to poison her, according to police reports cited by the Kansas City Star and the Palladium-Item.
She was experiencing “unexplained headaches, drowsiness, diarrhea and more” as a result of the poisoning, per the charging documents, the Kansas City Star reported. The woman then tested positive for several drugs, including MDMA and cocaine, both of which she claimed she didn’t knowingly take.
Rus initially confessed to her that he had been poisoning her soft drinks, per the arrest affidavit cited by the Palladium-Item.Bishop then found a powdery substance in cans of Coca-Cola.
Rus admitted to officers that he was poisoning his wife so he could marry her daughter, per prosecutors, WRBL reported.
He also told authorities two other women were involved in the plan, including Bishop’s daughter, per authorities, Palladium-Item, Local 12 and FOX 59 reported.
He also claimed he was in a sexual relationship with Bishop’s 31-year-old daughter, per the affidavit, USA Todayreported.
He told authorities the daughter provided him with the poison and hatched the plan to kill Bishop, per police reports, WRBL, Palladium-Item and Local 12 reported. It wasn’t immediately clear if that daughter has been charged on these allegations, according to the arrest affidavit.
Rus will serve four years in prison followed by five years of probation, per court documents, Kansas City Star and USA Todayreported.
