An Indiana man, Alfred Ruf, has admitted to participating in a disturbing plot in which he poisoned his wife over several months with the intention of killing her and marrying her daughter. Ruf, 71, was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to aggravated assault with risk of death, following the 2021 poisonings that repeatedly sent his wife, Lisa Bishop, 51, to the hospital, The New York Times reported. Kansas City Star.
The investigation into Ruf’s actions began in 2022 when Bishop reported to police that she believed her husband was trying to poison her. According to police reports cited by the Local 12 and the Palladium ArticleThe bishop had been suffering from unexplained symptoms, including severe headaches, drowsiness and diarrhea.
After testing, she was found to have several drugs in her system, including MDMA and cocaine, substances she said she had never knowingly ingested. According to the arrest affidavit, Ruf eventually confessed to Bishop that she had been poisoning his sodas. Bishop later discovered a powdery substance in Coca-Cola cans, confirming her suspicions. WRBL reported.
Ruf admitted to authorities that his motive for poisoning his wife was to marry her daughter. He also revealed that two other women were involved in the plot, including Bishop’s 31-year-old daughter, with whom he claimed to have had a sexual relationship.
Authorities have reported that the daughter allegedly provided Ruf with the poison and was complicit in the plan to kill her mother. It is unclear whether charges have been filed against the daughter, as noted in the arrest affidavit.
Ruf was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by five years of probation, according to court documents cited by the Kansas City Star and USA Today. The case has shocked the local community, highlighting a chilling conspiracy that lasted months and involved the betrayal of family trust.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit lalineadirecta.orgAll calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 170 languages.