Real Name: Raymond William and Ruth Ann Ritter
Nicknames: Ray (Raymond)
Location: Woodstock, Illinois
Date: August 21, 1988
Case[]
Details: Raymond and Ruth Ann Ritter lived in Woodstock, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. They married in 1968 and had three children: Colleen, Steve, and Matthew. They were very close and happy when Colleen began dating a family friend named Richard Church. They both were students at a local Catholic high school. At the time, she was a sophomore, and he was a senior. They dated for over a year; however, when Richard went away to college, their relationship became strained.
Richard apparently did not take the relationship troubles well. He would call Colleen from his college dorm, upset and on edge. When she would say that she was busy doing homework or other activities, he would become upset with her. In June 1988, he came home from college. Shortly after learning that his parents had separated, Colleen told him that they had to break up. She claimed that he was too possessive and did not want to be in a relationship. However, she still wanted to remain friends with him.
Two months later, on the night of Saturday, August 20, 1988, Colleen had a friend spending the night, as did Matthew. Raymond and Ruth Ann were out with friends, and Steve was away. Richard called Colleen, and asked what she was doing. Again, he acted possessive, so she told him that she didn't want to talk to him until later. At the time, however, she did not suspect anything was seriously wrong.
At around 5:15am the next morning, Richard broke into their house and brutally attacked them. He first went into Raymond and Ruth Ann's ground floor bedroom and stabbed them to death. Next, he went upstairs and stabbed Matthew twice in the hallway. Colleen awoke and saw him in the hallway. She ran to another room to call 911. However, he broke in and began to stab her. She laid down on a cedar chest and played dead. Still, he continued to stab her, so she ran outside to try and get help. Finally, she collapsed in the middle of the street. Fortunately, neighbors came to her aid before Richard could attack further.
Matthew was able to give the 911 dispatcher their address, so police arrived just seconds after the attack. A neighbor had falsely believed that Richard had gone back into the Ritter home. A police officer searching the scene found Matthew injured upstairs, with his friend, who was not hurt. Colleen's friend was also unharmed. Unfortunately, Raymond and Ruth Ann were pronounced dead at the scene.
At the same time, Richard had ran the twelve blocks home and began packing his belongings. At 5:45am, he took his mother's truck and vanished. As authorities started a search for him, doctors worked to save Colleen and Matthew's lives. Matthew was treated and released the next day. However, Colleen had been seriously injured, receiving a total of twenty stab wounds. Many of them were inflicted on the back of her head. Two days later, while she was still in the ICU, Raymond and Ruth Ann were buried.
Fortunately, Colleen survived her wounds; however, Richard has yet to be brought to justice. His mother's truck was discovered abandoned in West Hollywood, California.
Suspects: Richard Church
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the November 7, 1990 episode. It was also profiled on America’s Most Wanted.
Results: Solved. After three years on the run, Richard was arrested in a fast-food restaurant in Salt Lake City in November 1991. A detective had recognized him from an FBI wanted poster. He was living under the assumed name "Danny Lee Carson". In July 1992, he pleaded guilty to the murders to avoid the death penalty. As a result, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Links:
- Married couple killed in northern Illinois town - August 22, 1988
- Couple slain in Woodstock - August 22, 1988
- Woodstock Tragedy Starting to Sink in - August 28, 1988
- Student sought by police after Woodstock murders - August 28, 1988
- Woodstock murder suspect still free - September 14, 1988
- TV show may help in Church search - November 28, 1988
- $360,000 From Life Insurance Policy Depends on Who Died First - December 11, 1988
- Man wanted for killings arrested in Utah - November 22, 1991
- Fugitive Church faces extradition hearing - November 23, 1991
- Fugitive Church Returns to Face Murder Charges in Woodstock - November 26, 1991
- Murder suspect to appear in McHenry Circuit Court - November 26, 1991
- Church may plead insanity; state to seek death penalty - November 27, 1991
- Church's Parents Tell of Anguish - December 4, 1991
- Grisly Tale Unfolds as Church Enters Guilty Plea - July 24, 1992
- Killer who was captured in S.L. gets life sentence - July 24, 1992
- Raymond and Ruth Ann Ritter on Find a Grave