Easter Sunday Massacre
The Easter Sunday Massacre occurred on Easter Sunday, March 30, 1975, when 41 year-old James U. Ruppert fatally shot eleven members of his own family in his mother's house at 635 Minor Avenue in Hamilton, Ohio.
| Easter Sunday massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of mass shootings in the United States | |
Family portrait of Leonard and Alma Ruppert and their eight children | |
| Location | Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Date | March 30, 1975 |
Attack type | Mass shooting, mass murder, familicide, matricide, fratricide, pedicide |
| Weapons | .357 Magnum handgun Two .22-caliber handguns |
| Deaths | 11 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Perpetrator | James Ruppert |
| Motive | Revenge for being bullied by mother and brother; psychosis and paranoia |
| Verdict | Guilty on two counts of aggravated murder Not guilty on nine counts of aggravated murder by reason of insanity |
| Charges | Aggravated murder (11 counts)
|
| Sentence | Two consecutive life sentences (died before parole opportunity in 2025) |
Ruppert was tried and found guilty on two counts of aggravated murder, but not guilty on the other nine counts by reason of insanity. He received two life sentences, to be served consecutively at Allen Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, and the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio. On July 25, 1982, a 3-judge panel found Ruppert guilty of aggravated murder on a separate case involving his mother and brother. But shortly afterward, he was found not guilty on other 9 counts of murder by reason of insanity. He was moved to Franklin Medical Center in Columbus, OH in 2019 because of his declining health.
James Ruppert died from natural causes on June 4, 2022 while incarcerated at the Franklin Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Ruppert was 88 at the time of his death.
It is the deadliest shooting by a lone perpetrator in the state of Ohio.