Wife drugged for months in twisted stepfather-daughter romance

A case of a stepfather-stepdaughter affair and spousal poisoning came to light in Richmond, Indiana. Alfred Ruf, 71, has pleaded guilty to poisoning his wife with cocaine and MDMA for several months. According to Local 12, he admitted to aggravated battery posing a risk of death for a crime he committed in 2021.

The inquiry started in 2022 after Ruf's wife informed authorities about her concerns about being poisoned. She presented evidence of six unexplained hospitalizations where she tested positive for drugs she had not knowingly consumed, including MDMA, cocaine, and benzodiazepines.

Authorities said Ruf admitted to drugging his wife's drinks with substances her daughter from a previous marriage gave him. The wife corroborated this by giving police a pill bottle with strange powder and a Coca-Cola can that had white residue at the bottom.

Ruf allegedly told police he was having an affair with his stepdaughter. He stated that drugging his wife would cause her to sleep for approximately 13 hours, during which time his stepdaughter and her friend would visit his residence to "put on a show" for him. An affidavit obtained by USA Today detailed that this "show" involved the two women wearing Ruf's wife's clothes and performing sexual acts on each other.

Ruf claimed his stepdaughter told him to get her mother "out of the picture" so they could profit from her life insurance. He admitted to poisoning her 12 times over three months in 2021, knowing it would eventually kill her.

On January 3, 2022, Ruf allegedly "felt bad" about poisoning his wife, so he confessed to her. His admission led to her contacting the authorities and the subsequent investigation.

When Ruf was arrested in 2022, police said they were investigating two other people who might be involved. No one else has been arrested yet.