Residents recall the infamous Ruppert family murders, Hamilton’s most notorious killing spree

Sunday marks the 44th anniversary of the killing of members of the Ruppert family in Hamilton, the most notorious crime in the city’s history.

The day after Easter, on March 31, 1975, Hamilton awoke to the traumatic news that James Ruppert, then 41, had fatally shot 11 members of his family, including his mother, Charity; his brother, Leonard Jr.; his sister-in-law, Alma; and their eight children — Leonard III, 17; Michael, 16; Thomas, 15; Carol, 13; Ann, 12; David, 11; Teresa, 9; and John, 4 — in his mother’s home on Minor Avenue in the city’s Lindenwald neighborhood.