Karen Holcomb
Author
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The Easter Sunday Massacre
On Easter Sunday 1975, James Urban Ruppert shot and killed his 11 closest relatives in what was then the largest family mass murder in the United States. The killings, which took the lives of eight children ages 4 to 17, sent shockwaves through Ruppert’s hometown of Hamilton, Ohio. Ruppert claimed that his insanity and belief in a conspiracy against him, coupled with his brother’s off-hand comment, “How’s your Volkswagen running, Jim?,” sent him into an uncontrollable, murderous rage. John F. Holcomb, the tough-as-nails Butler County Prosecuting Attorney, had a different theory. He believed Ruppert masterminded the bloodbath to inherit his family’s money. “The Easter Sunday Massacre” provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the Ruppert case, straight from the prosecutor’s diary and from those closest to the tragedy.
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He killed 11 people without any excuse. He wiped out the equivalent of 600 years of human existence.
John F. Holcomb, Butler County Prosecuting Attorney
It was so hard to get to sleep, seeing all these children with bullet holes in them. I wanted to try to forget about it, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t get that out of my mind.
Dan Fischer, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
It’s the kind of case, once you’re involved in it, you never forget it.
H.J. "Joe" Bressler, Defense Attorney
About Karen Holcomb
Karen Holcomb has been a reporter, editor and Language Arts teacher. She graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature/Journalism. An avid fan of the true-crime genre, Holcomb met her husband at a murder trial while working as a daily newspaper reporter. They have two grown children and reside in Hamilton, Ohio with their Golden Retriever.