The Marique Ruth case ended with a first-degree murder conviction and a mandatory life sentence without parole. A Polk County jury rejected Ruth’s self-defense claim on November 5, 2024, finding that she had murdered her boyfriend, John Killen, inside their Altoona, Iowa, home on August 10, 2022. Judge Celene Gogerty imposed the life sentence on December 13, 2024.1Yahoo News. Altoona Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison
What Ruth Said Happened
Ruth called 911 herself the night of the shooting. “My boyfriend just tried to attack me, and I had no choice but to defend myself. I shot him,” she told the dispatcher. Officers arriving at the Third Avenue Southwest home found Killen, 41, dead in the living room from multiple gunshot wounds.2Oxygen. Marique Ruth Fatally Shot Boyfriend John Killen
Ruth told detectives that Killen had been drunk and high on cocaine, that they had been arguing about finances, and that he advanced on her, leaving her no choice. She fired four times.3KCCI. Marique Ruth Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder
Why the Self-Defense Claim Failed
The physical evidence did not match her account. Shell casings at the scene contradicted her claim that she had been backing away as she fired. An autopsy found a defensive gunshot wound on Killen’s hand, consistent with someone shielding himself rather than charging. Toxicology showed no cocaine in his system.2Oxygen. Marique Ruth Fatally Shot Boyfriend John Killen
Ruth’s son, Cole, contradicted a part of her story too, telling investigators that he and Killen had not been arguing in the living room as Ruth had described.2Oxygen. Marique Ruth Fatally Shot Boyfriend John Killen
Her own words hurt her most. Pressed by detectives, Ruth said: “I had two choices. I had my gun, and I had my cell phone, and I chose the gun.” Prosecutors used that statement to argue she had picked lethal force when other options were available.2Oxygen. Marique Ruth Fatally Shot Boyfriend John Killen
The Threat Two Months Before
About two months before the killing, Ruth had called 911 because an intoxicated Killen refused to leave her home. Body-camera footage from that call captured Ruth telling Altoona Police Officer Cameron Hale, “I’ll shoot him.” Prosecutors introduced the footage at trial. Altoona Police Lieutenant Steve Harris said it showed Ruth had been “talking about that ahead of time,” undercutting any claim of a spontaneous reaction on the night Killen died.2Oxygen. Marique Ruth Fatally Shot Boyfriend John Killen
Court records also showed Ruth had previously obtained a restraining order against Killen tied to domestic abuse claims. The couple had been together roughly five months at the time of the shooting.4KCCI. Iowa Woman Charged With First-Degree Murder of John Killen
Arrest, Mistrial, and Conviction
Ruth was not arrested the night of the shooting. The investigation continued for about seven months before she was taken into custody on March 15, 2023, and charged with first-degree murder.4KCCI. Iowa Woman Charged With First-Degree Murder of John Killen
Her first trial ended in a mistrial in May 2024, after a Polk County judge halted proceedings over a discrepancy in the time stamps on video evidence submitted by the prosecution.5Des Moines Register. Altoona Domestic Violence Murder Self-Defense Mistrial The retrial produced the guilty verdict on November 5, 2024. The Iowa Attorney General’s office prosecuted the case.6Iowa Attorney General. Attorney General Bird Secures First-Degree Murder Conviction
Sentencing
First-degree murder is a class “A” felony under Iowa Code § 707.2, which carries a mandatory life sentence without parole.7Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code § 707.2 – Murder in the First Degree Judge Gogerty imposed that sentence on December 13, 2024, and told Ruth from the bench: “Even if it was not mandatory, I would not hesitate to give you life in prison, because that is what you deserved. You took the life of Mr. Killen.” The judge called the killing “senseless.”1Yahoo News. Altoona Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison
The Earlier Death of Her Former Husband
During the Killen investigation, an earlier death in Ruth’s past drew fresh attention. Her former husband, Dustin James Ruth, died of a gunshot wound on October 4, 2020, at their home in Alta Vista, Iowa. He was 23.8Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home. Dustin James Ruth Obituary Ruth told investigators that Dustin had died by suicide during an argument in her presence. She was never charged in connection with his death. His mother, Audrey Drewelowe, said publicly that she had suspicions about the circumstances but could not prove them.2Oxygen. Marique Ruth Fatally Shot Boyfriend John Killen