The Case of the Ritter Family

Raymond Ritter, 43, and his wife, Ruth Ann, 45, were killed inside their Woodstock, Illinois, home during the early morning hours of August 21, 1988. Their 17-year-old daughter, Colleen, was also brutally attacked and seriously wounded, while their 11-year-old son, Matthew, suffered stab wounds and survived. The attack was carried out by Colleen's former boyfriend, Richard "Rick" Church, after their relationship had ended. Church fled Illinois and remained a fugitive for several years before his eventual capture. He was later convicted of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Raymond and Ruth Ann Ritter were long-time residents of Woodstock, a community approximately 60 miles northwest of Chicago. Raymond was 43 and worked for Commonwealth Edison (ComEd). He enjoyed working on antique cars in his spare time. Ruth Ann was 45 and had worked as a secretary before working in the administrative office of a nearby elementary school, where she helped register children for classes. The couple had three children: Colleen, 17, Steven, 15, and Matthew, 11. The family had lived in their Woodstock home for many years and was well known in the neighbourhood. Colleen had known Richard Church since childhood, and the two eventually began dating. Their relationship lasted approximately two years before Colleen ended it. By August 1988, Colleen had begun seeing another boy. The breakup became the immediate background to the attack on the Ritter family.

In the early morning hours of August 21, 1988, Church entered the Ritter home while the family was sleeping. Raymond and Ruth Ann were attacked in their downstairs bedroom. Both were stabbed and beaten and died inside the home. Their 11-year-old son, Matthew, was awakened by the disturbance. When he came into the hallway, he encountered the attacker and was stabbed twice in the side. Colleen also awoke after hearing the commotion. When she attempted to call for help, Church confronted her. She managed to escape from the house, but Church followed her into the street and continued attacking her. Colleen was stabbed repeatedly and suffered severe injuries. Two neighbours, Chris Gehrke and Ronald Abt, heard the screams and came outside. Their intervention caused the attacker to flee. Police and emergency crews arrived shortly afterward. Colleen and Matthew were taken to hospital for treatment. Colleen's injuries were sufficiently serious, she suffered 22 stab wounds and was still miraculously recovering in hospital when her parents' funeral was held. The Ritter home became the scene of a major police investigation as authorities searched for the person responsible for the attack.

Police quickly identified Richard Church, Colleen's former boyfriend, as the primary suspect. Church had left the area following the attack and was no longer at his home when police arrived. His disappearance triggered a major manhunt. Investigators established that Church had previously been in a relationship with Colleen and that the relationship had ended shortly before the murders. The attack had therefore not been a random intrusion. Investigators believed that Colleen was the primary target, with her parents and younger brother becoming victims during the assault on the family. Church remained at large after fleeing Illinois. The case received national attention because of the brutality of the attack, the deaths of both parents and the fact that the suspected killer had escaped before police could arrest him. Church eventually became the subject of a nationwide fugitive search. His disappearance was later featured on Unsolved Mysteries, which helped bring renewed attention to the search for him. Church remained a fugitive for several years before he was eventually located and arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1991. His capture followed information provided to authorities after a police officer recognised him. Church was extradited to Illinois to face prosecution for the murders.

Richard Church was convicted of the murders of Raymond and Ruth Ann Ritter and the attacks on the surviving members of the family. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Church was subsequently imprisoned in Illinois. Raymond and Ruth's deaths remained one of the most significant murder cases in Woodstock's history, with the attack also leaving their surviving children to live with the consequences of the violence against their family.

The case became notable because the attack destroyed an entire family in a single night: Raymond and Ruth Ann were murdered in their home, while two of their children were seriously injured. It was also notable for the extended manhunt that followed. Church fled Illinois and remained a fugitive for several years, with the case eventually receiving national exposure through Unsolved Mysteries before his capture. The attack is often remembered as a case in which the parents were killed while the primary target appears to have been their teenage daughter.