Donald Edward Ruby

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

Charge:	First Degree Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	6.17
Year Crime:	1984
Year Convicted:	1987
Year Cleared:	1993
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Pennsylvania
County or Region of Crime:	Perry
City of Crime:
Result:	Judicially Exonerated
Summary of Case:	"Donald Edward Ruby was wrongly convicted on March 20, 1987 of first-degree murder in the 1984 death of Edna Marie Posey, whose headless torso was found in thick brush on the Juniata River in Perry County, Pennsylvana. Posey's body wasn't identifed until about 10 months after it was found on May 27, 1984 -- a day after she was last seen on May 26. Ruby was the Boy Scout leader and legal guardian of Posey's teen-age son. After Ruby's 11-day trial, the jury convicted him based on circumstantial evidence he had possession of a cardboard box in which it was believed Posey's torso was carried, since the prosecution introduced no eyewitness, physical, or confession evidence linking him to the crime. Ruby's bail was revoked and he was taken into custody. Ruby was sentenced to the mandatory term of life in prison. Ruby's conviction was overturned and a new trial based on the exculpatory result of post-conviction DNA testing: Ruby's DNA profile did not match the DNA of semen three different men that was found on Posey's body. During his retrial evidence the DNA evidence was introduced that wasn't available to the jury during his first trial, and also introduced was new exculpatory entomology evidence about Posey's time of death based on the maggot eggs found on her body, a trail of missing dew along the hillside leading down to the box's final resting place, and Ruby's known location during this time, that established it would hnot have been possible for him to have been Posey's assailant. On May 20, 1993 the jury acquitted Donald Ruby and he was released from custody. Ruby told reporters, "'I never doubted for a moment that it would happen.""
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"Donald Ruby was acquitted on May 20, 1993 by a jury after his retrial."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	42
Age When Released:	48
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"Dna Evidence Helps Clear Man In Grisly 1984 Slaying, By Associated Press, Orlando Sentinel, May 23, 1993"
Information Location 1:	http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1993-05-23/news/9305230440_1_ruby-posey-dna
Information Source 2:	"Former scoutmaster found guilty, By Associated Press, Observer-Reporter (Washington, PA), March 22, 1987"
Information Location 2:
Information Source 3:
Information Location 3:
Information Source 4:
Information Location 4:
Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
Book About Case:
Book Information:
Book About Case (2):
Book Information (2):
Movie About Case:
Comments About Case:

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

Donald Edward Ruby

Charge:

First Degree Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

6.17

Year Crime:

1984

Year Convicted:

1987

Year Cleared:

1993

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Pennsylvania

County or Region of Crime:

Perry

City of Crime:

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"Donald Ruby was acquitted on May 20, 1993 by a jury after his retrial."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

42

Age When Released:

48

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Dna Evidence Helps Clear Man In Grisly 1984 Slaying, By Associated Press, Orlando Sentinel, May 23, 1993"

Information Location 1:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1993-05-23/news/9305230440_1_ruby-posey-dna

Information Source 2:

"Former scoutmaster found guilty, By Associated Press, Observer-Reporter (Washington, PA), March 22, 1987"

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

Information Location 3:

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: