Very regularly on Monday night, we open with news of shootings and killings that happened over the weekend. The stories are all sad, but the one we lead with tonight, is one step farther: it is outrageous. A single mother was killed inside her house last night on Meghan Avenue in the King’s Park area. The killing of this mother of two is the tragedy, but the outrage is that she was also sexually assaulted, and bludgeoned with a hammer...and it happened in front of her two young daughters...and the young one, an 8 year old was also injured with the hammer. Indeed, a level of violence and cruelty that is almost unthinkable but it happened, and Jacqueline Godwin found out the details.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
After midnight last night, the police scenes of crime personnel left the Meighan Avenue home of thirty nine year old Sandra Letecia Ruiz Beltran. She lived with her two daughters eight year old Ana Ruiz and thirteen year old Nadia Prado in this quiet residential area – in a home that was burglar barred and fenced. But that didn’t stop an intruder who broke into the family’s house around ten fifty on Sunday night.
Police say the intention was to rob and sexually assault the children’s mother. But there may have been a struggle and instead the burglar used what
is believed to be a hammer to bludgeon Sandra Ruiz to death and club her youngest child to the back of the head.
Miguel Ruiz Jr., Brother of Murder Victim
“She died due to injuries with a hammer all over her body.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And how is your niece doing?
Miguel Ruiz Jr.,
“She is critical but stable. She is in the intensive care unit right now. She will be there for the 24 hours.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you know if there was a struggle?
Miguel Ruiz Jr.,
“It appears so and my older niece is the only one who was there and she is in a kind of a state of shock and so we don’t want to question her because it may trigger something else and we already have one in the hospital.”
Ruiz’s thirteen year old daughter who was taking a shower at the time was unhurt. When she heard the commotion and saw what was happening to her mom and sister she locked herself inside the bathroom until it was over. Her terrified account is now a critical piece of evidence.
ACP Crispin Jeffries, Commander of Operations
“That child saw what occurred when the male person came into the house. It would appear from what we saw that both the youngest child and the female were attacked and the male person left. The older child who hid herself came out, saw what happened, reported the matter to police, and the people were transported to the hospital as well as the police responded. That is the information we have.”
Information to 7NEWS is that the suspect is described as a dark skin man with afro like hair who was dressed in full white.
Jacqueline Godwin,
How did the person gain access into the home?
Miguel Ruiz Jr.,
“Again according to the neighbours, the older daughter is saying the front door was opened, it has a screen door and it was locked but the wooden
door wasn’t closed and the person just gained access.”
While the police would not discuss the specifics of the case they have been receiving credible information about who may have committed the crime.
Sr. Supt. David Henderson, Commander Eastern Division
“We are now seeking somebody from within the area who we believe could assist us with our investigation. We have since found some clothing and we are investigating that matter. We have some leads as to the invasion but that matter is still under investigation so I will not go into much detail with it.”
Miguel Ruiz Jr.,
“I think everybody that saw is cooperating so I have to say thanks to everybody who helped last night. Everybody came out and pitched in.”
ACP Crispin Jeffries,
“There is a lot of useful information coming out and we are working with those people.”
It’s also believed that the killer may have been watching the home for quite sometime before he made his move into 5664 Meighan Avenue. According to Jeffries they have noticed an increase in home invasions across the country.
ACP Crispin Jeffries,
“In fact the incident in the Spanish Lookout area was a home invasion. The Chinese businessman over the weekend whose home was invaded. The mode of
operation of he criminal element has changed. It is no longer a burglary but it is in fact called a home invasion when persons enter your house when you are within and it does not make a difference if the criminal element is armed or not. It is a burglary when persons are within but it is referred to as a home invasion burglary. In most cases the persons will find that the culprit or the assailant enters their premises, forcefully or otherwise. There are cases where people are asleep and they leave parts of their window open. Once you enter and commit a crime within, it is referred to as a burglary.”
But as the Ruiz family gets ready to say goodbye to their loved one and pray for the recovery of their young niece they are still very much in shock over what happened because they say Sandra Ruiz Beltran was a good neighbour and a good mother.
Miguel Ruiz Jr.,
“She wouldn’t have any parties, it would just be immediate family and that’s it.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So I guess the family would be at a loss as to why this would happen to her?
Miguel Ruiz Jr.,
“Yes, we can’t understand why.”
A question that echoes across the community. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7NEWS.
Police have detained one person who lives in the neighbourhood and matches the physical description provided by her 13 year old daughter. Sandra Ruiz is an engineer by profession who worked at the Esso depot. She is married but we are told that her husband lives in Germany.
