Altoona, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines, is the scene for a new episode of Snapped, airing Sept. 28 at 6/5c p.m. on Oxygen. 

It’s a small city known for its theme parks and racetrack, but on Aug. 10, 2022, the amusements were upended by an urgent call to Polk County 911. 

In a preview clip from an episode, Marique Ruth urgently informed the dispatcher in a recorded call: “My boyfriend tried to attack me, and I had no choice but to defend myself.”

Ruth went on to share chilling details. “He’s lying on the floor, and I think he’s dead,” she told 911. “I shot him!”

The shooting victim was John Killen, who lived in Ruth’s house with her 22-year-old son, Cole.

What police found at the scene

Ruth was instructed to immediately leave the house, said Altoona Police Detective David Lowe, and to wait for the arriving officers.

Upon entering the residence, police checked on Killen. “John was face down in the living room,” said Lowe. “He appeared to be shot multiple times.”

The severity of the injuries was immediately apparent. “There was a significant amount of blood visible from what looked to be his mouth and behind his ear,” Altoona Police Lieutenant Steven Harris commented in the episode preview. “The wounds were evident.”

Upon closer examination, the entry points of the bullets on Killen’s body were identified. “Right away,” said Altoona Police Sergeant Mark Harmon, “there was a bullet hole noticeable on the side of his neck.”

Officers quickly switched to emergency response actions. “They attempted to provide aid and discovered he was already deceased,” stated Des Moines Register reporter William Morris, “He was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Marique Ruth’s account of the deadly shooting

At the scene, officers noted Ruth’s response to the deadly incident. “Marique appeared shocked by the entire situation,” remarked Altoona Police Detective Tia Frederick. “Her hands were visibly trembling.”

In a recorded interview featured in the Snapped preview, Ruth explained to officers, “We’d been arguing since I got home. I asked him to leave, but he refused and came at me as if to punch me.”

As she wept, Ruth went on to describe her actions that preceded the deadly shooting. “I grabbed my gun out of my purse,” she declared. “I just pulled the trigger.” 

Her son said he’d just left the room when the shots rang out, so he didn’t actually witness the shooting. 

“Cole was walking down the stairs to his bedroom from the living room where John and Marique were arguing,” said Frederick. “He said that three or four shots occurred from behind him.”

How police approached the case

Investigators quickly developed a sense of the history and dynamic between Killen and Ruth.

“The overall factor was that Marique had been on and off again with John,” said Harris. “They argued a lot.”

That pattern of behavior and volatile history had, Ruth claimed, an impact on her. “Marique said that she was scared of John, that he might physically assault her,” said Harmon. “That’s why she had to use her gun in self-defense.”

In the police recording, Ruth stated, “I thought he was gonna hurt me.” 

Investigators dug deep to uncover the circumstances that led to this incident. In order to do that, said Lowe, they had “to peer into the past of both Marique and John.” 

Learn the shocking truths that police discovered in this case when Snapped airs Sunday, Sept. 28 at 6/5c p.m. on Oxygen.