A man searched ‘brain stem location’ days before shooting his dad on the couch over car money, and now he’s getting life in prison

A Nebraska son who called 911 to report a stranger fleeing his family’s home has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his own father, according to Law&Crime. The 2022 case hinged on evidence that contradicted his story, including disturbing searches found on his phone.

Carl Ruskamp, 34, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the September 2022 shooting death of his father, Gerald Ruskamp, 65. He was also convicted of use of a deadly weapon by a felon and possession of a deadly weapon by a felon. Investigators say the shooting followed an argument in which his father refused to give him money for a car and an apartment.

On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Carl Ruskamp to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder count. He also received 20 to 50 years for using a deadly weapon as a felon and 10 to 20 years for possessing one. Ruskamp had previously asked to move the trial out of Wayne County, according to the Norfolk Daily News.

Carl Ruskamp’s story about a man in black fell apart once investigators checked his phone

When Carl Ruskamp called 911 on the day of the shooting, he told dispatchers he had been outside smoking when he heard a gunshot inside the house. He claimed he then saw a man dressed in black run from the home. According to his account, he went inside and found his father dead on the couch with a gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators soon turned their attention to the son, as the evidence kept pointing back at him. His phone’s search history showed that four days before the shooting, someone had searched terms including “brain stem location,” “bullet in brain,” and “headshot to the head.” Detectives also found .22-caliber cartridges in his bedroom and a loaded magazine in another bedroom of the house.

A Ruger 10/22 rifle turned up in his mother’s bedroom closet, and more .22-caliber shell casings were recovered both inside and outside the home. However, the most damaging evidence may have been forensic. Gerald Ruskamp’s blood was found on one of his son’s shirts, and Carl Ruskamp’s DNA was found on the rifle.

The defense had argued that Carl Ruskamp was not competent to stand trial, pointing to a schizophrenia diagnosis. However, a psychologist hired by the defense found that he was not insane at the time of the shooting, and the case moved forward to trial. He was ultimately convicted despite his story about an unknown intruder fleeing the scene.

Online searches have also become key pieces of evidence in other homicide cases, including a teen’s disturbing searches before family killings. In the Ruskamp case, the searches were made four days before the argument over money that investigators say happened on the day of the shooting.

Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Beth Beninato called the killing a “completely senseless and tragic situation.” She also said the case “has completely destroyed this family,” as both the victim and the man convicted of killing him came from the same household. Gerald Ruskamp had refused his son’s request for money for a car and an apartment earlier that same day, according to investigators.

Ruskamp could still pursue an appeal of his conviction, though the life sentence without parole means he is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison unless a higher court steps in to overturn the verdict.