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Dianne Rupp was found dead inside her apartment at 2654 W. Central Park Ave., Davenport. Her son, Andrew, has been charged with murder.
Whether a Davenport man tortured his mother to death in 2021 was not the question during his trial, but rather his state of mind when he did.
Dianne Rupp’s body was found Feb. 16 in a residence in the 2600 block of West Central Park Avenue, Davenport, and Andrew Rupp, now 54, was charged with first-degree murder.
A power drill was the weapon used in the killing.
Crime-scene and autopsy photos showed what appeared to be drill-bit marks in the 77-year-old’s skull. A coroner’s report concluded she had been struck 28 times.
A Davenport man accused of murdering his mother in February pleaded not guilty in a written arraignment filed Tuesday.
Tim Alexander knew something was wrong around 2 p.m. Tuesday when he pulled into the parking lot of PR Masonry and saw Andrew Rupp inside his …
A spot near the rail inside Thirsty's on Third, a microphone and the sassy rhythm of Nancy Sinatra's only hit was Dianne Rupp's perfect Saturd…
Rupp has a mental illness that includes him at times experiencing delusions, hallucinations and disorganized thinking, among other things, according to information presented at trial.
Rupp’s defense team has argued he was insane at the time of the killing and not responsible for his actions.
A mental-health expert who testified for the defense said it appears that Rupp was in a psychotic state and believed Dianne Rupp was not his mother but an imposter. He thought she had a “robotic device” in her skull, which he attempted to remove.
The state has argued that Rupp frequently quarreled with his mother and that money may have been a motive for murder.
Since the proceeding was a bench trial Jeffrey Bert, the presiding judge, will determine Rupp’s culpability, not a jury.
Rupp’s competency to stand trial was not challenged in court.
However, the judge could rule that he committed the murder but is not guilty by reason of insanity. In that event, Rupp would be turned over to a state mental-health facility for evaluation and a determination on his future.
In the event of a guilty-but-insane verdict, he would not be sentenced to prison.
If he is found guilty, but the insanity defense is rejected, Rupp would be treated as any other convicted defendant and would be turned over to the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Proceedings concluded Thursday with closing arguments from the prosecution and the defense. In such arguments, the attorneys outline what they think the trial evidence and testimony proves.
Once those arguments concluded, Bert said he must review the material presented during the trial and deliberate. When he had reached a decision and written his opinion, there would be a court hearing so his ruling could be announced.
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Dianne Rupp was found dead inside her apartment at 2654 W. Central Park Ave., Davenport. Her son, Andrew, has been charged with murder.
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