Friday, July 22, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Husband convicted in death despite DNA mismatch

David Ruffa Henderson man found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping and arson in 2002 slaying

A Henderson man was convicted Thursday of murdering his wife even though another man's DNA was found underneath the victim's fingernails.

David Ruffa, 43, was found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping and arson in what was widely viewed as an old-fashioned, circumstantial murder case stemming from the 2002 death of his wife, Shao Lei Liu.

Ruffa's sister, Jane DeLauter, stood crying and sobbing in a hallway of the Clark County Courthouse.

"How do you find a man guilty when someone else's DNA was found underneath her fingernails?" she said. "How does this happen? Where's justice?"

Clark County prosecutors presented evidence during the nine-day trial that Ruffa had repeatedly talked about killing Liu, 37. Shortly after Ruffa made the comments, she turned up dead.

Liu was killed during a custody dispute over the couple's then 2-year-old son. Ruffa told several witnesses that he wanted to kidnap the boy.

On Feb. 7, 2002, the night of the slaying, Liu told co-workers at the Gold Strike in Jean that she was going to meet her husband at Joker's Wild. Ruffa also told friends that he was going to meet his wife.

He later claimed that she never showed up.

About 10 days later, Liu's body was found in her burned-out sport utility vehicle near Boulder Highway and Pabco Road.

When asked to give a DNA sample to authorities after the slaying, Ruffa refused. But when the courts compelled him to give a sample for comparison with DNA evidence found underneath Liu's fingernails, he was excluded as the source.

Clark County prosecutors Frank Ponticello and Linda Lewis declined to comment on Thursday's verdict until after a sentencing hearing Monday. Ponticello told jurors in his closing arguments, however, that there was no evidence that the DNA under Liu's fingernails was from her killer.

Ruffa has a history of domestic violence, although the jury that convicted him did not hear about it.

According to a report in the Review-Journal that appeared just before he turned 18, Ruffa was involved in a shooting at the house of an ex-girlfriend. He was also once charged with kidnapping, tying up and terrorizing another girlfriend.

According to the report, Ruffa went to prison for the crimes.

Ruffa faces one of three possible sentences during a hearing before District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski: 10 to 50 years in prison, 10 years to life in prison, or life in prison without parole.