George Milton Ruble, a 36-year-old Caucasian male, found his life tragically cut short on February 22, 2019, in the small community of Petroleum, West Virginia. A former U.S. Marine who worked as an auto mechanic, Ruble was a father, a son, and a brother. Friends and family remembered him as a kind-hearted and respectful person. In the days leading up to his death, he was remembered as being in good spirits, seen dancing and listening to music.
The circumstances that led to Ruble's untimely death began with a heated argument in the early morning hours. An acquaintance, Chester Leroy Baughman, accused Ruble of stealing gasoline from his girlfriend's car. The verbal altercation escalated dramatically when Baughman, then 28, left the scene and went to his nearby home on Oil Springs Road. He returned with a 22-caliber rifle and fatally shot Ruble in the head.
In an attempt to conceal the crime, Baughman moved Ruble's body to a wooded area near Volcano Road in Ritchie County.
Law enforcement was alerted to the situation, and a significant search operation was launched, involving more than 25 officers from various agencies, police dogs, and a helicopter. Later that same day, Baughman was located and taken into custody near Dallison in Wood County. Following his arrest, Chester Leroy Baughman was charged with the murder of George Milton Ruble. He was subsequently held in the North Central Regional Jail without bond, and the case was bound over to the Ritchie County Circuit Court.
