FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A man charged with murder in a Fond du Lac cold case from over three decades ago appeared in court for the first time on Monday.
A judge set a $1 million cash bond for 83-year-old Jerome Baier on Sept. 21. Baier is charged with first-degree murder in the death of James “Jim” Ruland after investigators said new forensic testing and follow-up interviews led to his arrest last week.
Baier and Ruland shared a farmhouse in Ripon when Ruland went missing in October 1995. A criminal complaint says the two had a falling out due to disputes about utility bills, rent and alleged stolen cash, and that Ruland was in the process of moving out. An acquaintance reported that Ruland was afraid to confront Baier because he could become violent.
Ruland’s car was found at the Stretch Truck Stop in North Fond du Lac about two weeks after his disappearance. His body was never located, but new investigation efforts including DNA testing and searches of social security records and banking records found no indication that he was alive after October 1995.
The complaint says Baier realized he was a suspect, telling detectives in a 1996 interview, “what do you think I can do, you
think I can take you out to the farm and I have him buried under the porch,” and responding to a question about having conflict with Ruland with, “for today, that’s all I’m gonna say.”
Two years after Ruland disappeared, Baier was convicted of theft and admitted to forging checks in his roommate’s name.
The complaint says follow-up interviews with Baier led investigators to probable cause for his arrest. Baier changed his explanation for Ruland’s disappearance at least four times over the years; first saying he moved to Colorado, then claiming Ruland had a drug addiction, and later suggesting Ruland was trying to avoid paying child support. Investigators found no evidence to support any of Baier’s explanations.
Detectives said Baier also lied about his alibi and admitted that he previously lied to investigators during interviews.
Baier is due back in court for a status conference on Sept. 30.
