Sheriff Chuck Havard attempts to answer the "Why's" in the Christi Ruso case and conviction

Ever since Tuesday's conviction of Colby Tatom for Tampering With a Human Corpse in the Cristi Ruso case, nearly everyone is asking why. Not just "Why did he kill Cristi", but also "Why did it take so long to get a conviction", "Why not charge him with murder? After all, he confessed to it!" And one of the loudest arguments, "Why didn't the previous administration do anything to find her killer?"

These are all valid questions, and today, Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard has answered every one of them. Hopefully this will calm some of the nagging thoughts and questions so many of our readers have.

"I wanted to take a few minutes this evening to talk about the Cristi Ruso case.

During my campaign, I knew very little about this case other than what was reported in the media. While I was running for Sheriff, I was supported by both families, the Tatoms and the Ruso/Wilsons. I spoke with each family and promised two things. First, I would work really hard on this case and the second, I would do everything I could to find the truth about what happened to Cristi Ruso. I respect each of these families greatly, they are some of the best people you could ever meet. Each family wanted the same thing- the TRUTH. This tragedy has shattered these families and have torn them into.

After the election, I began visiting with Lieutenant Jason McClelland. Jason has been the lead investigator on this case and has spent thousands of hours on it. From the get-go and up until now, Jason has answered every question that I’ve thrown at him without hesitation. He literally knows every detail about this case and has followed every lead for years. Immediately upon taking office, me and our D.A. had Colby Tatom bench warranted back to Jasper County so that he would be available to us and Lieutenant McClelland and other investigators. Not only was this case a high priority to me, it was also a high priority for retired Sheriff Mitchel Newman.

Quite frankly, Lieutenant McClelland’s work in this case is the reason why a search warrant was executed, an arrest made and eventually, a conviction of Colby Tatom for Tampering with a Human Corpse. All of this happened because of his determination, dedication and excellent police work. Again, he has spent thousands of hours over the last three years working on this case. From day # 1, he was having to play catch-up. Imagine how difficult it is trying to recover evidence, when someone has had several days, months and even years to tamper and destroy things that law enforcement needs for a jury to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. Jason did his job and he did it outstandingly for the people of Jasper County and for both of these families.

It’s almost comical some of the things that I’ve seen people say about this case. They have no clue about the facts of this case and the word “disappointing” is an understatement regarding some of the comments I’ve seen. Trust me, I know the facts of this case. When Colby Tatom testified in court on Tuesday, he literally stated, almost verbatim, what Jason McClelland believed happened on that day.

Unfortunately, so much time had passed, scene manipulation and at least one other person concealed and tampered with evidence that he couldn’t recover- the evidence needed to get a murder conviction. A murder conviction must be unanimous amongst jurors and proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Fortunately, in America-speculation, hunches, gossip, rumors, Facebook chatter, etc. can’t be used to convict people. You have to have evidence. It wasn’t lack of effort or shotty police work, the evidence needed wasn’t present when he legally had the authority to retrieve and recover it. I’m proud of the work he did and it’s because of his excellent police work that Colby Tatom was convicted of Tampering with a Human Corpse and Mourie Collier was arrested for Tampering with Physical Evidence. We did the absolute best with what we had to work with.

At this time, we do not anticipate making any more arrests unless we learn new information. If and when we do, we will use every resource and investigative tool possible to arrest anyone who was involved in this case.

I’ve spent many hours talking with and interviewing Colby Tatom since he arrived back at the Jasper County Jail on January 17, 2025. From all accounts, Colby Tatom had been in very little trouble before getting hooked on methamphetamines. What he did was heinous and despicable and he has told me many times that he had ruined his life, his family’s lives and the lives of Cristi Ruso’s family. He also knows that he fractured a tight knit community when he took Cristi Ruso’s life.

We will continue to work hard to combat the methamphetamine and drug problem in this county. We are motivated like never before.

I will continue to pray for God‘s peace over both of these families.

I want to thank the men and women of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office for the professionalism they’ve displayed this week. Thank you Lieutenant McClelland for your years of hard work and dedication in this case. Also, a huge thank you to our District Attorney, Anne Pickle and her staff. Ms. Pickle has spent countless hours on this case as well."

Respectfully,

Sheriff Chuck Havard