Where is Paul Waters now? Update

In a horrific turn of events, young mother Vanessa Rucker was found murdered in her Nashville, Tennessee home on October 14, 1987. Her body was brutalized with numerous stab wounds as well as blunt wounds, and police suspected that it was a crime fueled by rage. Investigation Discovery’s “Deadly Recall: Ring” chronicles the murder and follows the ensuing investigation to find the killer. If this case intrigues you and you want to know where the attacker is currently located, we have what you need.

How did Vanessa Rucker die?

Vanessa Rucker was a loving mother who lived with her 14-month-old baby and 4-year-old daughter in Nashville, Tennessee. Described as having a wonderful heart and being quite lively, Vanessa was always ready to put her children first above all else. Although the fathers of her children are not very present, she has done her best to raise her children as a single mother. Vanessa was also much adored in her local community, and it was indeed a dark day when her life was cruelly snubbed in an act of remorseless cruelty.

When police entered Vanessa’s apartment on October 14, 1987, they found Vanessa’s children still in the apartment. The victim was collapsed on the bed, completely covered in blood. She was lying with her head towards the footboard and her feet towards the headboard, a telephone cord wrapped around her neck. Vanessa’s body was covered with numerous stab wounds and there was also evidence of blunt force trauma.

Additionally, judging by the victim’s state of undress, authorities also suspect that she was the victim of sexual assault. Later, an autopsy determined that the blunt force trauma combined with the stabbing resulted in Vanessa’s death, while the strangulation played a contributing role. Coroners also found the receiver of a toy phone embedded in the victim’s vagina, confirming the sexual assault.

Who Killed Vanessa Rucker?

With little to no leads at first, authorities began questioning Vanessa’s relatives, but to no avail. Most knew the victim as a kind-hearted young mother and didn’t know why anyone would want to take her life. The case remained without any progress for an entire year, even though the police did their best not to neglect anything in their investigation.

Finally, in 1988, the police decided to relaunch their investigation and began a new investigation in Vanessa’s neighborhood. It was then that they met teenager Antonio Smith, who, according to the show, told police that at the time of Vanessa’s murder she had been spotted with a local hustler who he called Paul Rutland. After further investigation, police located Paul, whose real name turned out to be Paul Waters.

The show portrayed him as a local hustler who hung around the same neighborhood, sold bric-a-brac and even had a criminal history for pawning stolen jewelry as well as other thefts. From Antonio, authorities learned that Paul was trying to sell jewelry at the time of the murder. So, with the help of Vanessa’s family, the police compiled a catalog of the jewelry stolen from her home. Amazingly, Antonio was able to identify the exact stolen jewels in the range, thus confirming Paul’s involvement in the murder.

Taking this as a cue to question Paul, the police brought him in before subjecting him to rigorous questioning. Initially, Paul denied any involvement in the crime, but when confronted with evidence, he broke down and admitted to the crime. He mentioned that he went berserk when Vanessa tried to block his advances and killed her in a moment of fury. With a full confession on their hands, police were finally able to charge Paul Waters with premeditated first degree murder and aggravated rape.