Michael John Ruby, 32, was beaten to death inside a first-floor apartment in the 2300 block of West Augusta Boulevard in the Ukrainian Village area of West Town, on Chicago's Near Northwest Side, early on Saturday, March 2, 2019. The Sun-Times homicide tracker lists the date as March 3. Police said he lived in suburban Palos Heights; his obituary says Orland Park. Area Central detectives investigated.
According to police, Ruby had been drinking with a group of people inside the apartment when he got into an argument with a man he knew, which turned into a fight about 2:31 a.m. The man punched him several times in the left eye, knocking him to the ground. Ruby was rushed to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner ruled that he died of "craniocerebral injuries due to assault," a homicide.
Block Club Chicago reported that police believed the man had been drunk when he beat Ruby.
"The identity of the suspect is known," a police spokesperson said two days later, "but as of Monday morning, no arrests had been made." No arrest, charge or court case in his death has been reported since, and no reward tied to his case could be found.
His family remembered him in a death notice as the "cherished son of Jack and Carol Kenny Ruby," a loving brother of Brian, Brett, Blain, Jaime and Laura and the favorite uncle of many nieces and nephews. Born May 23, 1986, he was "an avid Chicago White Sox fan and scratch golfer." His visitation was held at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn, his funeral Mass at St. Michael's Church in Orland Park, and the family asked for gifts to the Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation. A classmate from the Class of 2005 shared news of his "tragic passing" with fellow alumni.
Augusta Boulevard crosses Ukrainian Village, a neighborhood of tree-lined blocks, brick two-flats and greystones a short walk from Western Avenue. Because Ruby died at a gathering, several people were present when the fight started, and others may have heard what was said that night or been told about it afterward.
Chicago recorded about 500 homicides in 2019, down from about 580 the year before. Chicago police reported clearing roughly half of the city's homicides that year, though that figure counts cases closed without charges. Stabbings and beatings drew far less attention than the shootings that dominated the city's headlines, and many of them were reported in a few lines and never mentioned again.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Michael John Ruby could be found in news archives or public records. More than 7 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Police said in 2019 that they knew who struck him. Anyone who was at the apartment on West Augusta Boulevard that night, or who has heard the man involved talk about it since, may be able to help detectives bring the case to court. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Chicago Police Department's anonymous tip line at (833) 408-0069 or submit a tip online at CPDTIP.com, or contact Cook County Crime Stoppers at (800) 535-STOP (7867).
