Johnathan Cruz And The Purge
Blumhouse ProductionsThe Purge (2013) explores what half a day of state-sanctioned crime in the U.S. might look like.
Inspired by the political divisions of contemporary America, James DeMonaco’s The Purge (2013) explored what the United States would be like if citizens were legally allowed to annually commit crimes for half a day. For 19-year-old Johnathan Cruz of Indianapolis, Indiana, that premise was taken as advice.
Armed with a handgun, the self-professed leader of a local Bloods gang shot three men in the head between May 12 and May 15, 2016. From Billy Boyd and Jay Higginbotham to Jose Alberto Ruiz, all of Cruz’s victims were chosen at random.
Police found Boyd dead of two gunshots on North College Avenue in the early morning of May 12 and found Higginbotham shot several times on North Denny Street a few hours later. Ruiz’s body was found in the driver’s seat of a Pontiac on North Linwood Avenue.
On the last night of his four-day killing spree, one underage girl tipped off police — and revealed the cinematic inspiration for the murders.
Admitting that Cruz had been her drug dealer, she told detectives that he bragged about shooting a man in the back of the head. She also revealed that Cruz had tried to show her a video of one of the murders and brandished a gun, which led to his arrest on May 16. Remarkably, much of the evidence they needed was on Cruz’s phone.
“I Purge every night now,” one of his text messages read. “Since im dieing (sic) someone else Has to.”
Facebook/Marion County Prosecutor’s OfficeCruz, before and after his arrest.
Cruz also, remarkably, sent his mother a screenshot of a news article on the murders.
He instructed his mother to “delete those after u read it,” while she reminded him that “they can still pull up deleted history” in a presumable reference to the authorities. Cruz said that he understood — and simply planned on getting a new phone and claiming his had been stolen.
When police finally arrested Cruz and he was charged, the Purge-inspired shooter pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in April 2017.
With footage on Cruz’s phone depicting him firing a gun while laughing, witness statements, and incriminating text messages, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole in May.
