Fatal Attraction Killer to Wed Former Prison Guard

Linda Ricchio, the so-called Fatal Attraction killer serving a lengthy prison term for the 1987 slaying of her estranged boyfriend, is engaged to marry a former guard she met in prison.

State prison officials acknowledged Thursday that the 30-year-old Ricchio has requested a chapel for the proposed May 24 wedding at the California Institute for Women in Frontera, where she is serving a 27-years-to-life sentence for the murder of Ronald Ruse Jr.

Officials added, however, that the request has not yet been approved.

“It’s in the pipeline,” said Tip Kindel, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections in Sacramento. “It still might come off. But it’s still got to go through the proper channels. And anything can happen there. So we don’t know any of the details of where and when it might happen.”

Kindel said officials had just this week heard of the request for the ceremony between Ricchio and Andy Navarro of Riverside. The pair met two years ago when both worked in the prison kitchen. Navarro has since left prison employment.

“This would not at all be an uncommon occurrence,” he said. “People get married while incarcerated all the time. In 1986, the last time we kept track, we had 980 inmates get married behind bars in state incarceration facilities statewide.”

Ricchio shot and killed her former beau one weekday evening as he arrived home from work. When the 28-year-old mechanic left his car and walked towards his Carlsbad apartment, he found Ricchio at the top of the second-floor landing, armed with a .38 caliber handgun.

Ricchio, angered that her lover of seven years had ended their relationship and had begun seeing another woman, had stalked Ruse and rented an apartment next to his without his knowledge. She also bought a gun, took shooting lessons and--on the night of Dec. 14, 1987--stood outside waiting for him to come up the stairs.

The family of the victim treated news of the would-be nuptials with scorn.

“I don’t guess Ron will be getting married any time soon,” said Susan Fisher, sister of the slain man.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Tom Manning, who prosecuted Ricchio, could not be reached for comment on Thursday. But another deputy district attorney who asked not to be named said: “So what? Linda Ricchio gets married. Big deal.”