Robert Bruce Receives Sentence
Robert Bruce, the man guilty of trying to kill a Pueblo police officer, received his sentence today.
He received 48 years for the first count of attempted murder, 16 years for the second count of attempted murder, and 5 years for possession of an explosive/incendiary device. He will serve a total of 64 years as the 5 years for possession of the explosive device runs concurrent with the other sentences.
Bruce was found guilty in August on two counts of attempted murder, one each for the officer and his wife, who was home at the time. He was also convicted for illegal possession of an incendiary device.
Prosecutors successfully proved that 49-year-old Robert Bruce tried to kill Pueblo Police Officer Nathan Pruce in 2009 by rigging a propane tank to the officer’s garage and filling it with combustible fumes.
They said that Bruce was trying to silence Pruce before he could testify against him in a sex crime trial later that same day.
Bruce is suspected of being the “Ether Man” rapist, so dubbed because the culprit has used a rag soaked in chemicals to subdue and assault women in several states, including New Mexico and Texas. Bruce is also awaiting trial on a suspected rape case in Pueblo.
