Robert Bruce, Alleged 'Ether Man' Rapist, Sentenced For Attempting To Blow Up Police Officer's Home

Robert Bruce, 49, was convicted of trying to blow up the home of a Pueblo, Colo. police officer and sentenced to 64 years in prison, on Friday, according to CBSDenver.

KRDO reports that Bruce was found guilty in August on two counts of attempted murder, one for the officer and one for the officer’s wife, who was home at the time of the incident. Bruce received 48 years for the first count, 16 years for the second count and 5 additional years for possession of an explosive/incendiary device. The judge ordered the last 5 years to run concurrent with the other sentences.

In 2009 Bruce tried to blow up police officer Nathan Pruce’s home to keep the officer from testifying against him in a “peeping tom” trial, according to 7News. Bruce rigged a propane tank to the officer’s garage, filling the officer’s garage with combustible fumes.

Officer Pruce wanted to address Bruce during the sentencing hearing, but was prohibited from doing so, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported. But Pruce did tell the judge that he has spent hours consoling his wife and son who were deeply affected by the attempted murder and said this during the hearing:

I’m proud to be a police officer. I’ve sworn to protect the citizens of Pueblo and of this nation from predators like Robert Howard Bruce. Now I’m asking that the court protect the protector. [Bruce] is nothing on this earth.

Bruce is suspected of being the notorious “Ether Man” serial rapist. The “peeping tom” case that led Bruce to attempt to kill police officer Pruce played a large part in the process of connecting Bruce to the notorious “Ether Man” rapes in New Mexico and Texas. The Associated Press reported back in 2010 that Bruce’s DNA was tied to a rape in Albuquerque and authorities are still trying to determine if he’s tied to more than 11 rapes over a 15 year period, between 1991 and 2006, in New Mexico and Texas.

The so-called “Ether Man” would overcome his victims with a chemically-soaked rag before he sexually assaulted them.

WATCH [via KRQE] New Mexico woman talks about close call with "Ether Man" prior to Bruce's conviction:

Story link: krqe.com

Comments

[RedneckSamurai]

01:00 PM on 09/27/2011

I kinda miss the old days when I believed in the Ether Bunny :(

[debnaert]

10:01 AM on 09/27/2011

Hey men out there.... you need to get help...

[Gerald Larkin]

12:30 PM on 09/28/2011

Grouping all of us together with this monster is like me grouping all women with Susan Smith. How does that feel to you?

[kingjohn1956]

07:56 AM on 09/27/2011

Give this animal a one-way ticket to Bootyville,where he can meet the plumber.Who can lay some pipe in him.

[MARTYB]

06:11 AM on 09/27/2011

Have any of the rest of you ever noticed the eyes of those caught for some real nasty stuff? The eyes seem to be devoid of any spark behind them and the camera seems to catch that, does not matter what ethnicity you are, the eyes are sharklike.

[icwhite02]

04:27 PM on 09/27/2011

I know exactly what you mean! I truly believe the eyes are the windows of the soul. Everytime I see a picture of someone who has committed a heinious crime, their eyes give away their guilt. Both eyes are dead & sharklike, or one eye is dead & the other one "wild." I tell my kids of course not to get close to strangers, but in case of someone like a teacher or a coach or a friend's parent or uncle or older brother, stay away from people whose eyes make you uncomfortable, even if they seem nice on the surface, what they see in their eyes that makes them uncomfortable is what they should "listen to." People with eyes like that are no longer spiritually "Human,", evil has completely taken over.

[Edward Wilkes]

10:52 PM on 09/26/2011

The Ether man of sick America. This country is overwhelmed by rapists and murderers from the politicians down to the rogue cops, from children to adults, from rich to poor. Ether man was not the first and he will not be the last! When I read stories like this, I am no-longer shocked. The shock factor disappeared in my youth.

[debnaert]

10:00 AM on 09/27/2011

Your right... there is something WRONG with men today.... they are GODLESS.

[Gerald Larkin]

12:33 PM on 09/28/2011

Wrong. Sure some are, as are some women. The overwhelming majority are not. I'm very sorry for whatever happened to you as clearly you are deeply scarred by it, but there are very few out there like this animal.

[NancyY]

10:33 PM on 09/26/2011

What bothers me the most about this guy is that he is an apparent sociopath. He just doesn't seem to be able to recognize boundaries or the rights of others. Why hasn't he sought help for his problems? How is it that he hasn't thought that his urges to harm others were unacceptable? How is it that no one else who knew him has reported such problems, before he hurt others? Unfortunately, there are just too many individuals with such mindsets out there. And, unfortunately, many of them inhabit our workplaces. Actually, in all the years that I have worked, I have encountered more than a few.

[GOODDOC1]

02:15 AM on 09/27/2011

He doesn't think HE has a problem, he thinks everybody else does! He doesn't care what bharm he does to others, as long as he gets his rocks off. And sociopaths can seem very charming -- until you cross them! Look at Ted Bundy.

[John A Guthrie]

02:29 AM on 09/27/2011

New Mexico state prison allowed researchers to do CAT scans of the general population and discovered that 1% are psychotic and have a brain structure that inhibits empathy (for victims). So, 1-5% of the elite in business are probably psycho!

[icwhite02]

04:41 PM on 09/27/2011

That's "sociopathic" that are born that way. Psychopaths are made that way from severe childhood abuse and/or extreme mental illness. Sociopaths are intelligent, selfish, egocentric, self-absorbed, egomanical, self-centered, discompassionate, disloyal, & disrespectful of everyone around them! They value no one but themselves & no thing but wealth. They think everyone else was put on this planet to SERVE THEM! I believe almost all of the Emporers, Kings, Ceasars, Pharohs, dictators, military leaders, & a great deal of politicians & religious leaders, throughout the history of the world fall into this category since sociopaths always look for positions of power for themselves! Unfortunaletly, for the rest of us, they are usually good looking & charismatic! But we have to remind ourselves the Bible says that Satan was the most beautiful & charismatic angel in Heaven. Seems like he fooled everyone but God!

[Gerald Larkin]

12:34 PM on 09/28/2011

I'm pretty sure I've worked for more than one of them!

[Kathy Ballenger]

07:41 PM on 09/26/2011

if they went back into this man's history. i am sure they would find alot of people who are very afraid of this person! after doing this years and getting away with it.He seems to to live by his own laws. with no concern for right and wrong! not afraid of authority figures it would seem.

[NancyY]

09:19 PM on 09/26/2011

The biggest problem is when people like this with obvious issues end up in positions of power - and people follow them.

[Gerald Larkin]

12:40 PM on 09/28/2011

What's really scary is that your statement isn't correct. I worked with him and knew his family. He was funny, friendly, was a loving father, seemed like a good husband. I went to a few of his kids' soccer games with him. I can't even begin to describe the shock we all felt when we heard of his arrest and the crimes the DNA matched to him. I haven't heard from one person who thought for a second that there was something off about him. It really creeps me out how well a monster like this can go undetected in society.

[Denisehh3]

06:45 PM on 09/26/2011

I hoping this devious Criminal Mind stays put in jail and never makes it back out alive to reoffend.......Officer Nathan Pruce should have been allowed to speak his piece to this criminal in court considering the immediate threat to this Officers family........

[freekybig53]

06:30 PM on 09/26/2011

With the demise of the death penalty ,and the overcrowding of the available prison not to mention the increase in criminal activity ,expect to see this guy back on the streets and living on your block within 15 years !!!

[NancyY]

09:56 PM on 09/26/2011

Spot on - this is exactly what has been happening. The city where I live has a decent website, with different sections for different departments. On the police department link, you can view the "sex offender map". They have pictures and addresses of the offenders - as well as their crimes. One was way too close to the house - about a mile away. I live a few blocks from a park, where families like to go on weekends and kids like to go after school. Who could stop that guy from meanderiing his way to the park and causing trouble for someone else's kid?

[freekybig53]

10:29 PM on 09/26/2011

That is the question I keep posing to my local law enforcement and their answer is always the same ,"We have a Deputy that keeps tabs on them ." With over 100 registered sex offenders in this county alone ,how can you believe that one Deputy can watch them all only working 8 hours a day !!! The sad part is that if a kid gets busted for a joint they spend their sentence in the jail cell but rapists and child molesters are given light sentences and then released early to be back out on our streets and start their habits all over again unfetters by all but one rule ,they must give their current address to the said Deputy and most even fail to do that !! This country is going backwards in their ability to punish offenders since we became Politically Correct !!!

[icwhite02]

04:48 PM on 09/27/2011

Not for this kind of a crime. If they need to release people from prison due to overcrowding, they'll let the ones out who are in there for minor drug offenses, like pot, & other non-violent crimes. This is one of the reasons they should legalize pot, to make sure they have plenty of room for the truly EVIL ones to stay in for life!

[Gerald Larkin]

12:41 PM on 09/28/2011

And he tried to kill a cop. The legal system really, really doesn't favor people who do that.

[Susan Schmidt Baker]

06:25 PM on 09/26/2011

Keep this creep off the streets for the rest of his life!

[Kamen Gutierez]

06:14 PM on 09/26/2011

Here is another one! Rapist, Child Molesters, Kidnappers. Hmmmmm, what do 90% of these mongrels have in common?
Here is a hint_______________________________________________________.

[Edward Wilkes]

10:36 PM on 09/26/2011

Kamen what is the hint?

[timskee]

12:06 AM on 09/27/2011

I'd guess the answer would be men.

[jimall3]

06:02 PM on 09/26/2011

He looks like a cross between Josh Brolin and Rick Perry.

[gloriaswanson43]

05:55 PM on 09/26/2011

Ether was used on me when I was four to put me under for a tonsillectomy. I can still smell it in my nightmares.

[Susan Schmidt Baker]

06:24 PM on 09/26/2011

OMG, me too. I was sick to my stomach from that stuff.

[icwhite02]

05:26 PM on 09/27/2011

Oh, you poor thing! I know exactly what you mean! They used it on me when I was 6 to extract my lower 4 front baby teeth because the adult ones were coming in behind them! Not only did it not put me out totally & I could still feel the pain even though I couldn't respond to it or move, I can still smell it, too, whenever I have a nightmare about it! And I'm 48! Sometimes perfume or cologne smells like it & it instantly makes me nauseaous & gives me a migraine & kicks in the fight or flight mechanism! I can have panic attacks because of that smell, especially if I'm trapped in an elevator with someone wearing one of those! We need to pray for those victims & each other for God to take these awful memories away! Peace & love be with you!

[gloriaswanson43]

10:01 AM on 09/28/2011

Poor thing back at you!! Some perfumes do have that...smell. A wire mesh mask with gauze soaked in that stuff. I was held down. When I was 18 my wisdom teeth had to be removed. Guess what they used. I fought back even when the docs put the rubber mask over my face to just show me what they were going to do. I don't think they use it that often anymore for surgeries. I truly hope not.
Suonds like we both fought back pretty hard. I moved during my first surgery so they gave me more.
No more nightmares.

[Kay Nicks]

05:50 PM on 09/26/2011

Convict, condemn & carry out. Put him under the prison..

[Chris2281]

04:16 PM on 09/26/2011

If Bruce gets his giggles from forced rape then he's gonna love prison. Of course he'll be on the recieving end but that's poetic justice.

[hoelddg-13]

04:44 PM on 09/26/2011

A future boy friend of Buba.