 The Chicago police believed he murdered Ruth to collect her money, but Hecht and Norton's accounts (despite their significant difference in details) each suggest Wanderer killed her due to an extramarital affair.Wanderer told one investigator that he killed Ruth in order to "return to the military," matching comments he'd made before Ruth's murder.However, Wanderer's written confession suggests that he had simply tired of marriage, but was unwilling to obtain a divorce.