Cheerful Christian mom is pillar of Florida community and loves going on TV… but she has a childhood secret so evil that she stuttered with shock when confronted with it

Strutting through the Florida State Capitol in smart black pants and matching loafers, Deidre Ruth looked every inch the conservative Christian mom on a mission.

But the parental rights campaigner was stopped earlier this week when the Daily Mail confronted her with an earth-shattering secret from her past.

The 47-year-old married mother of one, who lives in a $400,000 home in Hollywood, Florida, presents herself online as the head of a “faith family” and helps run the Broward Concerned Citizens Uncensored Facebook group.

Before school board meetings, she appeared on television and even went to the Sunshine State Tallahassee legislature in 2023 to speak out in God-fearing opposition to face masks for children, woke sex education and LGBT books in schools.

There is no mention of the time Ruth broke the sixth commandment – ​​’thou shalt not kill’.

It seems Hollywood locals are unaware that Ruth is a convicted murderer behind a shocking crime in her hometown of Philadelphia that is still talked about 30 years later.

Ruth — then known as Deidre Frazer — stabbed Catholic schoolgirl Christa Lewis to death at a carnival in the Philly suburb of Tacony in May 1996.

Deidre Ruth was previously known as Deidre Frazer. He was photographed at his trial for the murder of 16-year-old Christa Lewis at a carnival in Philadelphia in 1997.

Ruth and her victim were 16 years old at the time of the murder; Frazer’s age and gender made the murder particularly shocking.

She and her mother, Dorothy Gravlin, protested her innocence, but jurors did not believe them and Ruth was found guilty of third-degree murder in June 1997.

A chilling photograph published at the time by the Philadelphia Inquirer showed Ruth staring off into the distance with glassy eyes.

The young killer was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison in November 1997 and was released some time before the end of his sentence.

Public records show that she married husband Steven Ruth in August 2010, and the couple now shares a cozy home with their 10-year-old son, Evan.

It’s unclear what Ruth does for work. The white Jeep Grand Cherokee he was driving Wednesday has a disabled license plate.

He spent most of the day relaxing in his neighbor’s front yard, admiring a group of puppies, before heading to a nearby Chili restaurant with his son.

Ruth has never publicly expressed remorse for Lewis’s killing and still refused to do so when confronted outside Chili’s.

When contacted by the Daily Mail about his previous conviction, the killer held his breath, remained silent and denied any knowledge of the crime.

Deidre Ruth was spotted at a Chili’s restaurant in Hollywood, Florida, on May 13. He is stunned when he confronts his past as a young murderer.

Christa Lewis, pictured, was stabbed to death in a Philadelphia park in May 1996 by Deidre Ruth, then known as Deidre Frazer. Both girls were 16 when the shocking crime was committed.

Deidre Ruth posed with former Florida State Senator Joe Gruthers during his trip to the Sunshine State Capitol in 2023 — but he likely had no idea he was a convicted murderer.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered, clearly surprised to see his mask fall.

He refused to make eye contact and stared into the distance trying to hide his visible shock.

Ruth asked how the Daily Mail was tracking her but said nothing when told that her activism had made her a public figure for the second time in her life.

Ostensibly offered the chance to comment on how it had changed her life, Ruth replied: ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

He then loaded his 10-year-old son into his luxury SUV and drove away.

Ruth killed Lewis, an honor student at Tacony’s. St. As a victim of the Hubert Catholic Girls’ High School, she attended the amusement park with a group of friends.

Lewis and his friends were hanging out near the Twister ride when he caught the attention of Ruth and her friends.

Rival groups that did not know each other first gave each other bad looks, hand gestures and bad words.

Ruth currently lives in a cozy $400,000 home with her husband of 16 years, Steven Ruth

Deidre Ruth was photographed next to her son Evan at a public meeting in Fort Lauderdale in 2021. He was voicing his opinion that children like his son should wear face masks at school during the COVID pandemic.

Ruth was photographed outside a Chili’s restaurant in Hollywood, Florida, on Wednesday. Confronting his deadly past left him stunned

The groups eventually separated but found each other later that night. Lewis was in a group of 11, while Ruth was one of three.

As the argument escalated, the girls started punching each other. Lewis was pushed onto Ruth, who then plunged a knife into his heart.

Ruth was later tried as an adult, and prosecutors told the court she acted with malice when she killed Lewis.

His lawyers argued he acted in self-defence and described the stabbing as a ‘tragic accident’, the court heard.

When the killer testified at his trial, he admitted stabbing Lewis but claimed he pulled out the knife to scare the 16-year-old and the crowd.

He told the court Lewis was accidentally pushed into the knife by his own friends.

The jury eventually found him guilty of third-degree murder; This meant that Ruth had not acted deliberately or with specific intent to kill. Ruth ‘I’m going to die in prison!’ he shouted. The decision is as announced.

Dorothy Gravlin cried: ‘Oh, baby! ‘No, that’s my baby!’ Because his daughter was convicted.

Deidre Ruth is seen speaking out against LGBTQIA History Month in 2024. He frequently appears at televised school board meetings and TV news programs.

Ruth’s mother, Dorothy Gravlin, pictured in the photo Wednesday, has always protested her daughter’s innocence. He attributes his daughter’s murder conviction to the Philadelphia mob

The mother concerned had actively campaigned on her daughter’s behalf throughout the hearing.

Gravlin was even more aggressive when approached by the Daily Mail on Wednesday about Ruth’s past.

He continued to maintain his daughter’s innocence of murder and acted in self-defense, even though the jury decided otherwise.

‘That was 30 years ago. Leave us alone. You’ve got to let this go,’ Gravlin snapped as he approached Ruth’s home in Florida, a 15-minute drive from her home.

‘It’s in the past. He was attacked. This was self-defense. It was condemned simply because it was Philly. If this were Florida he wouldn’t be guilty.’

On his suggestion that the conviction was unfair, Gravlin said: ‘If you know anything about this story, you know the Philadelphia mafia was involved.’

‘Everything my daughter does is to help children, not to harm them,’ he added. ‘I’m thinking about his safety. ‘You’re putting him and my 10-year-old grandson at risk.’

A park was named in Christa Lewis’ honor shortly after her death, and this mural in her honor was first unveiled in 1996. Reused in 2024 (seen after restoration)

Saying that Ruth’s conviction was a public matter and that his daughter had chosen to make herself a public figure once again, Gravlin cursed and threatened to sue for “harassment.”

It’s unclear whether the Daily Mail’s revelations about Ruth’s past will affect her campaign efforts.

Appeared before a woman in 2021 He attended a Broward County School Board meeting and brought his seven-year-old son Evan to the podium with him, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported..

Ruth After the hearing, he spoke proudly to a WSVN reporter about his outside efforts.

There Ruth spoke passionately about why she believes it is time to end mandatory face mask rules imposed during Covid for her son and other children.

When asked why she had picked up her son from school, Ruth showed her anger and shouted “You’re disgusting” as she was being escorted out of the meeting room.

He appeared in a TV series in 2023. WSVN news clip of Broward County school board meeting opposing proposed new sex education curriculum.

That same year, he appeared at a separate meeting opposing the inclusion of LGBT books in schools. Footage of Ruth on the podium was shown on NBC Miami.

He said it was ‘disappointing that such things were being put forward, which are contrary to our religious positions’ at the meeting.

In Philadelphia, a playground was named in memory of Christa Lewis and a scholarship was established in her memory.

It is unclear whether Ruth or her family ever visited.

But given their repeated refusal to take responsibility for Lewis’ death, they are unlikely to be welcome there.