Suspect in Foxfire Club shooting is a felon and sex offender from previous crimes in Tulsa County

Nephesh Ruach

The suspect believed to be responsible for the shooting deaths of two individuals at the Foxfire Club on April 9, 2025, has been arrested, according to the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD).

Nephesh Ruach, 45, of Spiro, Oklahoma, was taken into custody on Tuesday at approximately 3:05 PM.

FSPD reported that Ruach was found hiding in a residence in the 1200 block of North 38th Street. A task force, consisting of Fort Smith Police, the United States Marshals Service, Arkansas State Police, and the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office, apprehended Ruach after he attempted to flee the home on foot. He was captured without further incident.

The shooting occurred at the Foxfire Club, located at 421 North 10th Street, on Wednesday, April 9. Officers responded to the scene around 7:41 PM and discovered two gunshot victims

. Both were transported to a nearby hospital, where they later died from their injuries.

The victims were identified by FSPD on April 10 as Brian Jones, 42, and Todd Jewell, 51.

Ruach was arrested on two warrants for first-degree murder.

Ruach has a lengthy criminal record with the bulk of his criminal activity being based in and around Tulsa

In 2002, Ruach was sentenced in Tulsa County to a five-year term in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for rape, following a plea deal finalized before Judge Deirdre.

Under the terms of the agreement, the individual served the first three years in custody, with the final two years completed under probation supervision.

After his release, he was arrested again in 2010 after a traffic stop revealed he had not registered as a sex offender in Tulsa County after changing his address without notifying officials.

He also has previous convictions in Tulsa County for possession of a controlled substance, false impersonation, and numerous traffic violations, mainly for failing to register his vehicles.

He was convicted in 2015 for second-degree battery in 2015 in Sebastian County and was given a suspended sentence. It appears, from court records, that the sentence was amended after he failed to pay his fine, triggering a petition to revoke.

He has also had two arrests in Fort Smith for felony petition to revoke in 2003 and January 2025. He served thirty days in the Sebastian County Detention Center on the 2025 charge,

A cursory check of the Oklahoma and Arkansas sex offender databases does not brig uo Ryach as being currently registed in either state.

Ruach remains in custody as the investigation continues. No additional details have been released at this time.