Ryan Widmer - Bathtub Murder Trial of Bride of 4 Months, Sarah Widmer

No problem, Ann! I was excited to hear that Dateline will be airing a 2 hour show for this trial so soon. And, very anxious to see the jury come back. They asked for a device to play the 911 call yesterday and for the bathtub to be brought into the deliberation room. It can go either way.......

Thanks for the update, Piper. I hope you post the verdict here as soon as you know.

I've tried to stay on the fence through this, but admit I'm leaning. I wish it was aired live on TV, but the blog is better than just reading the news articles. It really helps, but you still don't see what the jurors do.

Piper, it appears a verdict has been reached. The live blog said Karin said verdict. Whoever Karin is. Defense attorneys are going into court room.

Travis said the courtroom is filling up. Lots of folks from prosecutors office. Sarah's mom is there.

Verdict has been reached per a comment on the Live blog. Ryan not there yet.

Watch live re Verdict:

http://www.wlwt.com/video/26870980/detail.html
WLMT Live Link

Oh my, that was quick...........I'm nervous.

Going back to the TV in our breakroom........

Ryan Widmer has been found guilty of murdering his wife, Sarah.......

Guilty of murder.

I could not watch the live stream. It kept cutting out. I watched the Live blog. Travis said when verdict was announced, Ryan bent forward at the waist, crying.

He went to the podium to speak. Said he did not do this. Said he was charged with murder 12 hours after Sarah died.

Travis posted: Judge said 15 years to life. Credit for time served. Must reimburse prosecution.

15 years to life does not make sense to me. Did he get 15 years or life?

I'm stunned, I really didn't think the state had proved their case.

At least 15 years, but no more than life.

Ryan's dad just collapsed outside the court....

Guess who the new judge is on the court of appeals? Rachel Hutzel, the prosecutor of this case. She just took her new post a few weeks ago.

I guess they saw little doubt, fresh eyes and ears.

Widmer found guilty of murder

Updated 4:45 PM Tuesday, February 15, 2011

LEBANON — Ryan Widmer is guilty of murder, a jury determined Tuesday after spending 12 hours deliberating over two days.

Widmer, 30, killed his wife Sarah Widmer in their Hamilton Twp. home on Aug. 11, 2008, according to the state. He has been tried twice previously, but mistrials were declared in both.

Widmer will spend 15 years to life in prison. He has already served about five months behind bars and will get credit for time served.

The case seemed simple on the surface — Sarah Widmer drowned and her husband, Ryan, was the only person present in their home at the time. Medical responders said the drowning scene was dry and the coroner said bruising and injuries on her body were the result of a homicide.

Underneath the surface, the case was complex. The defense maintained Sarah died from a medical problem.

The trial involved testimony from more than 40 people. Medical experts, first responders, police, friends and family testified about what they thought happen to Sarah Widmer.

Read more:
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/widmer-found-guilty-of-murder-1082027.html

Ryan Widmer Found Guilty Of Murder

WLWT - Cincinnati, OH

POSTED: 3:51 pm EST February 14, 2011
UPDATED: 4:46 pm EST February 15, 2011

LEBANON -- A jury has found Ryan Widmer guilty of murder.

Sarah Widmer drowned in a bathtub in the couple's home in 2008. Ryan Widmer was found guilty of murder in his first trial, but that verdict was overturned on allegations of juror misconduct.

The second trial ended in a hung jury.

Read more: http://www.wlwt.com/news/26862355/detail.html
~~~~~

You can click on and watch the Verdict. Video is up.

Piper, maybe when you get home, you will post videos, etc.

I remember how grateful I was to you for all of the articles and videos you posted when I attended Emma Thompson's trial.

I can't believe it~

Wow. I was thinking they might choose manslaughter, but not murder.

Piper wrote:Guess who the new judge is on the court of appeals? Rachel Hutzel, the prosecutor of this case. She just took her new post a few weeks ago.

I feel like saying a few expletives. Think I will...excuse me for a minute...

I guess I am in shock... I thought for sure that they would find him guilty of Manslaughter.. I just am so sad for this young man..

I would think Rachel Hutzel would have to recuse herself. Clearly a conflict of interest.

Ann - Tx wrote:I would think Rachel Hutzel would have to rescue herself. Clearly a conflict of interest.

Yes,{whew!} I am glad of that!

Ryan Widmer found guilty of murder

3:48 PM, Feb. 15, 2011

Cincinnati.com - Cincinnati, OH

LEBANON - Ryan Widmer was found guilty of murder Tuesday in the 2008 drowning death of his 24-year-old wife, Sarah Widmer.

The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life.

After the verdict was read, Widmer collapsed on the table, holding his head and sobbing.

Sobs could also be heard throughout the courtroom after the verdict was read.

“We depleted our money,” Widmer said when given a chance to speak. “This keeps going on and on. Twelve hours after she died and I'm charged … This isn't right, isn't right.

“I did not do this. My life has been ruined. I loved Sarah. I would never hurt her, never. This has gone on for 2 1/2 years now.”

Read more:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110215/NEWS010702/302150035/1196/ENT03/Widmer-found-guilty-murder?odyssey=nav%7Chead
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Includes a slide show (currently 13 photos). Also, to the left are related Links to previous articles.

Ryan Widmer Found Guilty Of Murdering His Wife
'I Did Not Do This,' Widmer Tells Judge

POSTED: 3:51 pm EST February 14, 2011
UPDATED: 5:44 pm EST February 15, 2011

WLWT - Cincinnati, OH

LEBANON -- A jury has found Ryan Widmer guilty of murder.

Jurors deliberated for about 11 hours before finding Widmer guilty of drowning his wife, Sarah, in the bathtub of the couple's home in 2008. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Ryan Widmer bent over the table and covered his eyes after the jury's verdict was read.

"I did not do this. I do not know why this has to go on. My life is ruined," Widmer told Judge Neal Bronson after the verdict was read. "This is not right."

Widmer was taken into custody immediately after the sentence. He was escorted out of the courtroom where he was met by reporters.

Read more: http://www.wlwt.com/news/26862355/detail.html

Ryan Widmer was found guilty Tuesday of murdering his wife, Sarah Widmer, in 2008 in their Hamilton Township home. Widmer will serve a mandatory term of 15 years to life in prison.

Sarah's mom, Ruth Ann Steward

Ryan cuffed, being escorted to the Warren County Jail

~Snipped~
The jury of six men and six women was the first of the three juries to include a black juror in predominantly white Warren County. The jury also included a naturalized citizen from Turkey.

The case piqued public interest from the start because it involved a pair of college graduates – newlyweds who had no documented history of domestic violence. They were not the usual type of people to be involved in a murder case.

While no one disputes she drowned, how she drowned has been a matter of controversy.

Widmer’s lawyers have contended that authorities rushed to judgment before fully investigating. They attacked the performance of officials in the case and brought to light misrepresentations in the employment documents of Lt. Jeff Braley, the Hamilton Township detective who headed the investigation.

Braley played a less-prominent role in the third trial, appearing only when he testified – and the judge forbade defense lawyers from attacking Braley’s credibility on the witness stand.

Widmer’s lawyers have contended that injuries found on Sarah Widmer were caused by medical procedures, that she could have suffered from a medical problem that contributed to her death, and that there was no evidence of the “violent struggle” that prosecutors portrayed in their initial news release about the case.

Prosecutors, however, have maintained that the county coroner’s declaration of “homicide” was soundly based on bruising inside Sarah Widmer’s neck, and that the chance of her suffering from an undiagnosed heart problem or seizure were remote at best.

Widmer’s 2009 trial ended in a guilty verdict but the judge set aside his conviction because of jury misconduct. Jurors had done home experiments to determine how long it takes a body to air-dry after bathing or showering – a key question because witnesses said Sarah Widmer’s body was dry but her hair was wet when police and medics arrived.

During this year’s trial, there were hints that officials were concerned about jury misconduct again. Bronson issued some stronger-than-usual admonitions on a couple occasions. But jurors repeatedly asserted that they had been complying with all the court’s restrictions.

Attorney Mark Krumbein, who has attended the trials, said the issue Braley’s background and the falsification of employment records can be grounds for appeal. Braley was the chief investigator in the case.

Another ground for appeal can be lack of funding, Krumbein said, noting Widmer's funding for witnesses cut from $50,000 to $12,000.

“That can be a problem,” Krumbein said.

During closing arguments Monday, the courtroom was packed to its capacity of about 100 spectators, including two "not guilty" jurors from Widmer's 2010 trial.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110215/NEWS010702/302150035

Justice for Sarah Widmer Facebook page





"Let us not forget Ryan's family. We must act like civil human beings, not gloat, nor behave in any way disrespectful towards the Widmer family....Justice has been served and may Sarah finally rest in peace."




https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-for-Sarah-Widmer/187578814597792#!/pages/Justice-for-Sarah-Widmer/187578814597792

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/crime/widmer_2009/jury-finds-ryan-widmer-guilty-of-murder

OMG...I can't believe it...I have kept up with this and the one day I go out with my Dau they come back with a verdict...I didn't think it would be this soon...and all 12 said GUILTY...I am devastated....I hope mz Crews is happy and Sarah's mom too...You better bet this will be appealed and if that Hutszel person denies it I hope they go after her...

I'm anxious to hear the interviews from some of the jurors, I understand several stations have interviewed some of them, but they won't be broadcast until the 11pm news. It's also my understanding Sarah's mom seemed relieved leaving the courtroom. What a nightmare for both of these families. I watched an interview from another high profile defense attorney on the local news and he said Ryan forming "relationships" with these women after the fact most likely hurt him in the eyes of the jury. He said he felt the jury felt sympathy for Jennifer Crew, and he got too cozy and friendly with the more attractive Melissa Waller. And apparently, Sarah Manherz, Ryan's supposed girlfriend he met on FreeRyanWidmer.com was in the courtroom for the first time today. She moved from New York to West Chester, OH to be with Ryan. She did leave the courthouse with Ryan's dad today.


Sarah Manherz

http://www.hamptonscene.com/webready_pink52607/ppages/ppage67.htm

One of the news stations is reporting that juror #3 called into WLW, local radio station, he was an older gentleman. He said the 911 call, Ryan's demeanor in the courtroom & they felt Ryan was a cocky punk. They did not believe Waller or Crew...........

Sounds to me, if this is true, they had their mind made up when they went into deliberations. They asked for the 911 call first. Just my opinion..........we'll hear more.

Estee, I wasn't expecting it this quick either. I think it surprised everyone!

Ryan Widmer Mugshot
"Judge I did not do this. I don't know why this has to keep going on. I love Sarah. I would never hurt her. Never," Widmer said after the judge asked if he had anything to say to the court.

I know it surprised me that the verdict came in so early. I'm just glad that it wasn't Crew's testimony that did any swaying as much as we know so far. I thought she was quite the drama queen on the stand. Enduring listening to her on the stand was akin to listening to Cindy Anthony on the stand->ack