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

I was wondering how wide those stairs were...I know when I lived in a 2 story condo, the upstairs hall was pretty wide but the stairs were only wide enough for one person to walk up or down comfortably...I would imagine there was only room for a person at the head and foot of the transport gurney...I would like to see a demo of their descent of those stairs with a gurney...I thought Ryan said he had drained the tub when the dispatcher told him to get her out of tub...Bet he couldn't get a good grip on her and he dragged her out and into the bedroom....Have you ever lifted and carried a 100lb bag of fertilizer??? I have, and believe me it is not the easiest thing to do...I imagine even though Sarah was slight, arms and legs just hanging there made her removal difficult...

I agree, Estee.....

Ryan Widmer Trial 3: Day 5 Live blog:

Travis Gettys brings you the latest in the third Ryan Widmer trial - court starts at 10am this morning

http://livewire.wlwt.com/Event/Ryan_Widmer_Trial_3_Day_5

Brian Dapper, firefighter/paramedic, Hamilton Township on the stand:


Dapper had said at one point that someone had to hyperextend Sarah's neck during intubation attempt. (Trying to catch up here.) Teague did this.

There's the picture of the bedroom with Clark's crude stick figure showing about where Sarah was lying.
by Travis Gettys at 11:17 AM

With this picture, I can see how blood may have leaked from Sarah's mouth as Ryan pulled her from the bathroom into the bedroom. Explaining how the blood appears to have come from the vaginal area.

She had pulmonary edema coming from her nose and mouth and some first responders testified that blood came from her vagina during chest compressions.

The coroner testified that the autopsy showed no cause for bleeding in the vaginal area. But the ER doctor yesterday said he found nothing on the autopsy report to indicate any testing done to find out if she was on her period or where she was in her monthly cycle.

The bathtub has arrived

Officer Quillan Short, Hamilton Township police testifying about all the evidence collected from the bathroom. Magazines, towels, sports bra, UC Bearcats shirt from edge of tub, black cotton panties, Lysol wipe - all were dry. A photo of the duffel bag, with some magazines. They, too, were dry.

Some bottles lined neatly along tub's edge near faucets. Short says he found that odd.

There is a sponge and some body wash or shampoo on bottom of tub, near drain.

Went into bathroom, saw magazines on floor and a rug that had been wrinkled up. Saw towel on rug. Trash can in bathroom had been dumped out. (Trash had been dumped out by a previous officer searching for possible drugs)

Bathtub has now been entered as evidence. They are discussing dusting for prints.


From the previous 2 trials:

The tub has black fingerprint powder outlining what appear to be two small hands streaking down the backside of the tub. Criminalist William Hillard, however, has testified twice before he could not link prints he found on the tub to either Widmer.

The bathrug was wrinkled up-she was found face down in the tub-this makes me think she started to have a seizure outside of the tub and then fell into it.

Was she in the tub or was it just the upper half of her body? Okay, I understand she was in the tub-if Ryan lifted her out of it then I wonder how it is the bottles and misc. items managed to stay so neatly on the edge of the tub. If only her upper body was in the water then I could understand why the things were not messed up.

Supposedly, she was in the tub. There will be a defense witness that goes into great detail about this, it's very interesting.

Officer Short is now being cross examined by Defense, he kept stating everything was dry today. But, that conflicts with his previous testimonies...



We zoom in on a photo of the Lysol wipe container and used one on edge of tub. Short agrees he testified today that the wipe was dry. Agrees he testified in two previous trials. Under oath.

Testified previously that the wipe was "still a little damp, left a little moisture on my glove."
by Travis Gettys at 2:44 PM

Ruth Ann Steward, Sarah's mother, on the witness stand now.

Sarah's father passed away a year before Sarah died, June 2007. She's talking about how hard it was on Sarah and how much Sarah helped out during that time.

Says Ryan helped paint her house. Says Ryan and Sarah were okay together. Argued and talked to each other differently than she talked to her husband, but says it was a generational thing.

Steward says they called each other names and egged each other on.

Says Sarah and Ryan picked on each other and called each other names. Says Ryan called Sarah "not nice words" in her presence.

She says they appeared stressed with one another.

Says Christmas 2007 Ryan and Sarah were engaged. Stewards would go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve and then opened presents. Says Sarah left early because she was sick. Says Ryan was at his family's and did not come over. Says Sarah was sick on Christmas Day but went to Ryan's family.

She begins crying as Vieux asks about the wedding.
She helped plan wedding. Says main conflict was that Sarah wanted a Catholic church wedding and Ryan said that was okay "as long as it wasn't too long." Ryan didn't object to where wedding held. Says this period "very stressful."

Talking about bridesmaids dresses. Says Ryan got very upset that Sarah bought them maybe? Spent a lot of money, at least. Says Ryan called Sarah and was upset.

Says Ryan got upset when Sarah bought Ryan a new swimsuit at Target. Says he called Sarah after making the purchase and was upset.

She discusses the trip she and Sarah went on the weekend before she died, they had just returned the day before. Said Sarah was fine.

Says Ryan called her from the life squad. "I thought he said Sarah fell and needed her mom," she says.

She came to the hospital. Arrived, asked to see Sarah. Nurse took her there. "Nurse was nice enough to let me think she was still alive," she says. "I got to say goodbye to her."

Then she went and talked to Ryan. Can't remember what he said exactly, but didn't say much.

Says Ryan told her he was sorry. But not what for.

She paid for Sarah's funeral.

Agrees that Ryan was crying at hospital. Agrees he apologized, but disagreed that he said he tried to help Sarah. "He just apologized," she says.


Steward did not know that she was the first person that Ryan called. Knows that Ryan tried to call her five times, but her cell phone was upstairs.

Ryan and Sarah got married in a Catholic church, as Sarah wanted.

Says Ryan agreed to take dance lessons before wedding in exchange for being able to buy a big-screen TV. "It was a trade-off," Steward said.

She also stated she never knew Sarah slept a lot, until the trials. That her headaches got worse, she thought from sinus which her and Sarah both took medications for, after her father passed away due to stress.

Sarah's mom didn't have anything to say to help Ryan, IMO...However I've heard that discourse/arguments in a marriage have a tendancy to make it stronger; that is if it's not violent...Everyone has disagreements....

No Estee, she sure didn't. If you read through her testimony today you can just feel the sadness, I only posted some of it. And no disrespect for Sarah's mom, but it also seems like she feels Ryan "took Sarah" from her when she needed her most, their relationship at the time. Sarah met Ryan shortly after her dad became sick and Ruth Ann testified that she didn't get to know Ryan very well until after her husband died and Sarah's role had reversed to help her through her grief as well. Then her 24 year old Sarah dies unexpectedly, in her heart she probably does blame him, guilty or not. I don't know. That's just my opinion.

She seems a bit bitter...Like you said she lost her husband and then Sarah...and it doesn't seem like Ryan was as close to his inlaws as he should have been...Can't say that I've been a model dil, but then again I've never lived in the same town as my inlaws...I had a hard enough time dealing with my husbands and keeping them happy, but I was always pleasant and polite to my inlaws...

They are back today...judge was late, gave no reason...someone said J. Crew was there...looks like today will be the day...

Morning! We need sunshine, major winter storm last night........ice, wind, power outages and all!

She's on the stand!


Ryan Widmer Trial 3: Day 6 Live Blog:

http://livewire.wlwt.com/Event/Ryan_Widmer_Trial_3_Day_6

Jennifer Crew - secret mystery witness entering the courtroom.

Admits she was convicted of misdemeanor theft, fraud, driving while barred over period of several years. And she's engaged.

Says she did not manage a strip club in Iowa. Did not work as a stripper.

Worked at a bar that had dancers in Gulfport, Iowa. This was in 2000 or 2001. She was a bartender at first.

She began managing the dancers that worked there. Booked them at other clubs. Clocked them in and made sure they were where they were supposed to be while on the job. Did not participate in performances.

She was on oxycontin for 5 to 6 years for pain, went through withdrawal when she tried to stop using OCs. Not allowed to say what doctor advised about this


Says she switched to methadone under doctor's care. Still treated with methadone under doc's prescription. Must submit urine test several times per month. Has not had any problems with this. Has complied with treatment program.

The judge asked for a separation of witnesses, Sarah's mom was asked to leave the courtroom even though she was excused yesterday. Travis says she could be called back on the stand again, but most likely it's so the jury won't look at her and feel sorry for her.

In my opinion, anyone could have come up with the mystery witness scenario by following the trials. Convenient that she stated Ryan blacked out so she couldn't say how he killed her but remembered other details, like remembering he knocked over the trashcan, when actually a police officer testified to dumping the trashcan out herself.......

This woman reminds me of Laura Buchanan in the Casey Anthony case! Its just a wonder how the State allowed this witness to come this far.

Wow...If she IS credible, loose lips might sink Ryan's ship...

Picture of herself (not) that Jennifer first sent to Ryan

Defense pointing out a few things she didn't tell LE but testified to today ~ trashcan, Ryan punching Sarah in the chest, Ryan's threat that "nobody leaves him", Forensic Files episode.......interesting testimony to say the least!

I wonder just how much of this she is making up ??? I guess if he did knockover the trash can, he must have scooped up whatever and set it back so it looked undisturbed...

She said he worried about it because he left it that way, something he forgot to clean up. She also said Ryan said his phone went dead when he called 911, but it's a fact he used his phone to call Sarah's mom 5 times after the fact.

It seems they did communicate quite a bit:

Ryan & Jennifer exchanged 51 texts (39 of them hers) on Oct 26th between 9:34pm and 11:02 pm which is the same night as the 10pm 1 hour phone "confession".

So, during this time he calls her from a private/blocked number and told her the story?

Floyd Hulett, Jennifer Crew's fiancé


I don't think his testimony lended any credibility to Jennifer Crew.

And the song she said was Ryan's new song for Sarah:

The song was on the 1987 album “Girls, Girls, Girls.”


“You’re All I Need” by Motley Crue

The blade of my knife

Faced away from your heart

Those last few nights

It turned and sliced you apart

This love that I tell

Now feels lonely as hell

From this padded prison cell

--

So many times I said

You’d only be mine

I gave my blood and my tears

And loved you cyanide

When you took my lips

I took your breath

Sometimes love’s better off dead

-

You’re all I need make you only mine

I love you so I set you free

I had to take your life

You’re all I need, you’re all I need

And I loved you but you didn’t love me

--

Laid out cold

Now we’re both alone

But killing you helped me keep you home

I guess it was bad

Cause love can be sad

But we finally make the news

--

Tied up smiling

I thought you were happy

Never opened your eyes

I thought you were napping

I got so much to learn

About love in this world

But we finally made the news

--

You’re all I need, make you only mine

I loved you so, so I put you to sleep

You can listen to Jennifer Crew's testimony here:

http://www.700wlw.com/mediaplayer/?station=WLW-AM&action=ondemand&item=20839784&feed_name=bill_cunningham.xml

Widmer killed his wife by punching her in chest, witness testifies

Updated 3:33 PM Wednesday, February 2, 2011


~Snipped~
"Thaddue Hoffmeister, a jury expert and professor at the University of Dayton law school, watched Crew testify today and he did not find her credible.

Hoffmeister said there were inconsistencies in her statements, and in the end, even with the alleged confession, no one still knows how Sarah Widmer died because Widmer told Crew he blacked out."


Read more:
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/widmer-killed-his-wife-by-punching-her-in-chest-witness-testifies-1070732.html

Now can you say "OBSESSED" ?...15 min of fame...something not right here to call him that frequently...Bet mz Crew is one that would want to marry a prison inmate...Must have low self esteem....seek attention...Looking for love in all the wrong places...Guess Floyd was the 2nd mystery witness...I've got to go listen to her testimony even though I read Travis' blog...

Wow...sure sounds like she is being led through this testimony......It doesn't sound pleasant...

I agree, Estee~

So help me if Ryan is found guilty due to her testimony I'll scream so loud you all will hear me! Seriously, its just not right that she is testifying. I guess the fiancee was brought in to make it appear that Crew wasn't a spurned lover since she was engaged.

The news report says that Crew mentions that Sarah's nickname was Stewie, but that could have easily been because Crew read every word written at freeryan.com, like this tribute in '08 for Sarah's birthday where "Stewie" is mentioned:

http://www.freeryanwidmer.com/sarah/index.php/home/115-remembering-sarah-widmer

BTW, that was a beautiful tribute and I believe the song that is sung by Garth Brooks is more likely the song that Ryan has dedicated to Sarah.

I agree with both of you! Besides her attempt at casting guilt on Ryan with her story of the supposed confession, I feel the prosecution totally misused the new Ohio Law of protecting a witness with the secret mystery witness deal........total farce!! I also read today that her counselor at the methodone clinic said she was a "storyteller".........she's been a drug addict for years, prescription or not.

Wow you all are great at summarizing this case. I am interested in the case but can't follow lkie you all do so I appreciate you keeping me in the know. Great job ladies!

TigerMom wrote:Wow you all are great at summarizing this case. I am interested in the case but can't follow lkie you all do so I appreciate you keeping me in the know. Great job ladies!

I agree. I've been reading your comments and updates.

Hi, Tigermom! >^.^<

Well, my thanks has to go to Piper and Estee! They got me interested in this case. I missed trials one and two and am hoping justice comes in this third one finally. I'm not so sure that Ryan is guilty or perhaps its that I'm not so sure the State ever had a solid case against him. Allowing this "secret witness" didn't help the State one bit, imo. It made them look like they were grasping. I can just imagine how horrible it was for Ryan to have to sit there and listen to the lies Crew was speaking.

Thanks ladies! I've never seen anyone be tried 3 times like this, I'm sure there are cases out there but I'm just not aware of them. I remember when Sarah died, it was shocking, but even more shocking when they arrested Ryan for murder. It just never made any sense.

Here's Ms. Crew's video testimony:

http://www.wlwt.com/video/26725544/detail.html

Ok, after watching her live and in person........OMG!

Ryan Widmer Trial 3: Day 7 LIVE Blog

http://livewire.wlwt.com/Event/Ryan_Widmer_Trial_3_Day_7