This story has been updated with new information.
Ryan Widmer, convicted of murder in the 2008 drowning of his wife, was denied parole on Wednesday, July 30, his laywer Michele Berry-Godsey told The Enquirer.
Widmer was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in 2011 after three murder trials that captured national attention.
“We’re very disappointed in the parole board’s decision,” Berry-Godsey said in a texted statement. “Justice isn’t being served. If anyone should ever be paroled, it’s Ryan Widmer.”
Now 44 years old, Widmer has always said he was innocent in the bathtub drowning death of his wife, Sarah. But the Ohio Parole Board looks for inmates’ remorse when considering parole.
“The board takes the position that everyone is guilty if they’re in prison,” Berry-Godsey said. “If an inmate says he’s innocent it backfires. They want you to say, ‘I’m sorry. I did it.’ But because Ryan is innocent, he’s a sitting duck to get bounced by the parole board. It’s a sad day.”
Parole hearing was held remotely
Widmer appeared in front of the Ohio Parole Board remotely. Berry-Godsey also appeared remotely, but wasn’t allowed to speak. No supporters or victims were allowed to attend the hearing.
It can take the board up to two weeks to announce a parole decision, but Widmer’s came the same day. Berry-Godsey said the board deliberated for about 20 minutes before denying Widmer’s request.
A majority of the Ohio Parole Board had to vote to deny his request, Jenn Truxall, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, wrote in an email to The Enquirer. A majority of the board also had to attend the hearing.
Posting in a Facebook group for Widmer’s supporters, Berry-Godsey said she submitted a 38-page packet to the parole board July 28, which included dozens of supporters’ letters. In previous posts in the Facebook group, supporters said they wrote letters about Widmer’s work fostering animals in prison and helping fellow inmates.
Widmer’s next opportunity to request parole will be in July 2030, Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell posted on X.
Who is on the Ohio Parole Board and when were they appointed?
Who is Ryan Widmer?
Widmer and his wife lived in Hamilton Township, Ohio, and were married four months before she died on Aug. 11, 2008.
That night, Widmer called 911 to report that Sarah, a 24-year-old dental hygienist, had drowned in the bathtub at their suburban Cincinnati home. A Warren County sheriff’s deputy was the first person to arrive at the home. Court documents say Sarah had no pulse but was warm to the touch, and was lying naked on the floor in the couple’s bedroom.
Paramedics tried to resuscitate her and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Widmer, who had no prior history of violence, gave different accounts of how he found Sarah, according to court documents. He told a nurse at the hospital that he found Sarah in the bathtub face up, not breathing. But he later told investigators he found her face down in the water.
The bathroom floor was dry, the bathtub was mostly dry and the bedroom floor, where Sarah was lying, was dry. Her body was dry, but her hair was damp. Prosecutors said Widmer staged the scene.
Widmer was found guilty at his first trial, but the conviction was overturned because of juror tampering. A second trial ended in a hung jury. Widmer was convicted of murder at his third trial in 2011, and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
He never testified at any of his three trials.
Widmer is also the father of a roughly 15-year-old boy, according to former Enquirer reporter Janice Hisle’s book about the case, “Submerged: Ryan Widmer, his drowned bride and the justice system.” In an article on Medium, Hisle said Widmer and a new woman became romantically involved after his first trial, and she gave birth to their son after his second trial.
Supporters believe Sarah died from undiagnosed condition
Widmer has always said he was innocent in his wife’s death. His family and supporters believe Sarah may have had a disorder that caused a sudden heart attack or seizure while she was in the bathtub, a hypothesis first raised by a defense expert.
Widmer wrote in documents for his lawyers that on the night of her death, Sarah walked upstairs to take a bath on her tippy toes, which is how she often walked. He also said she suffered from headaches and bouts of sudden sleepiness.
But that information wasn’t used in the trials.
Some of Widmer’s supporters believe Sarah might have had a genetic disorder, such as Long QT Syndrome type 7, a condition that can cause irregular heartbeats.
Widmer’s family has called for DNA testing of Sarah’s remains to rule out a disorder. A judge denied those requests.
In 2018, Widmer’s case was featured in an episode of the true crime show, “Reasonable Doubt.” The show’s investigators believed Widmer lied to police the night of Sarah’s death, but dismissed some of the prosecution’s evidence as “junk science.” Prosecutors had argued that marks inside the couple’s bathtub showed there had been a struggle, but a forensic expert on the show said there was no way to prove that.
Widmer told investigators on “Reasonable Doubt” he found Sarah lying face up in the bathtub, contradicting what he had told police.
What’s the latest update on Ryan Widmer’s case?
A federal appeals court upheld Widmer’s conviction in May, siding with a lower court’s decision to deny his habeas corpus petition.
In his petition, Widmer raised several issues in his case, including evidence that the lead detective lied about his background and qualifications when he applied for his job with Hamilton Township police. But the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the detective’s lying “was immaterial” to the case.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ryan Widmer, convicted in wife’s 2008 bathtub drowning, denied parole
Reporting by Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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