A video about the real Ryan Widmer, not the person the Prosecution wants you to think.

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After 45 minutes to 1 hour of rigorous CPR and 5 intubation attempts they transported Sarah to the hospital and she was pronounced dead. There were no signs of struggle, no prior history of relationship issues, etc. However, Sarah had not been feeling well the entire day and had a bad headache. She was also known by family and friends to easily fall asleep and had actually fallen asleep in the tub numerous times, even before she met Ryan (as stated by Sarah’s brother). An expert at the trial spoke that in the U.S. every year about 300,000 people under the age of 35 die and that these people’s autopsies do not show any sign of what they died from. That is 2/3 people/state/month. A staggering statistic.

Family and friends said the murder charge was a huge mistake. But, Ryan was arrested and sent to jail just 2 days after Sarah’s death. Sarah’s family held off on the funeral and said that it was pending until they could see if they could clear this up for Ryan.

Unfortunately, Ryan’s bail was set at $1,000,000 and he wasn’t able to attend his own wife’s funeral.

This is how the story begins. His trial was originally set for November, but the prosecution, because of their lack of evidence, motive, etc. asked for an extension and his trial was postponed until March. In March, after 8 days of trial he was convicted of murder and sent to prison to serve a 15 year to life sentence. Even though there was not substantial evidence to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The vast majority of people feel that Ryan was not guilty as shown by many polls on the internet and news sites as well as that the vast majority 82+% think he deserves a new trial.

There is an innocent man sitting in prison right now! Many people and several who don’t know Ryan or his family have stepped up to fight for Ryan’s freedom.

A man, who didn’t have any ties to the Widmer family created a website FreeRyanWidmer.com. This site is the place where a diverse, growing family of passionate people who are working together to support Ryan Widmer and expose the injustice that has happened to him, his family and his wife’s family go and continue to provide support.

This group’s mission is to free Ryan Widmer, an innocent man! He has unfortunately been a living example of how our judicial system doesn’t always work and needs to be revamped.

There isn’t one person who knows Ryan at any point in his life including now that says anything negative about him. He has never been in fights or displayed an angry disposition.

Sarah was the love of his life and he didn’t get a chance to mourn her. He has been in the fight of his life since 2 days after her death.

Please join the cause. Right now there are motions filed for Ryan to get a new trial based on the jury misconduct. We are waiting for the judge’s decision.

There will also be an upcoming airing of Dateline regarding Ryan’s story.

Comments (24)

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written by danclark , October 13, 2009

You know this smells like another example of Rachel Hudzel abusin her authority. At this point everyone is aware of the incident in 2004 when she used her position to help her nephew out of a DUI, but it goes much farther than that. Most probably don't remember that immediately after this incident Judge Powers ask for her resignation. Shortly thereafter he was thrashed and charged with multiple felonies. His charges were made to sound as though he was misusing government funds. He was actually have relations with a county employee in his chambers. Wrong definately, but did that warrant multiple felony charges. At least in my opinion it did not. You also don't don't have far to look to find the unbelievably lightly handled DUI case of Judge Heath. This Judge was frankly very friendly toward the prosecutors office. The James Barton case. WOW. Does anyone really believe the testimony of Gary Phelps. If so check your facts. Lastly my case. I was indicted in Oct. 2007 for serving court approved paperwork with a court approved process server. Oh yeah my trumped up charges would have carried a maximum sentence of 9 yrs. The people of Warren County only have themselves to blame. It's time we did something about it. Ryan is a victim of Rachel Hudzel's need to self promote at anyone's expense. Whe really doesn't care if he is inocent or guilty. His persecution and prosecution is simply a vehicle for her to self promote. Period....

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I read the eulogy...
written by jpresutto , September 27, 2009

Heartbreaking!

God Bless,

jaye

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Not convinced...
written by ConcernedInvestigator , September 22, 2009

I am an active investigator and with what information given on Dateline, I am not convinced of Ryan's guilt. One thing I wonder if explored by either side was that it was pretty obvious that Sarah has a sleep disorder. With her being tired all the time, falling asleep and taking naps whenever possible-sounds like she may have been experiencing sleep apnea. If that was the case, then if she had an episode of sleep apnea while in the tub, an episode severe enough to cause hypoxia-that would have lowered her ability to protect her airway and could have increased the chances of drowning in such an unlikely setting. I'm not saying that's what happened but as an investigator, I would want to explore that as an possibility.
I hope in the end that the truth will come out and both sides will able to get closure.

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another reason for disgust w/judicial system
written by cody7104 , September 21, 2009

I saw the special on Dateline and listened to the full 911 call. I've never felt so strongly about any other case before and I'm not sure why other than I fully believe that Ryan was wrongly accused and is innocent. That 911 dispatcher should be fired..why did he wait until 4 minutes into the call to tell Ryan to continue CPR? He got his information then was silent for long periods of time. Ryan was obviously hysterical and crying and in shock. He needed to be told what to do (take her out of tub, unlock front door)..most importantly, continue CPR. I'm a registered nurse and know that even bad CPR is better than no CPR. This dispatcher's job was to direct him...not waiting 4 minutes to say continue CPR. Whether it would have revived her or not, I'm not sure. I feel for Ryan, both the families and everyone involved. I truly pray that a better jury is selected and they realize this was a tragic, accidental death (or at least she had an underlying condition that may never be known).

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Free Ryan
written by sherina , September 20, 2009

I recently watched Dateline and am shocked at the injustice of Ryan's conviction as well as the lack of evidence. Firstly, the "expert" on sleep disorders was weak-she did not sound like an "expert" at all. Secondly, the chief investigator sounded like he had already made up his mind before he even entered the scene that he was looking for suspicious evidence. I believe Ryan should get himself a STRONG LAWYER who will plead his case and let the truth come out..that he is innocent. Freak accidents happen all the time and in this case I believe his wife, just as her friends and family nicknamed her "Sleeper", did just that. I could also tell by the look in Ryan's eyes and his reaction to the verdict that he is innocent. Also, the 911 call, as claimed in court that he was calm, on the contrary, I could tell he was panicked for his wife. My heart goes out to him and his family. I pray that the truth will endour so that Ryan can finally be free to mourn the loss of his wife in peace.

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defense
written by mlyons , September 20, 2009

I watched the story on Dateline. Just wondering if anyone thought your wife might have truly had narcolepsy. If she did, she could have had an attack of cataplexy, where she really would have been paralyzed and could have drown, as opposed to just "falling asleep" in the water which would be less likely. I'm not sure if the medical examiner would be able to tell if she had narcolepsy, but perhaps you could consult with a sleep doctor regarding her unusual sleep patterns to see if it fits the picture.

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Hey, Ryan.
written by Mandabby85 , September 19, 2009

Hey, I'm Amanda. I'm 24 yrs old from Pa. I just saw Ryan's story on 20/20 last night. I am sorry to hear about what happened to you. I support you 100 percent. If I had any means to help you and your family I would. Just wanted you to know that there are honest people in the world that are on your side! Don't give up hope, there are people behind you!!

Take care, if you need to talk to anyone you can email me anytime.

Amanda

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written by wbays , September 19, 2009

I just listened to the 911 call recording on this site, and that call certainly does not sound like a man who had just killed his wife. It sounds to me like a man who is about to go hysterical and is trying very hard to keep it together and give her CPR. It also sounds like the 911 operator was of little to no help. Why didn't the operator give him some advice about how to perform the proceedure. Mr. Widmer stated very clearly that he was quite sure how to perform CPR. You could hear him crying and talking to her in the background. This is an obvious example of an over zealous prosecution just wanting a conviction to make their conviction record look good. I am disgusted by them. All accounts of the people who knew them make it plain that this was a young man who loved his wife and had no reason to cause her any harm. As for the silly claims of her body being dry, hair wet etc..this is the most ridiculous thing I've heard. It was in August. I assume the A/C in thier house was running. If you get out of a tub or shower, your skin will air dry in just a few minutes, but hair, particularly a woman who has longer hair, will stay damp or wet for longer than your skin. The only evidence they have is dry skin and wet hair?!?! We have to believe that the justice system will see the stupidity of convicting a man who has lost his wife. This is a case that th epublic needs to follow and DEMAND that the court system do it's job and let this poor guy get on with his life as best he can after such a tragedy.

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OHIO GOVERNER TED STRICKLAND CONTACT INFORMATION
written by kellybean1139 , September 19, 2009

JUST THOUGHT IT MIGHT HELP IF WE ALL EMAIL THE GOVERNER AND TELL HIM OUR THOUGHTS ON THIS SITUATION. THANKS EVERYONE AND GOD BLESS RYAN AND HIS FAMILY!!

http://governor.ohio.gov/Assistance/ContacttheGovernor/tabid/150/Default.aspx

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Response to Dateline
written by JaimeCRJ1 , September 18, 2009

Wet hair, dry body...that's their evidence?

I, along with several women I know, wash their hair in the tub and rinse it with clean water. Normally, this is done by either jumping in the shower or more commonly by leaning over the tub and rinsing with the faucet. By the time my hair is rinsed, my body is dry and the tub is drained. Which could explain why Ryan says,"the water has drained out" or "is draining out" on the 911 call.

Sarah appeared to be a very neat and well organized young woman. I have antibacterial wipes in both bathrooms and my kitchen. This is not odd, she probably wiped out the tub before or after her bath. As for the shampoos, soaps, shower gels not being knocked over, I'm confident my husband could lift me up and out of our garden tub (shaped much like the one on dateline tonight) with out knocking over bottles as to avoid hitting my head or body on the tub causing more damage.

The jurors that performed "home experiments"...INEXCUSABLE! No one knows what Sarah was doing in the bathroom that night. She could have simply been rinsing her hair or cleaning the tub..raised up to quickly and hit her head or even fainted.

I hope Ryan gets a more responsible jury this time. There's NO jury of peers that will judge a husband like a woman's closest friends. Sarah's friends are supporting Ryan.

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written by i_support_ryan , July 25, 2009

This is wonderful. I 100% support Ryan. When I listened to the 911 tape, I could hear the terror in his voice. It sounded to me like he was hysterical. Not every person reacts with screaming. It sounded to me like that is Ryan's disposition. If I were on the jury I would have had to vote NOT GUILTY! Too bad I was not on the jury!!! I've been praying that next time, the new jury gets it right and sends Ryan home! God bless Ryan and his family.

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written by Eggs , July 18, 2009

Dear Widmer and Steward families,
My husband and I had the great pleasure of sponsoring Ryan and Sarah in their marriage preparation program at St. Susanna. We were struck by how confident, excited and mature they both were about their upcoming life together. Our hearts go out to all of you during this trying time, you are in our thoughts and prayers daily.

I found the above on the memorial guestbook online for Sarah. The Catholic church goes to great lengths to make sure couples are prepared for marriage, and it looks like Ryan and Sarah knew what they were getting into.

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written by I Believe in you , July 15, 2009

I loved reading the story and seeing the pictures. They were so happy together. I wish she could have been saved!!! Now we need to concentrate on getting Ryan freed from this misguided verdict so he can finally grieve for his precious wife. May God watch over them both.

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Wrongly Convicted....The Rush To INJUSTICE !!!
written by friendofjustice , July 15, 2009

I , like so many, watched the Widmer case from the beginning and felt puzzled. The whole thing just did not add up, nothing made any sense ! First of all, I wondered why would this guy do this if he did it. There did not seem to be a motive
and if it was a sudden burst of anger, a crime of passion or of the spur of the moment then where was the evidence.
It is clear that there was no sign of a violent attack or of a struggle.
The events of that evening as told by Mr. Widmer seemed to be reasonable and believeable to me and I am not someone who is naive or easily convinced. While it is unusual for someone to die in ones own bathtub, it is not impossible. The
sudden death of young apparently healthy people does happen and more often than I had assumed, this fact was made
clear by the defense in testimony of an expert. The explaination and description of events given by Mr. Widmer seemed to be reasonable and even quite likely.
I believe the police undoubtly encouraged by the prosecutor rushed to charge Mr. Widmer. Here we had a young woman
tragically dying in her own tub in a nice suburban area and the media and the neighbors and her family all were wondering who is responsible and naturally it HAD to be her NASTY HUSBAND !!! The police simply DID NOT have the
evidence to arrest this man, much less convict him, and yet they did, how could this happen ? That is the reason for my
writing this paper, I was convinced that a totally innocent man who had lost his new wife in such a tragic and sudden way
was now being used as a scapegoat by his community, by his fellow citizens. WHAT ever happend to the notion of
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT in the America. Anyone who is impartial and looked at this case would HAVE to believe there is a great deal of doubt as to what caused the death of this unfortunate woman. It is OBVIOUS that this case
was set into motion and decided upon EMOTION rather than evidence or facts. I believe the outpouring of public support and outrage at his conviction in this extremely politically conservative area is a testament to that. I have seldom seen such a total miscarriage of justice, I urge everyone to protest it. WE as Americans must DEMAND more of ourselves and our police and prosecutors. Remember, This could happen again, and the next time it could be me or you. Good luck
to the Attorneys who represent Ryan Widmer. God help the judge that will decide if Mr. Widmer will get a new trial to look
beyond the narrow-minded and vengeful people who would deny Ryan an opportunity to vindicate himself. We need someone in the judiciary to stand up and show some shred of courage and honor in this affair at long last !!!. We are only
a great nation as long as we act in a manner that shows we will not tolerate a system that persecutes one of our fellows.
Sincerely,
Charlene Mullins Cincinnati, Oh.

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written by SeedSower-Enterprises , July 13, 2009

This speaks volumes....so beautifully done. I am sure that this will help open the eyes of the guests that are visiting this website. I knew early on Ryan was innocent due to lack of forensic evidence as well as no monies to be gained and not one motive or not even a scratch or marks of struggle on either Ryan or Sarah, so sad such a beautiful young lady ...and for Ryan I could not even imagine it, but I know God has lead many of us here together like pieces of a puzzle to assist as best we can....well done Mike and thank you Jill for sharing the pictures.

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written by sneal01 , July 07, 2009

This is awesome....the story and the pictures are amazing

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written by Charlotte , July 06, 2009

Excellent synopsis and explanation of what the goal of the site is.

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Thanks
written by Eggs , July 06, 2009

Finally...thank you!

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written by Marcia3 , July 06, 2009

This synposis of Ryan and Sarah's tragic story is made all the better with the pictures showing them so happy together. It is heartbreaking to consider the life they could have had together.

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written by MichikoTajiri , July 06, 2009

The fact he tried to save her is enough proof he's innocent.

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Ryan's story
written by named280 , July 06, 2009

Magnificent!!! The story is perfect. Thank you so much.

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written by Butterfly , July 06, 2009

The new home page is wonderful and shows what we are all about and why. THANK YOU!!!

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Ryan's Story
written by KentuckyWoman , July 06, 2009

Excellent.

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written by Lorilomaxx , July 06, 2009

This is a great addition to the site! The pictures are amazing and beautiful and the story speaks for itself. Thanks for adding this information so people can learn more about Ryan's story.

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