LEBANON -- The jury in the Ryan Widmer trial deliberated until well into the night Wednesday, until they were finally released at 11:50 p.m. The judge warned the jurors not to discuss the case. They were to report back to court Thursday morning at 9 a.m.
Both sides wrapped up closing arguments and the jury was given the case before noon. Widmer faces 20 years to life in prison if convicted of murder for the death of his wife, Sarah, last August at their home north of Cincinnati.
Watch Closing Arguments:
Prosecution | Defense
In handing the case to jurors, the judge said they can consider verdicts on aggravated murder or murder charges, but not lesser charges such as manslaughter.Assistant Prosecutor Travis Vieux told jurors it isn't reasonable to believe that Sarah Widmer fell asleep in the tub and drowned, as the defense contends.
Family members, friends and co-workers testified that Sarah Widmer sometimes fell asleep at odd times and in unusual places. But Vieux said there was no evidence to show that Sarah Widmer fell asleep in the tub, or that she suffered from seizures or other medical problems."Not a shred of evidence in all the medical records," Vieux said.But he said bruises on Sarah Widmer's neck indicated a violent struggle took place.
"The only reasonable conclusion is that Sarah Widmer was forcibly held with her head under water," Vieux said. "Use your common sense."Defense attorney Charlie Rittgers cited testimony from medical experts that the bruises could have been caused by resuscitation attempts. And he noted that Ryan Widmer had no marks on his body, and Sarah Widmer had no defensive wounds that would indicate a struggle.Rittgers said the prosecution had a problem from the start."They don't have a motive," he said.Investigators went into the couple's personal, financial, business, computer and cell phone records and could find no motive for Ryan Widmer to kill his wife of four months, Rittgers said.
"The state has to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt," he said. "Did you ever hear one negative thing about Ryan from Sarah's co-workers or friends? It just doesn't add up."Ryan Widmer had nothing to do with his wife's death."On rebuttal, Assistant Prosecutor John Arnold said no one ever knows the inner workings of a marriage.
"Not even our best friends can know what lurks behind closed doors," he said.Warren County Coroner Russell Uptegrove testified last week that he didn't think the injuries to Sarah Widmer's inner lip and neck could have been caused by attempts to save her.
He said he's never seen injuries like those in autopsies on hundreds of people who underwent aggressive CPR.A forensic pathologist who testified for the defense said the manner of drowning could not be determined based on an autopsy, conflicting with the coroner's ruling of homicide.Dr. Werner Spitz said he saw no evidence of a violent struggle on Sarah Widmer's body -- no bruises on her back or her knees and no damage to her manicured toenails or fingernails.Friends, co-workers and Ryan Widmer's mother testified that the couple wasn't fighting and that Ryan Widmer had no history of angry outbursts.
Some of Sarah Widmer's friends testified that she had fallen asleep before in the bathtub and in other places, including on social occasions.
Another friend said Sarah Widmer had complained of a headache that day.Stay tuned to News 5 and WLWT.com for the latest on this story.
Ryan Widmer trial
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