MasonBuzz.com

Jorge Velasquez: Warren County Jail

A trial date has been set in the case of a Mason man accused of raping a child.

Jorge Velasquez, 33, has entered a plea of not guilty to one count of rape for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a child who was “living separate and apart” from him and who was less than 13 years of age. Court documents list the age of the child as 9.

A two-day jury trial is set to begin Feb. 16 in Warren County Common Pleas Court.

The alleged crimes happened in Mason between August 2006 and December 2006, according to prosecutors.  The charge, a first-degree felony, carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

A pretrial hearing is set for 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27 before Warren County Common Pleas Judge James L. Flannery.

Velasquez is being held at the Warren County Jail on a $500,000 surety bond.  He is ordered not to have contact with minors under the age of 18 should he post bail.

Posted in: Crime, News |

Tags: Tags: child, crime, grand jury, indicted, jorge velasquez, judge james l. flannery, jury trial, mason, pretrial hearing, rape, trial, warren county common pleas

Janice Morse reports:

A Warren County court has denied Ryan Widmer’s attempt to secure a fourth trial, but his lawyer vows to fight all the way to federal court if necessary.

Widmer, now 31, is serving 15 years to life in prison after a jury convicted him of murder last February in the 2008 drowning of his wife, Sarah, 24, in their Hamilton Township bathtub. It was his third trial, following two mistrials in a case that stirred intense public debate.

• Photos: Ryan Widmer speaks with The Enquirer
• Photos: Ryan Widmer convicted of murder

On Tuesday, the county Common Pleas Court denied Widmer’s motion for a new trial.

The decision comes just as a national TV program is planning a rebroadcast of an episode about “the Bathtub Mystery” – and as the lead detective in the Widmer case prepares to appear in an unrelated federal court case that raises questions about his credibility.

Details of Tuesday’s decision were not immediately available; the prosecutor’s office gave no comment in its news release. Michele Berry, Widmer’s lawyer, said she had not been informed of the outcome until a reporter contacted her seeking comment.

Berry said she doesn’t know the reasons for the ruling, but she will appeal it to the Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals in Middletown, where Widmer’s main appeal is already pending.

“If we don’t succeed in the state courts, we will proceed to the federal courts. We have strong claims that warrant a new trial, and we will be relentless in our efforts to get that result,” she said.

In its ruling Tuesday, the Warren county court also refused to order genetic testing on any usable DNA from Sarah Widmer. Although she was cremated, Ryan Widmer’s lawyers say there may be blood or other tissues that would allow for the testing. Ryan Widmer’s lawyers were seeking those tests because they wanted to find out whether Sarah Widmer may have suffered from a genetic condition that can cause a heart-rhythm disturbance. They argue that such an undetected medical problem may have contributed to her drowning.

Prosecutors have contended there was sufficient evidence to support Widmer’s conviction, and that the evidence included marks on her head and neck areas that were suggestive of force. Defense witnesses said the marks could be attributed to life-saving efforts.

On Sunday, the national TV program, Dateline NBC, has scheduled a rebroadcast of its segment featuring Widmer’s case, a spokeswoman for the program, Amy Lynn, confirmed Tuesday. The program will air at 7 p.m. on NBC’s local affiliate, WLWT-TV, Channel 5. “The Bathtub Mystery” episode was first broadcast nationally last May.

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Posted in: Crime, News, Widmer Trial |

Tags: Tags: appeal, convicted, conviction, dateline, fourth trial, mason, michele berry, motion, murder, mystery in the master bathroom, ryan widmer, sarah widmer, the bathtub mystery, trial

In MasonBuzz’s first annual Year in Review, readers are asked to count down the top local stories of the year. Vote in the poll below for the story you believe should be the top Mason story of the year (if you are unable to vote in the poll, please hard refresh your browser or leave your vote in the comments field). Select up to 2 stories. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29 with results to be posted on Saturday, Dec. 31.

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Ryan Widmer convicted in third murder trial

In what has been called Greater Cincinnati’s “trial(s) of the year,” Ryan Widmer was convicted in his third murder trial in the 2008 drowning death of his wife, Sarah Widmer. Widmer, 32, who last lived in Mason, was sentenced in February to 15 years to life in prison. The Colerain Township native has maintained his innocence. He was convicted in his first trial in 2009 but the verdict was set aside because of jury misconduct. His 2010 trial resulted in a hung jury. His attorneys have appealed the third jury’s verdict and have asked for a fourth trial.

Kings Island opens new attractions

The region’s premier amusement park saw the opening of two new attractions this year and announced the expansion of a third major attraction for next year. Kings Island debuted the world’s largest animatronic dinosaur park, Dinosaurs Alive!, in April and its newest thrill ride, WindSeeker, in June. The park, which was also honored in September for the best kids’ area in the world by Amusement Today, this year announced a $10 million Soak City water park expansion that will double its size to 33 acres for 2012.

Mason named among best places to live

In August, Money magazine has confirmed what many Mason residents have long suspected. The magazine announced Mason to be the 24th best place to live in its national survey of smaller towns and cities. The city of 33,100 was cited for its high-ranking schools, recreational opportunities and housing prices.

Western & Southern Open welcomes world’s top tennis players

For the first time ever, the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason hosted top-tier men’s and women’s tournaments simultaneously during the same week in the largest Western & Southern Open. The new combined format joined Rome, Madrid, Miami and Indian Wells as the only other cities in the world hosting the same caliber events for both sexes at the same time. To make room for the larger event, the Lindner Family Tennis Center underwent a 5.4 acre expansion adding six new courts, a new entrance and ticket office, retail plaza and family restrooms.

Miss Ohio pedals into town amidst fanfare

Miss Ohio Ellen Bryan pedaled into Mason this summer amidst fanfare and smiles. The pageant contestant visited Mason in September on the third stop on a 45-city bike tour across Ohio to raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Ohio.

Disgraced Mason teacher heads to prison

A Warren County judge rejected the insanity plea of a former Mason teacher accused of having sex with students and sentenced her to four years in prison. Stacy Schuler, 33, was found guilty of 16 felony counts of sexual battery and three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors following a four-day bench trial in October. Schuler resigned from her job in February as a health and physical education teacher and trainer with Mason Schools. She will be eligible for judicial release after six months.

Huckabee comments propel Mason to center of state Issue 2 debate

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s comments at a pancake breakfast in Mason in October propelled the city to the forefront of the state debate on Issue 2, a ballot referendum on Senate Bill 5, which would have limited the ability of public workers to negotiate for wages, working conditions and pension benefits. Huckabee galvanized hundreds of supporters of Issue 2 by jokingly urging them to stop opponents from voting. The comments drew national attention with MasonBuzz’s coverage and audio clip of the comments featured on such popular liberal blogs as Politico, the Huffington Post and Mother Jones, as well as aired on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, Hardball with Chris Matthews and The Ed Schultz Show. Voters rejected Issue 2 at the polls in November.

Mason bands take national stage

Mason High School bands took the national stage not once, but twice this year. In March, the school’s symphony and symphonic bands performed on one of music’s most grand stages, New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The 124 performers in Mason’s band performed as part of “The Best of the Midwest” concert in an evening time slot usually set aside for college and professional bands. Then, in November, the school’s marching band was chosen as just one of 12 bands of 92 to advance to the Grand National finals, where they finished as the top-placing Ohio band and tenth in the nation. The competition, held at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, is considered to the “Super Bowl” of competitions for high school marching bands.

Mason seats three on City Council, names new mayor

Mason city voters returned two former council veterans and voted in one newcomer to Mason’s City Council in November. Incoming council members Tom Grossmann, Victor Kidd and Barbara Berry-Spaeth were elected to four-year terms on city council. Grossmann and Kidd previously served on city council while it is a first term for Berry-Spaeth. Incumbent Mike Gilb, a lawyer and former state representative for a northern area of Ohio, lost his seat in the race. The other two seats replaced council members Christine Shimrock, who chose not to seek a second term, and Tony Bradburn, who was forced to leave due to term limits. Council also tapped David Nichols, who’s served as vice mayor for the past two years, as mayor in a December organizational meeting.

Mason woman follows dream on prime-time TV

Danielle Withers, 27, of Mason, is realizing her dreams of becoming a professional singer after appearing on the third season of NBC’s “The Sing-Off” this fall. The weekly series hosted by Nick Lachey follows 16 a cappella groups from across the country as they compete for a Sony Music recording contract and $200,000 cash prize. Withers and her group, Afro-Blue, made it to the top final four groups before being voted off. But for Withers, a 2002 Mason grad and Homecoming Queen, the dream has just begun — she moved to Los Angeles in November to pursue the professional opportunities generated by her appearance on the reality show.

Mason Schools receives statewide honors, awards

It’s been a banner year for Mason Schools. The 11,000-student district, which consistently ranks among the top 10 of Ohio’s 614 districts, racked up a number of awards and honors this year for academic growth and achievement, financial record-keeping and instituting a new child sexual abuse curriculum.The district kicked off the year in March by landing on the College Board’s AP Achievement List for gains in advanced placement course access and student performance — an achievement it repeated again in December. In August, the district reported that it had returned to the state’s top academic ranking of “Excellent With Distinction.” The district also ranked fifth in the state this year for more year-to-year academic growth, according to a numeric ranking of Ohio school districts compiled by a nonprofit consulting company. The district ended the year as one of five Ohio school districts to be recognized with the 2011 SOAR Award for Significant Progress.

Posted in: News |

Tags: Tags: afro-blue, awards, bands of america, barbara berry spaeth, boomerang bay, carnegie hall, city council, danielle withers, david nichols, dinosaurs alive, election, ellen bryan, honors, issue 2, kings island, lindner family tennis center, mason high school, mason marching band, mason schools, mike huckabee, miss ohio, money magazine, murder, nbc, ohio, ryan widmer, sarah widmer, sb 5, sb5, soak city, stacy schuler, teacher, tennis, the sing-off, tom grossmann, trial, victor kidd, w&s open, western & southern open, windseeker

Mason earns national kudos. Greater Cincinnati’s trial of the year. Miss Ohio pedals into town. The world’s top tennis players converge on Mason. A disgraced teacher goes to prison. New attractions open at the region’s premier amusement park. Mason’s band takes the national stage. New faces appear on City Council. Controversial comments propel Mason to center of Ohio’s public workers debate. A Mason woman follows her dream on prime-time TV.

These were just some of the breaking news stories to hit Mason in 2011 and that commanded our online attention. Now, in MasonBuzz’s first annual Year in Review, readers are asked to count down the top local stories of the year. Vote in the poll below for the story you believe should be the top Mason story of the year (if you are unable to vote in the poll, please refresh your browser or leave your vote in the comments field).  Select up to 2 stories.  Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29 with results to be posted on Saturday, Dec. 31.

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Ryan Widmer convicted in third murder trial

In what has been called Greater Cincinnati’s “trial(s) of the year,” Ryan Widmer was convicted in his third murder trial in the 2008 drowning death of his wife, Sarah Widmer. Widmer, 32, who last lived in Mason, was sentenced in February to 15 years to life in prison. The Colerain Township native has maintained his innocence. He was convicted in his first trial in 2009 but the verdict was set aside because of jury misconduct. His 2010 trial resulted in a hung jury. His attorneys have appealed the third jury’s verdict and have asked for a fourth trial.

Kings Island opens new attractions

The region’s premier amusement park saw the opening of two new attractions this year and announced the expansion of a third major attraction for next year. Kings Island debuted the world’s largest animatronic dinosaur park, Dinosaurs Alive!, in April and its newest thrill ride, WindSeeker, in June. The park, which was also honored in September for the best kids’ area in the world by Amusement Today, this year announced a $10 million Soak City water park expansion that will double its size to 33 acres for 2012.

Mason named among best places to live

In August, Money magazine has confirmed what many Mason residents have long suspected. The magazine announced Mason to be the 24th best place to live in its national survey of smaller towns and cities. The city of 33,100 was cited for its high-ranking schools, recreational opportunities and housing prices.

Western & Southern Open welcomes world’s top tennis players

For the first time ever, the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason hosted top-tier men’s and women’s tournaments simultaneously during the same week in the largest Western & Southern Open. The new combined format joined Rome, Madrid, Miami and Indian Wells as the only other cities in the world hosting the same caliber events for both sexes at the same time. To make room for the larger event, the Lindner Family Tennis Center underwent a 5.4 acre expansion adding six new courts, a new entrance and ticket office, retail plaza and family restrooms.

Miss Ohio pedals into town amidst fanfare

Miss Ohio Ellen Bryan pedaled into Mason this summer amidst fanfare and smiles.  The pageant contestant visited Mason in September on the third stop on a 45-city bike tour across Ohio to raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Ohio.

Disgraced Mason teacher heads to prison

A Warren County judge rejected the insanity plea of a former Mason teacher accused of having sex with students and sentenced her to four years in prison.  Stacy Schuler, 33, was found guilty of 16 felony counts of sexual battery and three misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors following a four-day bench trial in October.  Schuler resigned from her job in February as a health and physical education teacher and trainer with Mason Schools.  She will be eligible for judicial release after six months.

Huckabee comments propel Mason to center of state Issue 2 debate

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s comments at a pancake breakfast in Mason in October propelled the city to the forefront of the state debate on Issue 2, a ballot referendum on Senate Bill 5, which would have limited the ability of public workers to negotiate for wages, working conditions and pension benefits.  Huckabee galvanized hundreds of supporters of Issue 2 by jokingly urging them to stop opponents from voting.  The comments drew national attention with MasonBuzz’s coverage and audio clip of the comments featured on such popular liberal blogs as Politico, the Huffington Post and Mother Jones, as well as aired on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, Hardball with Chris Matthews and The Ed Schultz Show.  Voters rejected Issue 2 at the polls in November.

Mason bands take national stage

Mason High School bands took the national stage not once, but twice this year.  In March, the school’s symphony and symphonic bands performed on one of music’s most grand stages, New York City’s Carnegie Hall.  The 124 performers in Mason’s band performed as part of “The Best of the Midwest” concert in an evening time slot usually set aside for college and professional bands.  Then, in November, the school’s marching band was chosen as just one of 12 bands of 92 to advance to the Grand National finals, where they finished as the top-placing Ohio band and tenth in the nation.  The competition, held at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, is considered to the “Super Bowl” of competitions for high school marching bands.

Mason seats three on City Council, names new mayor

Mason city voters returned two former council veterans and voted in one newcomer to Mason’s City Council in November.  Incoming council members Tom Grossmann, Victor Kidd and Barbara Berry-Spaeth were elected to four-year terms on city council.  Grossmann and Kidd previously served on city council while it is a first term for Berry-Spaeth.  Incumbent Mike Gilb, a lawyer and former state representative for a northern area of Ohio, lost his seat in the race.  The other two seats replaced council members Christine Shimrock, who chose not to seek a second term, and Tony Bradburn, who was forced to leave due to term limits.  Council also tapped David Nichols, who’s served as vice mayor for the past two years, as mayor in a December organizational meeting.

Mason woman follows dream on prime-time TV

Danielle Withers, 27, of Mason, is realizing her dreams of becoming a professional singer after appearing on the third season of NBC’s “The Sing-Off” this fall.  The weekly series hosted by Nick Lachey follows 16 a cappella groups from across the country as they compete for a Sony Music recording contract and $200,000 cash prize.  Withers and her group, Afro-Blue, made it to the top final four groups before being voted off.  But for Withers, a 2002 Mason grad and Homecoming Queen, the dream has just begun — she moved to Los Angeles in November to pursue the professional opportunities generated by her appearance on the reality show.

Mason Schools receives statewide honors, awards

It’s been a banner year for Mason Schools.  The 11,000-student district, which consistently ranks among the top 10 of Ohio’s 614 districts, racked up a number of awards and honors this year for academic growth and achievement, financial record-keeping and instituting a new child sexual abuse curriculum.The district kicked off the year in March by landing on the College Board’s AP Achievement List for gains in advanced placement course access and student performance — an achievement it repeated again in December.  In August, the district reported that it had returned  to the state’s top academic ranking of “Excellent With Distinction.”  The district also ranked fifth in the state this year for more year-to-year academic growth, according to a numeric ranking of Ohio school districts compiled by a nonprofit consulting company.  The district ended the year as one of five Ohio school districts to be recognized with the 2011 SOAR Award for Significant Progress.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Kings Island, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: 2011, afro-blue, bands of america, barbara berry spaeth, boomerang bay, business, carnegie, comets, danielle withers, david nichols, dino park, dinosaurs alive, ellen bryan, issue 2, kings island, mason, mason high school, mason marching band, mason schools, mayor, mike huckabee, miss ohio, money magazine, murder, news, ohio, ryan widmer, sarah widmer, sb 5, sb5, schools, senate bill 5, soak city, stacy schuler, tennis, the sing-off, tom grossmann, trial, victor kidd, w&s, western & southern open, windseeker, year in review

Jim Rohrer reports:

A young man finds his wife unresponsive in the bathtub. He gets her out and tries to revive her, only to realize she has died. Eventually, he is charged with her murder.

Cincinnatians are riveted. A crush of reporters recounts every detail. In media shorthand, the case is trumpeted as “The Bathtub Murder.”

Capt. Robert J. Connors' acquittal of murdering his wife was front-page news.

Sound familiar?

The resemblance is eerie, but this “bathtub murder” is not the case of Ryan and Sarah Widmer, which Ryan Widmer’s defense team is still contesting (Widmer, 32, who last lived in Mason, was convicted of his wife’s murder in February).

This trial happened in the war year of 1944, and the defendant was an Army captain of movie-star good looks, Robert J. Connors, 26. His wife, Lois, 25, had died while the pair spent a few days together at the Sinton Hotel, Downtown, before his overseas deployment.

No less an authority than legendary defense attorney William “Foss” Hopkins claimed in his book, “Murder is My Business,” that it was one of the most highly publicized cases he ever tried.

Capt. Robert J. Connors’ acquittal of murdering his wife was front-page news.

Hopkins called the courtroom battle “no holds barred,” mostly centering on dueling medical experts who disagreed on the cause of death.

Lois Connors’ death, earlier that year, at first had been ruled due to “natural causes.” But her parents were suspicious and asked for a second autopsy. The body was exhumed months later and a Philadelphia physician ruled she had suffered injuries to her head and throat. He ruled it a homicide, and Robert Connors was arrested.

At trial, Hopkins undressed the Philadelphia physician. He was shown to be incompetent and the wounds were then attributed to embalming procedures (the throat) and to a broken soda bottle that crashed to the floor and sent glass shards everywhere during the revival attempt (the head wound).

Robert Connors was acquitted, to a cheering courtroom.

Lois Connors’ father, Robert E. Burns, attended the trial and had some carefully chosen words before he left.

“If the people out there think he didn’t do it, it’s all right with me,” he said.

Posted in: Crime, News, Widmer Trial |

Tags: Tags: bathtub murder, capt. robert j. connors, cincinnati, convicted, guilty, history, lois connors, mason, murder is my business, ryan widmer, sarah widmer, sinton hotel, trial, william "foss" hopkins

After a flurry of publicity about an ex-Mason teacher’s “not guilty by reason of insanity” plea in a sex case, her lawyers issued a news release Wednesday to explain the legal basis for the changed plea.

• View photos of Schuler’s arrest and bond hearing

“Stacy Schuler’s defense, from a legal standpoint, is based upon her inability to protect herself from the young men involved in this case,” attorney Charlie H. Rittgers and his son, Charlie M. Rittgers, said in the release, saying their client had become “impaired” and that the boys “took advantage” of that impairment.

Schuler’s lawyers, who changed her plea Monday, said the 33-year-old Springboro resident “devoted her life to helping and caring for others.”

“It has come to light that during the period of the alleged misconduct, Stacy Schuler had become impaired and thereby unable to prevent the young men from taking advantage of her,” her lawyers said. “The young men involved in this case traveled across the county in order to take advantage of her impairment.” The lawyers did not say how she may have been impaired.

Schuler, who resigned from her job at Mason High School in February, faces trial next month on 19 charges, including 16 sexual battery counts involving five male students and three counts alleging she provided alcohol to some of the boys.

If convicted of the crimes alleged to have occurred from August through December last year, Schuler faces up to five years on each of the sex counts.

The Enquirer’s Janice Morse spoke to a legal expert about the latest twist in the case:

Portraying Schuler as a victim is “kind of an interesting twist on things,” said Akron attorney Carmen Roberto, past president of the Ohio State Bar Association.

Roberto said the source of the claimed impairment is now apparently a key issue in the case, and he sees several possible sources for the claimed impairment: a psychological condition, alcohol use, medications, or a combination of those factors. It’s hard to say what could be in play without knowing more about the case, he said.

To succeed in getting Schuler found not guilty by reason of insanity, her lawyers must prove that she suffered from a mental problem that prevented her from understanding the difference between right and wrong.

The next hearing in the case is set for July 21 before Warren County Common Pleas Judge Robert Peeler. The insanity plea could trigger up to three mental evaluations of Schuler. The judge, prosecutors and defense lawyers are all allowed to seek a separate evaluation of her.

Posted in: Crime, News |

Tags: Tags: alcohol, attorneys, charlie ritthers, defense, insanity, mason high school, sex case, stacy schuler, trial

A trial date has been for a Mason woman who allegedly attempted to slit her husband’s throat and stabbed him in February while he was sleeping.

Scarlet Rose Lewis, 53, of Mason, is charged with attempted murder, domestic violence and felonious assault in a Feb. 23 incident that left Roger Gibson, 50, with 10 stitches in his neck and a puncture wound in his chest, prosecutors say.

A three-day trial is set to begin Aug. 11 in Warren County Common Pleas Court.

Gibson reportedly awoke to blood coming out of his chest from a 3-4 inch stab wound on the right side of his chest and called 911 for help, said Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell.

When officers’ knocks on the door went unanswered, they forced entry into the home and found a man bleeding from the neck and chest, according to a police report filed on the Feb. 23 incident.

Gibson spent several days hospitalized and was unable to return to his job as a laborer for a month, Fornshell said.

Gibson told police that “he was sound asleep when his wife stabbed him in the neck,” the report says. “She told him she wanted to kill him and she stabbed him again in the chest area.”

Gibson said that Lewis, whom he married in December, had said “she would rather spend her life in prison than to spend another night with him,” the report says.

Lewis told police “her husband had been mean to her all day and she finally had enough,” the report says.

The stabbing happened 10 days after police were called to a dispute between the couple. Another incident involving the two was reported Dec. 5.

Lewis has been in custody since the incident and is being held at the Butler County Jail in Hamilton under a $75,000 bond.

Staff reporter Janice Morse contributed to this story

Posted in: Crime, News, Uncategorized |

Tags: Tags: attempted murder, domestic violence, felonious assault, knife attack, lebanon, mason, scarlet rose lewis, trial, warren county common pleas court

A trial date has been set for a Mason woman charged with the attempted murder of her husband.

Scarlet Lewis, 52, is accused of attempted murder, felonious assault and domestic violence in connection with the Feb. 23 incident that occurred in the 800 block of Autumn Lane, Mason.

A three-day trial is set to begin Aug. 4.

Lewis is accused of using a small folding knife to slit her husband’s throat and stabbing him following a minor domestic dispute that occurred earlier in the evening with her husband.

Roger Gibson, 50, received 10 stitches in his neck and was treated for a puncture wound in his chest, prosecutors say.

Gibson has implored the court to show his wife of only a few months leniency.  He wrote a heartfelt letter last week imploring a Warren County judge to order probation and drug treatment instead of prison.

“NO PRISON,” Gibson scrawled in capital letters on the handwritten document filed last week in Common Pleas Court, adding, “I need my bunny back – my soul mate. She is worth the risk to me.”

Gibson says he thinks his wife’s drug-abuse problem caused her to become violent, and he forgives her for stabbing him in his sleep Feb. 23.

“I do realize that she has a lot of proving that she is truly in recovery from her addictions and it will be a long time of sobriety before I could ever be in her presence and it will be a long time of sobriety before I will live with her again,” he wrote. “When she was off all drugs for three years she was the best woman I have ever known.”

Gibson said he fears Lewis  would not survive prison because she has health problems. Further, he said his wife called him the day after the stabbing, “asked me how bad she hurt me, said she was sorry and told me she still loved me.”

When asked whether the letter would affect how authorities handle the case, Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said: “We understand the victim’s position in this matter and appreciate his concern for his wife. However, given the serious nature of the allegations – the fact that she allegedly slit his throat while he was sleeping and stabbed him in the chest with a knife -we believe the attempted murder charge is appropriate.”

Posted in: Crime, News |

Tags: Tags: assault, attempted murder, autumn lane, crime, david fornshell, domestic violence, mason, roger gibson, scarlet lewis, throat, trial, warren county common pleas

Ryan Widmer will give his first public interview since being accused, then convicted, of murdering his wife, Sarah Widmer, in 2008.

Widmer, who was recently moved from a central processing facility near Columbus to the Warren Correctional Institution, will speak today with “Dateline NBC” for an upcoming segment.

The 30-year-old Mason man was convicted Feb. 15 of murder and sentenced to 15 years to life.  He stood trial three times – the first two trials ended in mistrial.  He did not take the stand to testify in his own defense in any of the trials.

The Enquirer’s Janice Morse reports that several other local media outlets have also requested interviews with Widmer, but prison officials did not immediately know whether Widmer and his attorneys have agreed to grant any additional interviews.

It is also unknown whether the interview would be no-holds-barred or whether Widmer and his lawyers will limit the subject matter – a possibility considering his pending appeal.

Dateline has also interviewed jurors from Widmer’s second trial who think he should have been acquitted, as well as jurors from his third trial.

Dateline has covered all three of Widmer’s trials and previously aired an episode on the case in September 2009.

• Read a transcript of Dateline: The Mystery in the Master Bedroom

The national attention drawn by television show attracted responses from hundreds of people from across the nation, including two women who turned into witnesses in Widmer’s third trial earlier this year.

Jennifer Crew of Iowa testified that Widmer confessed to her that he killed his wife, Sarah, 24, after an argument over an alleged affair.  Prosecutors presented no evidence of any affair and jurors have said they discounted Crew’s statements.

A second woman who contacted Widmer after the Dateline episode, Melissa Waller of Washington State, testified for the defense.  She said that she spoke to Widmer in a telephone call that ended just six minutes before the alleged confessional phone call to Crew, and that Widmer seemed normal and wasn’t agitated, as Crew alleged.

A Dateline spokeswoman had previously said the Widmer episode could air in May.

Posted in: Crime, News, Widmer Trial |

Tags: Tags: bathtub murder, dateline nbc, drowning, hamilton township, interview, jennifer crew, mason, murder, mystery witness, ryan widmer, sarah widmer, trial, warren county

Ryan Widmer's mugshot, taken Feb. 15, 2011

A judge has set a date for a hearing on two motions in the Ryan Widmer murder case.

Warren County Common Pleas Court Judge Neal Bronson scheduled a hearing for 4 p.m. March 23 to hear defense motions for acquittal and a new trial.

Defense attorneys filed a motion on March 4 to free Widmer alleging there is insufficient evidence to support his Feb. 15 conviction on a murder charge.

The defense also filed a motion for a new trial last week because they say a “biased” juror was allowed to remain on the panel that convicted him.

Prosecutors have until March 18 to respond.

After standing trial three times, Widmer, 30, was convicted of murder Feb. 15 in the 2008 drowning of his wife, Sarah, 24. The Mason man was sentenced to a mandatory prison term of 15 years to life.

In a detailed, 17-page document, Widmer’s lawyers say that prosecutors never presented any theory “not contradicted by other evidence” to show how Sarah Widmer was forcibly drowned.

• PDF: Read the motion for acquittal
• Photos: A verdict is reached
  

“There is no way reasonable minds of reasonable people could reach the conclusions reached by this jury,” they argue.  “Facts do not cease to exist simply because the prosecution wants to ignore them.”

If the judge refuses to acquit Widmer, Widmer’s lawyers are asking Bronson to instead order a new trial – which would be Widmer’s fourth – based on alleged jurors’ misunderstanding and misapplication of legal standards and alleged juror misconduct.

Attorneys cite a juror’s post-verdict comment to WKRC-TV, Channel 12: “It’s just the evidence, to us, did not prove innocence.”

That comment shows the jury “was misdirected…where at least one juror was waiting for Ryan to prove his innocence,” Gutierrez said in the court document.

Bronson instructed jurors that the burden of proof lie with prosecutors and that Widmer, like all defendants, must be presumed innocent.

Widmer’s lawyers also say the court abused its discretion by failing to remove one of the jurors after she allegedly told her best friend on the second day of the trial: “Don’t worry about the Widmer case. We have all talked about it and we know he is guilty. He is going to burn in hell.”

“It is clear…her mind was made up on Ryan’s guilt before hearing the evidence,” Widmer’s lawyers say.

Widmer’s first trial ended in 2009 with a conviction, but the guilty verdict was set aside because of jury misconduct after it was revealed that three jurors did at-home drying experiments and reported their results during deliberations.  The second trial ended with a hung jury.

Cincinnati attorney Mark Krumbein says the defense’s motion for acquittal is “probably one of the most thorough motions for acquittal I’ve seen in my career. It laid out every problem the prosecution had.”

Still, he thinks it is unlikely the judge will agree to such a decision.

“Judge Bronson is a very well respected judge and he is known for conducting error-free trials,” said Krumbein.  “The odds of him throwing out jury’s guilty finding are close to zero.

But, he adds, “this case is so full of unusual twists and turns, you couldn’t rule it out.”

Staff reporter Janice Morse contributed to this story

Posted in: Crime, News, Widmer Trial |

Tags: Tags: bathtub murder, conviction, drowning, hamilton township, judge neal bronson, juror misconduct, mason, murder, ryan widmer, sarah widmer, trial, warren county common pleas court