Federal court again denies freedom for Ryan Widmer

Ryan Widmer collapses into tears in 2011 after the jury’s guilty verdict is read in Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon. STAFF FILE PHOTO

Ryan Widmer collapses into tears in 2011 after the jury’s guilty verdict is read in Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon. STAFF FILE PHOTO

Efforts to free convicted killer Ryan Widmer have been thwarted again in federal court.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Michael Merz has once again recommended that Widmer’s freedom appeal be dismissed and any further appeals curtailed as “frivolous.”

Merz was asked by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black to take another look at the case after Widmer's attorney filed objections to his initial findings and recommendations.

But the magistrate judge’s opinions haven’t changed.

“Widmer’s objections are without merit and should be overruled,” Merz wrote in a 48-page decision. “The magistrate judge again respectfully recommends the petition be dismissed with prejudice, that Widmer be denied a certificate of appealability, and that this court certify any appeal would be objectively frivolous.”

Widmer was convicted of drowning his wife, Sarah, in the bathtub of their Warren County home in August 2008.

MORE: Sobbing Widmer tells judge he would have never hurt his wife

After three trials in Warren County and numerous appeals, including one to the United States Supreme Court, Widmer, 36, remains behind bars on a 15-year to life sentence.

His first parole board hearing is scheduled for July 2025.

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