New trial date set in bathtub murder case

Ryan Widmer will go to trial again on March 15.

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By Denise G. Callahan, Staff Writer Updated 8:44 PM Wednesday, October 7, 2009

LEBANON — Ryan Widmer, accused of killing his wife in their bathtub, will go to trial again almost a year after his first trial began.

Warren County Common Pleas Judge Neal Bronson on Wednesday, Oct. 7, set the trial for March 15, 2010. Widmer’s previous two-week trial — which ended in his conviction for drowning his wife, Sarah, an Edgewood High School graduate — began on March 23.

The Widmers had been married about four months at the time of Sarah's death in their Hamilton Twp. home.

Bronson granted Widmer a new trial in July after ruling there was juror misconduct during deliberations.

A key component of the case was that the drowning scene was virtually dry when first-responders arrived to the Widmer’s home. Several jurors admitted to timing at their homes how long it took to air-dry after bathing.

“Our team will be prepared to retry the case,” said Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel. “The facts have not changed, the only thing that has changed is the defense team. We will be prepared to go forward.”

One of Widmer’s new defense attorneys, Jay Clark, said when they met in chambers with Bronson, there were concerns about the ability to seat an impartial jury, given the intense publicity the case drew, but a change of venue was not broached.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.

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