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Jurors won't testify in Widmer hearing

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By Denise G. Callahan, Staff Writer Updated 4:30 PM Thursday, April 23, 2009

Ryan Widmer’s attorney withdrew subpoenas today, April 23, requesting jury members and local TV stations testify during a hearing on the defense’s request for a new trial or acquittal.

The hearing on that motion in Warren County Common Pleas Court, scheduled for Friday, April 24, has been postponed, according to court administrator Scott McVey.

Widmer, 28, was convicted of killing his bride, 24-year-old Sarah Widmer, in the bathtub of their Hamilton Twp. home last August and is now in the Warren Correctional Institution serving 15 years to life.

Defense attorney Charlie Rittgers had asked for seven jurors in the murder trial to testify during the hearing. Rittgers could not be reached to explain why he withdrew the subpoenas, but a court document said he agreed to it.

Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said she believes the judge agreed with her argument that jurors should not be made to explain their decisions. Judge Neal Bronson is still considering whether or not to allow affidavits signed by three jurors to be presented during the hearing, Hutzel said.

Bronson postponed the hearing “because he needed more time to consider all the motions,” Hutzel said.

Rittgers has maintained there was juror misconduct during the 22 hours worth of deliberations, because one juror, Jon Campbell reported that three jurors conducted their own experiments on the issue of how long it takes to dry after one has been bathing.

The crux of the case against Widmer was that the drowning scene was virtually dry when first responders arrived at his home last August. Juror Ray Diss said the jury believed Widmer drowned his wife and later staged the 911 call.

Juror Angie Roberts signed a sworn affidavit that she was one of the jurors who conducted a drying experiment at home during deliberations. Juror Stephanie Sackman fingered Roberts and juror Debora Sanzone as the experimenting jurors.

“On the first day of jury deliberations, discussions were contentious which created an atmosphere where jurors who thought Ryan was guilty were trying to convince jurors who were undecided to vote for guilt,” Sackman wrote. “On the second day of jury deliberations, several of us suggested that we carefully consider the evidence which led us to a discussion of the reasonableness of Sarah being dry when the first responders arrived. As a result of the fact that several of us thought it might be reasonable for her to be dry, two jurors said they had done home experiments. Both women, Debora Sanzone and Angie Roberts, in an attempt to dissuade us that it was reasonable to dry in a short period of time, told us that they conducted experiments to see how long it would really take to air dry after showering or bathing and that they air dried in a much longer period of time.”

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