The Nice Guy

Direct Appeal

Article III

Social Sciences, Science, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2023

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ep 01: On season 2 of Direct Appeal, we examine the murder conviction of Ryan Widmer for the death of his wife, Sarah Whitmer. Looking at the evidence that was presented, that which was not, and the evidence that may have seemed insignificant at the time, we form our own conclusion about Ryan Widmer's Guilt. It was night like any other. August 11th, 2008, Ryan and Sarah Whitmer married just four months. Were in the beginning-stages of building their new life together. Sarah wasn't feeling well that day, so she decided to go upstairs after dinner to take a bath. Ryan stayed downstairs in the living room a little while longer, and continued to watch the game. Sometime after 10:00 PM Ryan was ready to call it a night, so he headed upstairs to get ready for bed. When he opened the door to the upstairs bathroom, he walked in to find a terrifying scene. Sarah was in the bathtub and didn't appear to be breathing. A panicked Ryan called 911. If you have any information regarding this case, you can still submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (570) 844-0499. Credits: Hosted by: Meghan Sacks and Amy Shlosberg Produced by James Varga Written by Meghan Sacks & Amy Shlosberg Editing by Jose Alfonzo Music and underscore by Dessert Media Special Thanks to Janice Hisle and her book, Submerged: Ryan Widmer, his drowned bride and the justice system Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It was night like any other. August 11th, 2008. Ryan and Sarah Widmer married just
0:15.9	four months were in the beginning stages of building their new life together. After
0:20.4	a typical work day, 24-year-old Sarah and 27-year-old Ryan relaxed on the sofa and turned on
0:26.6	some sports. Sarah wasn't feeling well that day, so she decided to go upstairs after dinner
0:31.6	to take a bath. Ryan stayed downstairs in the living room a little while longer, had a few beers,
0:36.9	and continued to watch a football game, occasionally flipping the channel and checking in on the Olympics.
0:41.8	Sometime after 10 pm, Ryan was ready to call it a night, so he headed upstairs to get ready for bed.
0:47.9	When he opened the door to the upstairs bathroom, he walked in to find a terrifying scene. Sarah
0:53.3	was in the bathtub and didn't appear to be breathing, a panicked Ryan called 911. This is Ryan's
0:59.7	version of events, but the police in this law and order Ohio community would have a very different
1:04.8	version, a version that didn't involve an accidental drowning of a healthy 24-year-old woman.
1:10.7	Their version would ultimately win in the courts when Ryan was convicted of second-degree murder
1:15.4	and later sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. Throughout this podcast, you'll hear Ryan
1:20.7	speak to us from Ohio Correctional Reception Center, where he's serving his time. But before we
1:25.9	meet the players involved in this case, let us briefly introduce ourselves for those who didn't
1:30.5	listen to season one, and welcome those people back who did. My name's Megan Sachs, and I'm Amy
1:36.0	Slashberg. We are both criminologists, and we have spent our entire careers working in the criminal
1:40.8	justice system. My areas of expertise include bail reform, plea bargaining, sentencing policy,
1:47.8	serial offending, and more. I am an associate professor of criminology and the department chair
1:53.7	at Fairly Dickinson University in New Jersey. My research focuses on miscarriages of justice,
1:59.4	the negative implications of incarceration, and issues surrounding reentry with an emphasis on
2:05.0	policy and procedural reform. You do a lot of work to now with exoneries post-exoneration,
	...

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