Smith said space issues at the prison kept Widmer detained in Orient. After his first conviction in 2009, he spent four months at the prison on Ohio 63 outside Lebanon. A new trial was ordered after juror misconduct was found.
A second trial in Spring of 2010 ended with a hung jury.
The third jury, after 12 hours of deliberations following a three-week trial, found Widmer guilty of murder. Warren County Common Pleas Judge Neal Bronson denied motions for acquittal or new trial last month.
Defense attorney Lindsey Gutierrez filed a notice of appeal two weeks ago, saying it should take a month for the transcript of the trial to be prepared by the court recorder, and the appellate team will need another two months to file its brief.
After Bronson declared the first mistrial, Mark Godsey with the Innocence Project and attorneys Pierre Bergeron and Michele Berry represented Widmer in former Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel’s appeal of Bronson’s decision to throw out the first verdict.
Godsey said last week he couldn’t discuss the Widmer case. Gutierrez is the only attorney currently listed for Widmer. Jay Clark and Charlie M. Rittgers, who also represented Widmer in the third trial, are not attorneys of record on the appeal. Gutierrez could not be immediately reached for comment, but has said she believes Godsey may be on the appellate team.
Sarah Widmer died in August 2008. In court testimony, first responders said they were suspicion of Ryan Widmer’s role in her death because the scene was dry. The defense said bruising on Sarah’s body found by Warren County Coroner Dr. Russell Uptegrove was caused by exhaustive efforts to revive her.
Widmer is scheduled to spend 15 years to life prison.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.
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