Prosecution rests in Widmer retrial

LEBANON, Ohio - It is now the defense's turn in the murder retrial of a Hamilton Township man charged in the drowning death of his wife.

The defense started calling witnesses Thursday morning in the retrial of Ryan Widmer. He's accused of killing his wife, Sarah, 24, who he says he found dead in the bathtub of their Hamilton Township home on Aug. 11, 2008. The focus of this testimony is on Ryan's character.

As one of Ryan's mother's Friends testified Thursday afternoon about her knowledge of Sarah and Ryan's relationship, Widmer's attorney, Jay Clark, put his arm on Ryan's shoulder. It appeared to be a symbol of support and compassion.

Kimberly Lilies described Ryan, 28, as a "gentle soul."

The first testimony of the day came from the medic who drove the ambulance as Sarah was rushed to the hospital. Ryan was in the front seat with Hamilton Township medic Max Smith who testified that, "He (Ryan) was very upset and crying the entire way to the hospital."

The woman who introduced Sarah and Ryan also testified Thursday. She described the couple as happy. Ryan even smiled as Dana Parker-Kist talked about the dance lessons Ryan didn't want to take before his wedding but he did it anyway.

Parker-Kist worked with Sarah. She told the jury that Sarah had unusual sleep habits at work.

"She often would want to eat in a hurry so she could grab a quick nap in the car," testified Parker-Kist.

"Any other unusual times during the day? asked Defense Attorney Hal Arenstein. "Sometimes in the morning when we first got there she'd be sleeping in the car so we'd knock on the window so she could come in," said Parker-Kist.

Sarah's co-worker testified that several times Sarah had expressed that she had a migraine.

"She'd come out to my desk and say I am seeing spots," said Parker-Kist. "So (on two occasions) I would let her go in the little room between the kitchen and the front office and we would let her lay back there for a little while."

Arenstein asked, "Did she complain of migraines often?"

"She did," replied Parker-Kist.

Prosecutors asked, "Did these complaints interfere with her duty, keep her from seeing patients?" No sir." replied Parker-Kist.

"You would agree with me that a headache is a very common complaint and it could be based on a number of things, including stress.... Could be based on depression... Could be based on sinus congestion?"

"Yes sir," said Parker-Kist.

"Did Sarah ever complain to you about allergies?" asked Assistant Prosecutor Travis Vieux. "Yes," replied Parker-Kist.

One of the dentists Sarah worked for also testified that Sarah slept sometimes during her lunch break and before work.

Ryan's attorneys plan to call witnesses to testify through the day. Ryan's mother is also sitting in the courtroom.

She was allowed to start observing after Sarah's mother testified Wednesday.

Ryan was convicted in April 2009 but Judge Neal Bronson threw out the verdict when jurors in the initial trial admitted they had staged home experiments related to the case and discussed what they found during jury deliberations.