Were there problems between Sarah & Ryan Widmer?

LEBANON, Ohio -  

Prosecutors in the Ryan Widmer retrial called Sarah's mother to testify on Wednesday.

The trial is in its eighth day and the two sides continue to argue over what led to Sarah Widmer's injuries.

Ruth Ann Steward testified that her daughter was happy, bubbly and energetic. She told the jury that before Sarah and Ryan's wedding, "both were kinda on edge."

Steward worked to hold back tears and took some deep breaths between questions from attorneys. She would wipe an eye every few minutes.

She pointed out stresses in the couple's relationship.

Steward testified that Ryan and Sarah often argued and never saw their fights get physical, but one time they could not settle a dispute over how high to hang pictures in their home so they called Sarah's brother and asked him to put them up.

"They're the younger generation and they kinda talk different to each other than we do," Steward said as she looked at the jury.

Steward said her daughter loved holidays and tradition was very important to Sarah. Steward says one Christmas Eve Sarah was feeling so much pressure of balancing the two families during the holidays that she became physically sick.

Sarah's mother told the jury that she talked to her daughter every day as Sarah drove home from work. When they would go shopping together Steward says Ryan would call Sarah after something was charged to their credit cards and check, "if she really needed it."

Steward also said she never saw her daughter fall asleep at inappropriate times or places. Sarah had no history of heart of neurological problems, according to Steward. Sarah did complain to her mother about stomach problems when her sinus were bothering her.

Steward says Sarah would not have told her if she was having problems with Ryan or "anything that would upset her," because at the time, Ruth Ann's husband and Sarah's father, had been ill and recently died from cancer.

Before Sarah's mother took the stand, Dr. Bill Rogers testified.

Dr. Rogers, who also trains EMT's, described the efforts of emergency workers the night Sarah died as very difficult. The doctor says from looking at medical records, Sarah was already dead when emergency workers arrived at the couple's Hamilton Township home on Aug. 11, 2008.

"Is there any indication that she ever responded to life-saving efforts?" asked Defense Attorney Hal Arenstein.

"No sir," replied the doctor.

"Is it fair to say then, that Sarah had clinically passed away when first responders arrived?" asked Arenstein.

"Without breathing or respirations she would be clinically dead," Rogers testified.

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.