Widmer jurors returning Tuesday to continue deliberations

LEBANON, Ohio -- After almost 21 hours of deliberations, jurors in the Ryan Widmer retrial are unable to reach a verdict.

Judge Neal Bronson sent the jury home Friday evening under strict guidelines. They will return to court Tuesday morning to continue deliberations.

Earlier in the day, the jury told Judge Bronson they reached an impasse.

Judge Bronson called them back into the courtroom where he gave them further instructions.

The jury was told to go back, re-examine their opinions and consider changing their position.

"There's no reason that the case could ever be submitted to another jury that's more intelligent or more capable or impartial than this one. Likewise, there's no reason to believe more or clearer evidence will be produced by either side. It is your duty to decide the case if you can conscientiously do so. You should listen to each others' opinions with the disposition to be persuaded. Do not hesitate to re-examine your views and change your position," said Judge Bronson.

Jurors have been deliberating since Wednesday afternoon.

The jury in the first trial deliberated for nearly 23 hours before they convicted the Hamilton Township man in the drowning death of his wife, Sarah.

Judge Bronson threw out the first verdict after some jurors admitted to staging experiments about skin drying times and discussing the results during deliberations.

Widmer, 29, is charged in the drowning death of his newlywed wife in their Hamilton Township home on Aug. 11, 2008.

Ryan says he was downstairs watching television and came upstairs to find his wife of four months unresponsive in the bathtub.

Assistant Prosecutor Travis Vieux told jurors this week that Sarah may have never been in the bathtub where Ryan says he found her dead.

The prosecution also told the jury that Widmer cleaned up the crime scene and that's why there was no water around the bathroom when paramedics arrived after he called 911.

Prosecution witnesses testified the scene was dry when emergency workers arrived minutes after Ryan called 911 and that bruising on Sarah's neck indicates a struggle.

The defense told the jury the prosecution version of what happened has holes in it.

Ryan Widmer's attorneys reminded jurors of their expert testimony that indicated Sarah's injuries were not from murder, but from life-saving efforts. They also testified that there was no struggle between the newlywed couple.

The defense suggested the bruising was caused by resuscitation efforts and that Sarah may have drowned after a seizure or sudden heart problem that went undetected in the autopsy.

The biggest headline from the trial this week is that Ryan Widmer himself did not testify after some indications that he might take the witness stand.

Widmer also did not testify in the first trial last year.

Ryan Widmer faces 15 years to life in prison if he's convicted.