Ryan Widmer is one step closer to going home.
Widmer, 28, had been serving a 15 year to life sentence at the Lebanon Correctional Facility after a jury in April convicted him of killing his wife. As of Friday morning he is now at the Warren County Jail.
On Wednesday, Judge Neal Bronson granted Widmer a new trial and set his bond at $1 million.
If he posts bond, Widmer will have to wear an electronic monitoring device.
Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said this week that she will not seek a change of venue and that she is confident a new jury can be selected.
On Friday, Hutzel filed papers stating they want the trial court to not set a new trial date until the twelfth appellate makes a ruling on the appeal of Judge Bronson's decision.
After Widmer was convicted of killing his wife of four months, Sarah, 24, inside their home last summer, his defense appealed saying juror misconduct tainted the guilty verdict.
Widmer's defense said at least two jurors conducted "home experiments" to see how long it would take a wet body to air-dry after being in the bathtub. They say those experiments tainted the jury and its conviction.
Several jurors later signed affidavits stating three fellow jurors admitted to timing how long it took them to air-dry. The jurors then reportedly shared this information "when discussing whether or not it was reasonable for Sarah to be dry at the time the first responder arrived."
Prosecutors said jurors did nothing wrong and their actions did not materially change the verdict. Hutzel previously said the guilty verdict was supported by sufficient evidence, the State's closing argument was proper in all respects and the jury did not engage in any improper behavior.
Widmer said he was downstairs watching television and came upstairs to find his wife unresponsive in the bathtub on Aug. 11, 2008. He has maintained his innocence.
