00:00:00
[Music] [Music] I hate seeing people get away with stuff and I like figuring stuff out my
00:00:22
name is Ian iavo and I was the lead detective in the Sarah Harris case Sarah Harris she was
00:00:31
incredibly bright um one should always pursue knowledge no matter the topic very energetic very fun did Sarah have
00:00:39
any idea how beautiful she was honestly I don't think she did Sarah Jane Harris Sarah hopes to become an
00:00:49
anesthesiologist she was shocked that she won the Miss Marilyn petique pageant she had thought from a very young age
00:00:57
that she would want to be a doctor she wanted to help people in 2020 Sarah needed wisdom teeth pulled
00:01:08
she initially met James Ryan as a patient at his oral surgery practice I'm James Ryan I mean it's not just that we
00:01:15
say that we care but we really do we take pride Dr James Ryan was a well-respected oral surgeon a lot of
00:01:23
people knew him and thought very highly of him so she gets the teeth done she starts getting all these text messages
00:01:32
and they're from Dr Ryan and he says by the way I'm looking to hire someone as a
00:01:37
surgical assistant do you know anyone she says something like well what about me Mom and he offered her the
00:01:46
job she then became an employee and then his girlfriend and his living girlfriend Sarah's life appeared
00:01:54
glamorous on the outside but buying closed doors I mean that wasn't necessarily the case
00:02:00
I would have never ever thought that her life would end the way it did mon 911 my girlfriend I think overdosed I'm
00:02:12
trying to resuscitate her right now and what is your first and last name j ran I'm doing so compression and is she
00:02:19
responsive is she breathing she's not breathing when the two responding officers um got to the house they saw
00:02:27
Sarah she's laying on the floor what did authorities think had happened to Sarah that day she overdosed and we
00:02:36
don't know if it's an accident if it's suicide or if it's a homicide the decision was made to charge him with
00:02:44
depraved heart murder I think most of our audience will have never heard of depraved heart murder I have never seen
00:02:51
it before you have to show an extreme indifference to human life James Ryan provided those drugs that caused her
00:03:00
death that doesn't mean he's guilty of murder another way of presenting this case would be you never intended to hurt
00:03:06
her I knew this was not just some simple accidental overdose this was much more [Music]
00:03:29
the [Music] [Music] was she sleeping on the couch last night yeah she would do that
00:04:07
sometimes it's the morning of January 26 2022 Sarah Harris lies unresponsive on the floor of the room in disarray her
00:04:17
boyfriend Dr James Ryan tearfully talks with police at the scene the conversation is recorded on a body
00:04:24
camera as they ask him about the night before we're watching TV then she said you should probably go to bed because
00:04:32
you're tired and you have to work tomorrow so I did uhhuh what time did you go to bed probably about 10 or
00:04:38
11 Ryan has already told authorities he's a doctor and that he thinks it's an overdose and he says it's happened
00:04:46
before and I did CPR and brought her back this time Sarah doesn't survive Dr Ryan has suggested where she
00:04:55
got at least one of her drugs of choice a powerful anesthetic she used to take proter she used to
00:05:02
steal that from my office how they got into her body I've caught her before with um like injecting herself with
00:05:10
things and why she was bipolar also so she would could be really angry or could be really
00:05:18
happy Ryan had called Sarah's family with the awful news that morning but her mother Tina just didn't believe anything
00:05:26
he said she immediately suspected James Ryan was responsible for Sarah's death she arrived at the scene about 20
00:05:36
minutes later I started kicking and hitting him and screaming at mail let mail let
00:06:01
what did he say happened he said he went to bed and left her alone and came down and she was
00:06:08
unresponsive in the morning authorities say they found wrappers from syringes tourniquets and saline bags next to the
00:06:16
kitchen sink and Drug vials in Sarah's purse Tina thinks Ryan arranged it that way he wanted to look like it was a
00:06:25
suicide Tina had long held suspicions about Dr Ryan he had encountered Sarah Harris more than a year earlier not as a
00:06:33
girlfriend but as a patient to get her wisdom teeth out Dr Ryan is somebody who's practiced for over 20 years he has
00:06:40
incredible credentials Mary fan is a former prosecutor and defense attorney and a CBS News consultant we asked her
00:06:48
to use her Decades of courtroom experience to help analyze this case he's esteemed and regarded in his
00:06:55
community as one of the best at what he does Tina says the first time her daughter met Dr Ryan for her teeth in
00:07:03
the summer of 2020 the doctor was professional but she does remember at the time feeling it was curious when his
00:07:10
interest in Sarah seemed to change she starts getting all these text messages he asks her how are you doing and she
00:07:17
says I'm fine and he starts sending little emojis what are you thinking as her mom I thought it was a little
00:07:24
bizarre that he added a little happy face and I thought well maybe he just likes using emojis
00:07:30
she says that's when Ryan had mentioned he was looking to hire someone as a surgical assistant I thought well you
00:07:36
know maybe he just thinks that she'd really be a good addition Dr Ryan hardly seemed like a threat he was divorced
00:07:43
with three grown children and was involved with a woman with whom he already had a baby at 47 he was more
00:07:50
than twice Sarah's age he said no I don't need your resume just come on in for a working interview I said well I'm
00:07:58
proud of you honey that's pretty incredible what he's going to teach you all this
00:08:02
stuff at the beginning Sarah seemed to love the job but Tina says as the holidays approached an extravagant gift
00:08:10
retriggered her suspicion that Dr Ryan's interest in Sarah was more than professional what was it a diamond
00:08:18
necklace that's quite a gift I said okay he's after you I said you got to put your foot down instead in early 2021 she
00:08:28
says Sarah and announced she had agreed to go out for a meal with Ryan who was ending his other relationship he seemed
00:08:35
to win over Sarah and Tina admits in their early days as a couple even she found him impressive as a mother was a
00:08:43
part of you excited she was dating a doctor well I was excited I was excited because he had a wonderful reputation
00:08:51
and she says Ryan was generous he would Le Sarah a new car and take her and her family on trips all expenses paid Tina
00:08:59
says in a way he spent time courting her too you know he would say I would love to have you as my mom Sarah's so blessed
00:09:07
to have you Tina says she and Sarah always had a special bond we were very very close she says Sarah was close to her
00:09:18
three siblings too especially older sister Rachel Rachel took it upon herself that she was going to be the
00:09:26
protector but there had been a rough period during Sarah's youth in Suburban Maryland like many young people she
00:09:33
experimented with drugs and had problems moderating her mood she suffered from anxiety when did she first struggle with
00:09:42
depression I noticed depression coming about when she was about 14 15 years old she would start feeling down but Tina
00:09:52
says Sarah still excelled in high school craving knowledge and the skills that came with it um it's currently hanging
00:09:58
in the in Paris she learned German Spanish Russian and sign [Music] language she put a lot of pressure on
00:10:09
herself especially with her grades before long Sarah got her social bearings she fell into a great group of
00:10:17
kids they would sit out in the living room play the guitar play the piano sing she was at a music festival in
00:10:27
2018 when 21 one-year-old Sarah caught the eye of Henry Peterson 7 years older I feel like it was like stars colliding
00:10:36
and uh meeting someone like you're supposed to meet they lived 7 hours apart but he says they quickly became
00:10:43
emotionally Inseparable we talked about everything you could think of in terms of a future marriage and children and
00:10:51
family he says the distance eventually made them drift Peterson broke it off though he says he still imagined they
00:10:58
would end up together she and I never stopped talking the love was always there by her mid 20s Sarah had gotten
00:11:07
into modeling and competing in beauty pageants and in 2020 she'd won that Miss Marilyn petite pageant the next year is
00:11:16
when she started quietly seeing Dr Ryan and by that summer they had decided to live together and that's when everything
00:11:24
goes downhill [Music] [Applause] by the end of the summer of 2021 Tina Harris says James Ryan was dominating
00:11:49
Sarah's life boss boyfriend even letting her live rentree in his house but instead of flourishing Sarah seemed
00:11:59
anxious and depressed she saw a psychiatrist who gave her that bipolar diagnosis her complexion starts to
00:12:07
change she starts to lose weight on a family trip to Key West that September Tina says Sarah had been
00:12:16
asleep when a drunk Dr Ryan revealed something unsettling he had first noticed Sarah in
00:12:22
the park when she was just 14 I used to see Sarah walking the neighborhood and playing at the park with
00:12:32
friends and he says then I found out she worked in the toy store so I would take
00:12:37
my kids there so I could see her and I remember when she dressed up as Elsa from Frozen and she looked just like
00:12:45
Elsa and then he said yeah and then I found out she worked at one of these restaurants and so I would go in there
00:12:51
for dinner so I could get her as my server it sounds like Dr Ryan was obsessed with he was he was very much
00:13:03
so by their next trip to Florida a month later she says Sarah was acting strangely she wore a bulky longsleeve
00:13:11
sweatshirt despite the Heat and it seemed like she and Ryan were always fighting and she goes I hate him I don't
00:13:19
want to be here I want to go home and when they returned to Maryland Tina saw the full horrifying picture of what
00:13:25
Sarah's life had become she says she called Sarah on October 28th 2021 phone rang rang rang she finally
00:13:37
picked up she could barely talk her words were extremely slurred so I said Sarah what's going on what's wrong with
00:13:45
you she goes oh I'm just really tired mom you knew something was wrong yeah well I knew she was slurring Tina says
00:13:51
she and Rachel left for Sarah's house minutes later and we walked into hell what did you see well Sarah
00:14:01
answers the door she smells it looks like she hadn't bathed in a week or more she looked horrible she'd weighed 120
00:14:09
when she'd had oral surgery with Ryan Tina says but Sarah was Skin and Bones now and Tina says there was more The Ivy
00:14:18
bags needles laying all over the floor syringes tourniquets bloody Footprints bloody paper towels and there were drugs
00:14:28
by bottles and vials everywhere Rachel gathered them up and photographed them I never looked at the
00:14:35
drugs and I wish I had I do think some people watching would think how did you not look at what the drugs were of
00:14:41
course I just wanted to get her out she says Sarah had offered an innocent if unconvincing explanation she goes I've
00:14:49
just been dehydrated mom he's just hydrating me I said I'm turning him in and Sarah starts crying mom you can't do
00:14:57
that please don't do that she's begging me I grabbed her arms and I pulled her sleeves up and she had needle marks from
00:15:03
here to here all over her arms bruises I became hysterical against her better judgment Tina agreed to hold off on
00:15:11
calling authorities but she says she insisted Sarah move back home just Days Later Tina says Ryan
00:15:20
convinced Sarah to come back to him in the following weeks Tina says Sarah seemed to be getting better she
00:15:27
started cooking eating even going to church but on December 3rd 20121 Tina says her daughter answered the phone
00:15:39
slurring again Rachel Harris jumped into action Rachel said I'm going to go and check on
00:15:49
her when Rachel got there it was worse than the first time poking around the ground floor
00:15:57
Rachel once again pulled out her camera finding drug bottles and vials as well as a saline bag an IV pole
00:16:07
Ivy needles and bloody footprints on a kitchen mat she was so distraught she left
00:16:15
without talking to her sister a few days later Tina confronted Dr James Ryan she was in no mood for
00:16:23
another explanation I just reach across and smack the living crap out of him you
00:16:28
hit him yeah oh I hit him and I said what are you doing are you trying to kill my daughter Tina says Ryan still
00:16:37
insisted he'd only been hydrating her and you still believed it I believed he was giving her something I didn't know
00:16:43
what it was I did not look at the vas all I could see was my daughter and what kind of trouble she was in but the next
00:16:51
day she says Ryan admitted he'd been doing more than hydrating her he'd been giving Sarah drugs though only to keep
00:16:58
her from them someplace else so I told him I said look you can break it off with my daughter or I'm calling the
00:17:05
police and he said well I'll break it off with her but days turned into weeks and Dr Ryan never did after months of
00:17:15
tension Tina says she couldn't keep arguing with her daughter anymore what was I going to
00:17:20
do lock her up you probably wanted to I threatened it and she said if you do that Mom
00:17:29
when I get out you'll never hear from me again and that scared me to [Music] death within weeks there was a new
00:17:40
tragedy for the Harris family Sarah's brother Christopher just 38 died after a heart attack in
00:17:50
Montana I had to sign the papers to take him off life support which um no mother should have to
00:18:04
do his death was devastating to the whole family Sarah posted this tribute message to her brother never goodbye
00:18:13
I'll see you soon big bro and only 18 days after Christopher's death at about 8:30 a.m. on January 26
00:18:27
2022 Ina says she and Rachel were together when Rachel got James Ryan's call Rachel started screaming she's
00:18:43
holding the phone and James has it on FaceTime and he's got the camera pointed at my
00:18:53
[Music] baby that's there on the ground saying she's gone she's [Music] gone at the time of her death Sarah
00:19:08
Harris weighed just 83 lbs authorities would list her manner of death as undetermined Dr Ryan was not arrested
00:19:19
they seemed to accept his story that Sarah struggling with mental health issues had
00:19:25
overdosed but there would be help from a most UN likely investigator Rachel started trying to
00:19:32
get into Sarah's [Music] eyecloud I just hope that you're happy that I'm with someone who truly truly
00:19:56
loves me 3 months before she died Sarah left a voicemail for her ex-boyfriend Henry Peterson I've
00:20:05
never trusted anybody as much as I've trusted the man that I'm with right now professionally
00:20:14
emotionally you never let me in that way they'd stayed in touch after breaking up so when she didn't answer
00:20:23
her phone after January of 2022 Peterson says he had a strange feeling and decided to go online I Googled her name
00:20:32
and uh uh there's an obituary yeah he says when Tina gave him details he joined her in the belief that James
00:20:42
Ryan the man Sarah said she had trusted more than anybody else was responsible for her
00:20:49
death but First Responders didn't think so they didn't shut it down as a crime scene police seized some drug viol but
00:20:59
left the house unguarded Tina says that's because they believed what Dr Ryan had told them about where she'd
00:21:06
gotten the drugs and how she'd taken them it was an overdose but she says she knew there was
00:21:13
more to it than that though she didn't know how to prove it turns out there was someone very close to her who
00:21:20
did Rachel told me she would find the evidence Rachel Harris decided to ex examin Sarah's laptop to see if it might
00:21:31
contain Clues authorities hadn't seen she didn't know the password but she knew her sister well it took her
00:21:39
about a couple of days to figure out Sarah's password coming through Sarah's computer and iCloud Rachel hit P dirt a
00:21:48
trove of texts between her sister and James Ryan the messages were full of references to drugs including a
00:21:56
tranquilizer named Di Pam and two fast acting surgical anesthetics the type Rachel had seen in the home Dr Ryan and
00:22:05
Sarah shared propop fall and ketamine which is sometimes also used for depression Rachel created a binder
00:22:12
adding the photos she'd taken there Rachel compiled 200 pages of evidence the medical examiner would release
00:22:20
Sarah's autopsy report which showed those same three drugs in Sarah's system research suggests they can all be habit
00:22:29
forming and they can suppress breathing taking them in combination can be lethal
00:22:35
all the while Rachel's building a case yes yes in February 2022 Rachel gave her binder to montomery County Police it
00:22:45
eventually landed on the desk of detective Ian iello an expert in pharmaceutical investigations after more
00:22:53
than 33 years as a cop iello was nearing retirement he decided to come and alone
00:22:59
on a Sunday it was my birthday and nothing was going on you don't get parties when you're this age like I'm
00:23:06
just going to go in the office and look through this binder and just see what I cavello saw in Rachel's
00:23:12
binder suggested cops at the scene had been wrong about Sarah's death he says reading the text between Sarah and James
00:23:19
Ryan was like watching a murder in slow motion you could see Sarah die Sarah is suffering within the first month of
00:23:28
their relationship she had anxiety she was having trouble sleeping Ryan offers a
00:23:34
quick fix I can give you an injection the anxiety will be completely gone in 6 seconds he writes it will work let's try
00:23:43
it he had already made the decision I cavello says the text suggests that over the months Sarah
00:23:51
developed a drug habit and a habit of asking her boyfriend the doctor to feed it in October 2021 do we have ketamine
00:23:59
here in November we need syringes I feel like in December I just really need sleep she writes can you bring
00:24:09
propol she's actively asking for drugs at no point does he say no I cavello says the text suggests Dr
00:24:19
Ryan often brought Sarah the dangerous drugs and that he actually administered at least one about a month before her
00:24:26
death it was December 20th 2021 if you wake up I just went to change after I gave you ketamine just
00:24:34
now he writes he's injecting her while she's asleep no monitoring no anything an
00:24:42
iello points to this exchange from the day before Sarah died is it possible to bring home ketamine when you come she
00:24:49
asks yes I will bring some home I love you Baby Ryan replies the text tell a story they do
00:24:58
so do Rachel's photos from Sarah's house says I cavello though his colleagues lacking experience in pharmaceutical
00:25:05
investigations might not have understood that they had no idea what they were really looking at he says Patrol cops
00:25:13
and paramedics often deal with overdoses of street drugs like heroin and Fentanyl
00:25:19
but the deadly drugs in Sarah Harris's house were masquerading as something else there's a difference
00:25:27
between drugs and medication iello says to the untrained eye the drugs at Sarah look like
00:25:35
medication the paraphernalia around the house might have been confusing too usually what we see is burnt spoons tin
00:25:43
foil uh some hypodermic needles maybe a shoelace or some other string that kind of drug paraphernalia but to iello the
00:25:52
syringes and the saline the professional tourniquets and the plastic wrappers at
00:25:56
SAS made it resemble an operating room that's what a lot of it looked like whatever questions responding
00:26:04
authorities may have had he says Dr Ryan offered answers and you've got James saying she did all of
00:26:14
this without any other information okay well we're just kind of going to go with
00:26:19
what he says he's a doctor he's a doctor but I cavello says after reading through
00:26:24
the family's binder any credibility Dr Ryan may have had that day vanished and on March 22nd 2022 nearly 2
00:26:34
months after Sarah's death James Ryan was arrested for the murder of Sarah Harris but prosecutors
00:26:42
would have to make the case to a jury sometimes it's hard to convince them maybe especially so in this case
00:26:50
because James Ryan's defense is suggesting he was only trying to save Sarah's life and that she had other
00:26:57
ideas [Music] what do you make of those text messages between Sarah and Dr Ryan chat now with
00:27:07
the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X [Music] [Music] I knew the case was solid detective Ian I cavello was sure
00:27:35
Dr James Ryan was responsible for Sarah Harris's death and he had no problem convincing prosecutors on Montgomery
00:27:43
County's overdose task force Jennifer Harrison it's his fault James Dietrich he was the one who was providing those
00:27:51
drugs and kimly sisle he knew how dangerous these drugs were was a doctor after all but as certain as
00:28:01
prosecutors were that he knew he was risking Sarah's life they had no conclusive evidence he intended to kill
00:28:08
her we never suggested that you can accept that James Ryan loved Sarah Harris but it does not excuse all the
00:28:17
other actions that he took that led to Sarah's Sarah's death so they charge Ryan with a subcategory of second
00:28:24
deegree murder unfamiliar to many people it's known as has depraved heart murder
00:28:30
prosecutors say the charge doesn't require proving the killer actually wanted anyone dead only that they knew
00:28:36
their actions would likely kill someone and didn't care we have to prove that he
00:28:41
did it with Reckless disregard for the value of her life Di gave us an example forance if I take a gun and just
00:28:48
randomly shoot it into a crowd I may not necessarily want or care that anybody dies but that is such a grossly Reckless
00:28:57
Act that someone's likely to die prosecutors also charge Ryan with a slightly lesser charge involuntary
00:29:04
manslaughter plus two counts of drug distribution and one count of possession with intent to
00:29:12
distribute ladies and gentlemen meet Dr James Ry opening statements begin on August 16th
00:29:22
20123 there are no cameras in court but there is an audio recording but behind door he was conducting a deadly medical
00:29:32
experiment on his 25-year-old patient turned employee turned living girlfriend the prosecution
00:29:41
portrays Ryan as a controlling older man who got his glamorous young girlfriend hooked on drugs he was stealing
00:29:51
dangerous sedation drugs from his business and administering them to his girlfriend sah
00:30:00
prosecutors say the proof of Ryan's guilt is largely in those text messages Ryan offering to get rid of Sarah's
00:30:08
anxiety in six seconds telling her he gave her katamine while she was sleeping and on the night before her body was
00:30:16
found apparently agreeing to bring ketamine home to her can you tell us not fa I don't know where to start I was the
00:30:30
first to testify she was my baby Tina Harris is emotional as she relives Sarah's downward spiral just months
00:30:40
before dying I asked to see her arms and she said no Mama but I grabbed her arms and I pulled
00:30:50
up the sleeves and her little arms were covered in Needle marks and bruises and then medical examiner tells
00:30:59
the jury about the Dangerous Drug cocktail that brought her life to a tragic end when people use all three
00:31:08
together those just cause profound strong sedation the drugs can be so dangerous in fact the prosecution tells
00:31:17
jurors that doctors who use these drugs have equipment and protocols in place to
00:31:22
revive patients if needed even though Dr Ryan would follow all of those safety protocols calls in his own office he
00:31:29
would never follow those at home she was chemically dependent on she was chemically dependent on him prosecutors
00:31:36
also call social worker Janice Miller who says that kind of power imbalance is a Hallmark of abusive relationships the
00:31:45
drugs were the way that he controlled her and really ensured that she wouldn't leave the relationship he's created an
00:31:51
addict Dr Ryan and his attorneys did not agree to be interviewed by 48 hours but
00:31:56
at trial they argue Sarah Harris may have played an important role in her own demise suggesting that after wrestling
00:32:04
with mental illness she is now losing her battle with anxiety depression and drugs their focus on Sarah Harris is
00:32:12
obviously her mental illness the defense suggests Sarah may have begun stealing the drugs herself they want the jury to
00:32:18
know about her Facebook post about seeing her deceased brother soon but the judge won't allow
00:32:25
it but they are allowed to tell jurors about a text Sarah sent Ryan months before her
00:32:33
death she said I've lost my will to live I've lost my will to live do you think there's any chance
00:32:45
Sarah was suicidal absolutely not absolutely not where's the indication of a suicide on the scene there is none
00:32:55
detective I cavello says the drug bottles found found in Sarah's purse were too far from her body for her to
00:33:01
have given them to herself these drugs are fast acting she's going to be out in seconds how she put all the medication
00:33:09
in her purse then went and laid down not possible she wouldn't have cleaned up somebody else had to have done
00:33:20
it but according to CBS News consultant Mary fan the defense argues that detectives mishandled the seen that
00:33:28
there's no way to know exactly what happened including who administered the Fatal dose they didn't test to see if
00:33:37
his DNA or fingerprints were on those syringes Dr Ryan chooses not to testify the defense argues he was a loving
00:33:44
partner who was just trying to help Sarah this is a case about caring for somebody and possibly loving them to
00:33:50
death his lawyers call a friend who saw Sarah using drugs before she began dating Ryan and relative who saw them as
00:33:59
a happy couple in closings prosecutors remind the jury that to convict Ryan of depraved heart murder it doesn't matter
00:34:08
whether or not he actually put the drugs in Sarah's body or even whether or not he wanted her to Die the act of giving
00:34:16
her the drugs is him handing her a loaded gun but with the jury agree if you were a juror in this case
00:34:27
what would be your verdict and why learn more about the case at 48 [Music] hours.com I try to believe the best in
00:34:49
people and my for as long as Kyle Stevens can remember his friend Dr James Ryan has done right by people he was
00:34:57
pretty straight lace clean cut guy when he talked about Sarah how did he sound in the beginning he seemed enthusiastic
00:35:04
and excited but Steven says at a certain point Ryan did reach out with a concern
00:35:11
he had asked about how to best be helpful and supportive to someone in that place of depression and possibly
00:35:21
addiction did it make you wonder if he was actually asking about Sarah yeah but I didn't press so Steven says he had no
00:35:29
idea what was really going on between the two then he discovered his friend was arrested and headed to trial when
00:35:37
you heard the verdict what did you think I was taken back after a nearly 2 we trial it takes
00:35:46
jurors Less Than 3 hours to reach their decision have to count one murder in second degree
00:35:57
on August 25th 2023 they find James Ryan guilty of the second deegree depraved heart murder of Sarah
00:36:06
Harris relief yeah relief they also convict Ryan on the manslaughter and drug charges my heart
00:36:19
just felt satisfied Sarah's voice was heard through this Tina and Rachel speak at a press conference after the verdict
00:36:28
she was this beautiful beauty queen and she wasted away at the hands of Dr James
00:36:33
Ryan and again at sentencing months later he is a predator he is a wolf and she floating
00:36:46
pleas my bar until his life is done but James Ryan's lawyers had submitted supportive letters from his
00:36:57
friends and a legal filing which detailed that James Ryan had his own struggles with drugs and mental health
00:37:04
Ryan addresses the court and insists he didn't administer the lethal dose but takes responsibility for not preventing
00:37:11
Sarah's access to the drugs that killed her the words do not exist to convey and
00:37:20
express the level of remorse I feel though the guidelines suggest a sentence of 15 to 25 years for the this
00:37:27
case of depraved heart murder the judge has something else in mind it is the sentence of this court that you be
00:37:34
committed to the Maryland Division of Corrections for a period of 40 years with more time for the other
00:37:42
counts it's a total of 45 years in prison a 45e sentence puts James Ryan in a category with some violent murderers
00:37:51
you know 45 years for James Ryan is basically life patients rely on doctors and their expertise in their advice and
00:38:01
I think she's sending a very loud message to the medical community and State's Attorney John
00:38:07
McCarthy wants to send a message to lawmakers the depraved heart murder charge may have worked in this trial but
00:38:14
it's a difficult crime to prove in other overdose cases we need tougher laws as early as 2015 McCarthy began pushing to
00:38:24
streamline Maryland law so State prosecutor ERS can more easily convict dealers and Distributors who Supply the
00:38:32
drugs that lead to overdose deaths but it hasn't been easy we're not at a place in Maryland right now that the
00:38:39
legislature seems very interested in creating new crimes and new penalties Ian iello who read murder
00:38:49
between the lines of this case and retired after the trial says he still thinks of Sarah often I did everything I
00:38:57
could um for her so does her ex-boyfriend Henry Peterson who looks back at their breakup
00:39:05
with regret I guess I always thought she was going to be there a regret Sarah seemed
00:39:12
to share he showed us a letter she wrote him years earlier when their relationship ended you made me feel
00:39:20
alive now that year gone I feel so many pieces and parts have died with you as if to preserve his connection to
00:39:28
Sarah Peterson still practices a kerto he played at her [Music] grave where today a mother who faced
00:39:41
great loss with even greater courage struggles to face the future without Sarah and her brother so close in life
00:39:49
and death that she actually buried their ashes in the same casket I hear Sarah tell me
00:40:00
Mama it's okay what do you want your daughter's legacy to be I want people to remember my Sarah
00:40:12
as a light a brilliant young woman who cared about others and loved life loved it
00:40:28
[Music] [Music] as a kid growing up in Chicago there was one horror movie I was too scared to
00:40:43
watch it was called Candyman but did you know that the movie Candyman was partly
00:40:48
inspired by an actual murder listen to Candyman the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder wherever you get
00:40:54
your podcasts I'm eron morard of 40 8 hours and of all the cases I've covered this is the one that troubles me most
00:41:03
listen to murder in the Orange Grove the trouble case against Crosley green wherever you get your podcast
00:41:10
[Music]