48 Hours - The Depraved Heart Murder

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

A surgeon is accused of drugging his girlfriend in order to control her. Nikki Battiste reports.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits, and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it.

There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial, and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. It was 1989 in Titusville, Florida. Kim Halleck said she and her ex-boyfriend Chip Flynn were kidnapped and attacked at gunpoint. Kim fled the scene, but Chip didn't make it out alive. Did you kill Chip Flynn? No, ma'am. Crosley Green has lived more than half his life behind bars for a crime he says he didn't commit. I'm Erin Moriarty of 48 Hours, and of all the cases I've covered, this is the one that troubles me most, involving an eyewitness account that doesn't quite make sense. A sister testifying against a brother.

They always say lies. You can't remember lies. A lack of physical evidence and questions about whether Crosley Green was accused, arrested and convicted because he's black. Just because a white female says a black man has committed a crime, we take that as gospel. Listen to Murder in the Orange Grove, The Trouble Case Against Crosley Green, wherever you get your podcasts. I hate seeing people get away with stuff. And I like figuring stuff out.

My name is Ian Iacovello, and I was the lead detective in the Sarah Harris case. Sarah Harris, she was incredibly bright. One should always pursue knowledge, no matter the topic. Very energetic, very fun. Did Sarah have any idea how beautiful she was? Honestly, I don't think she did. Sarah Jane Harris. Sarah hopes to become an anesthesiologist.

She was shocked that she won the Miss Maryland Fatigue Pageant. She had thought from a very young age that she would the Miss Maryland Fatigue pageant. She had thought from a very young age that she would want to be a doctor. She wanted to help people. In 2020, Sarah needed wisdom teeth pulled. 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

say that we care but we really do. Dr. James Ryan was a well-respected oral surgeon. A lot of people knew him and thought very highly of him. So she gets the teeth done. She starts getting all these text messages and they're from Dr. Ryan and he says, by the way I'm looking to hire someone as a surgical assistant. Do you know anyone? She says something like, well, what about me, Mom? And he offered her the job. She then became an employee, and then his girlfriend, and his living girlfriend.

Sarah's life appeared glamorous on the outside, but behind closed doors, I mean, that wasn't necessarily the case. I would have never, ever thought that her life would end the way it did. Montgomery County 911. My girlfriend, I think, overdosed. I'm trying to resuscitate her right now.

And what is your first and last name? James Ryan. I'm doing chest compressions. And is she breathing? She's not breathing. When the two responding officers got to the house, they saw Sarah. She's laying on the floor.

What did authorities think had happened to Sarah that day? She overdosed. And we 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 depraved heart murder. I think most of our audience will have never heard of depraved heart murder. I have never seen it before. You have to show extreme indifference to human life. James Ryan provided those drugs that caused her death.

That doesn't mean he's guilty of murder. Another way of presenting this case would be he never intended to hurt her. I knew this was not just some simple accidental overdose. This was much more. Nikki Batiste reports the depraved heart murder. Was she sleeping on the couch last night? Yeah, she would do that sometimes. It's the morning of January 26, 2022.

Sarah Harris lies unresponsive on the floor of the room in disarray. Her boyfriend, Dr. James Ryan, tearfully talks with police at the scene. The conversation is recorded on a body camera as they ask him about the night before. We're watching TV and then she said you should probably go to bed because you're tired and you have to work tomorrow so I did. What time did you go to bed? Probably about 10 or 11. Ryan has already told authorities he's a doctor and that he thinks it's an overdose and he says it's happened before. This time, Sarah doesn't survive.

Dr. Ryan has suggested where she got at least one of her drugs of choice, a powerful anesthetic. How they got into her body. And why. Ryan had called Sarah's family with the awful news that morning. But her mother, Tina, just didn't believe anything he said. She immediately suspected James Ryan was responsible for Sarah's death. She arrived at the scene about 20 minutes later.

Uncle Tim, I'm sorry. That is my baby! That is my baby! Oh, God, that is my baby! I started kicking and hitting him. And screaming at him. What did he say happened? He said he went to bed and left her alone and came down, and she was unresponsive in the morning.

Authorities say they found wrappers from syringes, tourniquets, and saline bags next to the kitchen sink, and drug vials in Sarah's purse. Tina thinks Ryan arranged it that way. He wanted to look like it was a suicide. Tina had long held suspicions about Dr. Ryan. He had encountered Sarah Harris more than a year earlier, not as a girlfriend, but as a patient, to get her wisdom teeth out. Dr. Ryan is somebody who's practiced for over 20 years. He has incredible credentials. Mary Fulginiti is a former prosecutor and defense attorney and a CBS News consultant.

We asked her to use her decades of courtroom experience to help analyze this case. He's esteemed and regarded in his community as one of the best at what he does. Tina Harris says the first time her daughter met Dr. Ryan for her teeth in the summer of 2020, the doctor was professional. But she does remember at the time feeling it was curious when his interest in Sarah seemed to change. She starts getting all these text messages. He asked her, how are you doing? And she says, I'm fine. And he starts sending little emojis. What are you thinking as her mom? I thought it was a little bizarre that he added a little happy face, and I thought, well, maybe he just likes using emojis.

She says that's when Ryan had mentioned he was looking to hire someone as a surgical assistant. I thought, well, you know, maybe he just thinks that she'd really be a good addition. Dr. Ryan hardly seemed like a threat. He was divorced with three grown children and was involved with a woman with whom he already had a baby. At 47, he was more 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 proud of you, honey. That's pretty incredible that he's going to teach you all this stuff. At the beginning, Sarah seemed to love the job.

But Tina says as the holidays approached, an extravagant gift re-triggered her suspicion that Dr. Ryan's interest in Sarah was more than professional. What was it? A diamond 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 says Sarah announced she had agreed to go out for a meal with Ryan, who was ending his other relationship. He seemed to win over Sarah.

And Tina admits, in their early days as a couple, even she found him impressive. As a mother, was a part of you excited she was dating a doctor? Well, I was excited. I was excited because he had a wonderful reputation. And she says Ryan was generous. He would lease Sarah a new car and take her and her family on trips, all expenses paid. Tina 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 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 three siblings, too, especially older sister Rachel. Rachel took it upon herself that she was going to be the protector. But there had

been a rough period during Sarah's youth in suburban Maryland. Like many young people, she experimented with drugs and had problems moderating her mood. She suffered from anxiety. When did she first struggle with depression? I noticed depression coming about when she was about 14, 15 years old. She would start feeling down. But Tina says Sarah still excelled in high school, craving knowledge and the skills that came with it. It's currently hanging in the Louvre in Paris. She learned German, Spanish, Russian, and sign language. Happy birthday to you. She put a lot of pressure on herself, especially with her grades. Before long, Sarah got her social bearings.

She fell into a great group of kids. They would sit out in the living room and play the guitar, play the piano, sing. She was at a music festival in 2018 when 21-year-old Sarah caught the eye of Henry Peterson, seven years older. I feel like it was like stars colliding and meeting someone like you're supposed to meet. They lived seven hours apart, but he says they quickly became emotionally inseparable. We talked about everything you could think of in terms of a future marriage and children and family. He says the distance eventually made them drift. Peterson broke it off, though he says he still imagined they would end up together. She and I never stopped talking. The love was always there.

I never stopped talking. The love was always there. By her mid-20s, Sarah had gotten into modeling and competing in beauty pageants. And in 2020, she'd won that Miss Marilyn Petit pageant. The next year is when she started quietly seeing Dr. Ryan. And by that summer, they had decided to live together. And that's when everything goes downhill. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military, and when they do,

the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets,

the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access,

I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. By the end of the summer of 2021, Tina Harris says James Ryan was dominating Sarah's life. Boss, boyfriend, even letting her live rent-free in his house. But instead of flourishing, Sarah seemed anxious and depressed. She saw a psychiatrist who gave her that bipolar diagnosis. Her complexion starts to change. She starts to lose weight.

On a family trip to Key West that September, Tina says Sarah had been asleep when a drunk Dr. Ryan revealed something unsettling. He had first noticed Sarah in the park when she was just 14. I used to see Sarah walking the neighborhood and playing at the park with her friends. And he says, then I found out she worked in the toy store, so I would take my kids there so I could see her. And I remember when she dressed up as Elsa from Frozen, and she looked just like 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 for dinner so I could get her as my server. It sounds like Dr. Ryan was obsessed with Sarah. He was. He was very much so. By their next trip to Florida a month later, she says Sarah was acting strangely. She wore a bulky long-sleeve sweatshirt despite the heat, and it seemed like she and Ryan

were always fighting. she says i hate him i don't want to be here i want to go home and when they returned to maryland tina saw the full horrifying picture of what sarah's life had become she says she called sarah on october 28 2021. Phone rang, rang, rang. She finally picked up. She could barely talk. Her words were extremely slurred. So I said, Sarah, what's going on?

What's wrong with you? She goes, oh, I'm just really tired, Mom. You knew something was wrong. Yeah, well, I knew she was slurring. Tina says she and Rachel left for Sarah's house minutes later. And we walked into hell. What did you see? Well, Sarah answers the door.

She smells. It looks like she hadn't bathed in a week or more. She looked horrible. She'd weighed 120 when she'd had oral surgery with Ryan, Tina says. But Sarah was skin and bones now. And Tina says there was more. The IV bags, needles laying all over the floor, syringes, tourniquets, bloody footprints, bloody paper towels.

And there were drugs, bottles and vials everywhere. Rachel gathered them up and photographed them. I never looked at the drugs. And I wish I had. I do think some people watching would think, how did you I never looked at the 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 course. I just wanted to get her out.

She says Sarah had offered an innocent, if unconvincing, explanation. She goes, I've 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 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 here to here, all over her arms, bruises. I became hysterical. Against her better judgment, Tina agreed to hold off on calling authorities. But she says she insisted Sarah move back home. on calling authorities, but she says she insisted Sarah move back home. Just days later, Tina says Ryan convinced Sarah to come back to him. In the following weeks, Tina says Sarah seemed to be getting better. She started cooking, eating, even going to church.

But on December 3rd, 2021, Tina says her daughter answered the phone slurring again. Rachel Harris jumped into action. Rachel said, I'm going to go and check on her. When Rachel got there, it was worse than the first time. Poking around the ground floor, Rachel once again pulled out her camera, finding drug bottles and vials, as well as a saline bag, an IV pole, IV needles, and bloody footprints on a kitchen mat. She was so distraught, she left without talking to her sister.

A few days later, Tina confronted Dr. James Ryan. She was in no mood for another explanation. I just reached across and snagged the living crap out of him. You 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 insisted he'd only been hydrating her. And he still believed it. I believed he was giving her something. I didn't know what it

was. I did not look at the vase. All I could see was my daughter and what kind of trouble she was in. But the next day, she says Ryan admitted he'd been doing more than hydrating her. He'd been giving Sarah drugs, though only to keep her from getting them someplace else. So I told him, I said, look, you can break it off with my daughter, or I'm calling the 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 tension, Tina says she couldn't keep arguing with her daughter anymore. What was I going to do? Lock her up? You probably wanted to. I threatened it. And she said, if you do that, Mom, when I get out, you'll never hear from me again. And that scared me to death. And that scared me to death. Within weeks, there was a new tragedy for the Harris family. Sarah's brother Christopher, just 38, died after a heart attack in Montana.

I had to sign the papers to take him off life support, which no mother should have to do. His death was devastating to the whole family. Sarah posted this tribute message to her brother. Never goodbye. I'll see you soon, big bro. And only 18 days after Christopher's death, at about 8.30am on January 26, 2022, Tina says, she and Rachel were together when Rachel got James Ryan's call. when Rachel got James Ryan's call. Rachel started screaming.

She's holding the phone, and James has said on FaceTime, and he's got the camera pointed at my baby. Had Sarah on the ground saying, she's gone, she's gone. At the time of her death, Sarah Harris weighed just 83 pounds. Authorities would list

her manner of death as undetermined. Dr. Ryan was not arrested. They seemed to accept his story that Sarah, struggling with mental health issues, had overdosed. But there would be help from a most unlikely investigator. Rachel started trying to get into Sarah's iCloud. I just hope that you're happy that I'm with someone who truly, truly loves me. Three months before she died, Sarah left a voicemail for her ex-boyfriend, Henry Peterson. I've never trusted anybody

as much as I trusted the man that I'm with right now. Professionally, emotionally, he never let me in that way. They'd stayed in touch after breaking up, so when she didn't answer her phone after January of 2022, Peterson says he had a strange feeling and decided to go online. I Googled her name and there's an obituary. Yeah.

He says when Tina gave him details, he joined her in the belief that James Ryan, the man Sarah said she had trusted more than anybody else, was responsible for her death. But first responders didn't think so. They didn't shut it down as a crime scene. think so. They didn't shut it down as a crime scene. Police seized some drug vials but left the house unguarded. Tina says that's because they believed what Dr. Ryan had told them about where she'd gotten the drugs and how she'd taken them. It was an overdose. But she says she knew there was more to it than that, though she didn't know how to prove it. Turns out there was someone very close to her who did. Rachel told me she would find the evidence. Rachel Harris decided to examine Sarah's laptop to see if it might contain clues authorities hadn't seen. She didn't know the password, but she knew her sister well.

It took her about a couple of days to figure out Sarah's password. Combing through Sarah's computer and iCloud, Rachel hit paydirt, a trove of text between her sister and James Ryan. The messages were full of references to drugs, including a tranquilizer named diazepam and two fast-acting surgical anesthetics, the type Rachel had seen in the home Dr. Ryan and Sarah shared, propofol and ketamine, which is sometimes also used for depression. Rachel created a binder, adding the photos she'd taken there. Rachel compiled 200 pages of evidence.

The medical examiner would release Sarah's autopsy report, which showed those same three drugs in Sarah's system. Research suggests they can all be habit-forming, and they can suppress breathing. Taking them in combination can be lethal. All the while, Rachel's building a case. Yes. Yes. In February 2022, Rachel gave her binder to Montgomery County Police. It eventually landed on the desk of Detective Ian Iacovello, an expert in pharmaceutical investigations.

After more than 33 years as a cop, Iacovello was nearing retirement. He decided to come in alone on a Sunday. It was my birthday and nothing was going on. You don't get parties when you're this age. I'm like, I'm just going to go in the office and look through this binder and just see. What Iacovello saw in Rachel's binder suggested cops at the scene had been wrong about Sarah's death. He says reading the text between Sarah and James Ryan was like watching a murder in slow motion. You could see Sarah die. Sarah is suffering within the first month of their relationship. She had anxiety. She was having trouble sleeping. Ryan offers a quick fix i can give you an injection the anxiety will be completely

gone in six seconds he writes it will work let's try it he had already made the decision i cavello says the text suggests that over the months sarah developed a drug habit and a habit of asking her boyfriend the doctor to feed it. In October 2021, do we have ketamine here? In November, we need syringes. I feel like s***. In December, I just really need sleep, she writes. Can you bring propofol? She's actively asking for drugs. At no point does he say no. asking for drugs. At no point does he say no. Iacovello says the text suggests Dr. Ryan often brought Sarah the dangerous drugs, and that he actually administered at least one about a month before her death.

It was December 20th, 2021. If you wake up, I just went to change after I gave you ketamine just now, he writes. He's injecting her while she's asleep. No monitoring, no anything. And Icavello points to this exchange from the day before Sarah died. Is it possible to bring home ketamine when you come, she asks. Yes, I will bring some home.

I love you, baby, Ryan replies. The texts tell a story. They do. So do Rachel's photos from Sarah's house, says Icavello, though his colleagues lacking experience in pharmaceutical investigations might not have understood that. They had no idea what they were really looking at. He says patrol cops and paramedics often deal with overdoses of street drugs like heroin and

fentanyl. But the deadly drugs in Sarah Harris' house were masquerading as something else. There's a difference between drugs and medication. Iacovello says to the untrained eye, the drugs at Sarah's look like medication. The paraphernalia around the house might have been confusing, too. Usually what we see is burnt spoons, tinfoil, some hypodermic needles, maybe a shoelace or some other string. That kind of drug, paraphernalia. But to I. Covello, the syringes and the saline,

the professional tourniquets and the plastic wrappers at Sarah's made it resemble an operating room. That's what a lot of it looked like. Whatever questions responding authorities may have had, he says Dr. Ryan offered answers. And you've got James saying she did all of this. Without any other information, okay, well, we're just kind of going to go with what he says. He's a doctor. He's a doctor. But Iacovello says after reading through the family's binder,

any credibility Dr. Ryan may have had that day vanished. And on March 22, 2022, nearly two months after Sarah's death, James Ryan was arrested for the murder of Sarah Harris. But prosecutors would have to make the case to a jury. Sometimes it's hard to convince them. Maybe especially so in this case, because James Ryan's defense is suggesting he was only trying to save Sarah's life and that she had other ideas.

What do you make of those text messages between Sarah and Dr. Ryan? Chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years, I've been investigating a shocking story

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You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. It's just the case was solid. Detective Ian Iacovello was sure Dr. James Ryan was responsible for Sarah Harris' death. And he had no problem convincing prosecutors on Montgomery County's overdose task force. Jennifer Harrison. It's his fault. James Dietrich.

He was the one who was providing those drugs. And Kimberly Sissel. He knew how dangerous these drugs were. Ryan was a doctor after all, but as certain as prosecutors were that he knew he was risking Sarah's life, they had no conclusive evidence he intended to kill her. We never suggested that. You can accept that James Ryan loved Sarah Harris, but it does not excuse all the other actions that he took that led to Sarah's death. So they charge Ryan with a subcategory of second-degree murder unfamiliar to many people.

It's known as depraved heart murder. Prosecutors say the charge doesn't require proving the killer actually wanted anyone dead, only that they knew their actions would likely kill someone and didn't care. We have to prove that he did it with reckless disregard for the value of her life. Dietrich gave us an example. If I take a gun and just randomly shoot it into a crowd, I may not necessarily want or care that anybody dies, but that is such a grossly reckless act that someone's likely to die.

Prosecutors also charge Ryan with a slightly lesser charge, involuntary manslaughter, plus two counts of drug distribution and one count of possession with intent to distribute. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Dr. James Bryan. Opening statements begin on August 16, 2023. There are no cameras in court, but there is an audio recording. But behind closed doors, he was conducting a deadly medical experiment on his 25-year-old patient-turned-employee-turned-living girlfriend. The prosecution portrays Ryan as a controlling older man

who got his glamorous young girlfriend hooked on drugs. He was stealing dangerous sedation drugs from his business and administering them to his girlfriend, Sarah Harris. Prosecutors say the proof of Ryan's guilt is largely in those text messages. Ryan offering to get rid of Sarah's anxiety in six seconds, telling her he gave her ketamine while she was sleeping, and on the night before her body was found, apparently agreeing to bring ketamine home to her. Can you tell us about Sarah? Mm-hmm.

I don't know where to start. I was the first to testify. She was my baby. Tina Harris is emotional as she relives Sarah's downward spiral just months before dying. I asked to see her arms. She said, no, Mama. But I grabbed her arms and I pulled at the sleeves and her little arms were covered in needle marks and bruises.

covered in needle marks and bruises. And the medical examiner tells the jury about the dangerous drug cocktail that brought her life to a tragic end. When people use all three together, that just causes profound, strong sedation. The drugs can be so dangerous, in fact, the prosecution tells jurors that doctors who use these drugs have equipment and protocols in place to revive patients if needed. Even though Dr. Ryan would follow all of those safety protocols in his own office, he would never follow those at home. She was chemically dependent on him. She was chemically dependent on him. She was chemically dependent on him. She was chemically dependent on him.

Prosecutors also call social worker Janice Miller, who says that kind of power imbalance is a hallmark of abusive relationships. The drugs were the way that he controlled her and really ensured that she wouldn't leave the relationship. He's created an addict. Dr. Ryan and his attorneys did not agree to be interviewed by 48 Hours. But at trial, they argue Sarah Harris may have played an important role in her own demise, suggesting that after wrestling with

mental illness, she was now losing her battle with anxiety, depression, and drugs. Their focus on Sarah Harris is obviously her mental illness. The defense suggests Sarah may have begun stealing the drugs herself. They want the jury to know about her Facebook post about seeing her deceased brother soon, but the judge won't allow it. But they are allowed to tell jurors about a text Sarah sent Ryan months before her death. I've lost my will to live. I've lost my will to live. Do you think there's any chance Sarah was suicidal? Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

Where is the indication of a suicide on the scene? There is none. Detective Iacovello says the drug bottles found in Sarah's purse were too far from her body for her to have given them to herself. These drugs are fast acting. She's going to be out in seconds. How she put all the medication in her purse, then went and laid down. Not possible. She wouldn't have cleaned up.

Somebody else had to have done it. But according to CBS News consultant Mary Fulginiti, the defense argues that detectives mishandled the scene, that there's no way to know exactly what happened, including who administered the fatal dose. They didn't test to see if his DNA or fingerprints were on those syringes. Dr. Ryan chooses not to testify. The defense argues he was a loving partner who was just trying to help Sarah. This is a case about caring for somebody and possibly loving them to death.

His lawyers call a friend who saw Sarah using drugs before she began dating Ryan and a relative who saw Sarah using drugs before she began dating Ryan, and a relative who saw them as a happy couple. In closings, prosecutors remind the jury that to convict Ryan of depraved heart murder, it doesn't matter 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 her the drugs is him handing her a loaded gun. But would the jury agree? If you were a juror in this case, what would be your verdict and why? Learn more about the case at 48hours.com.

Did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free, with a 48-hour plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. I try to believe the best in people. For as long as Kyle Stevens can remember, his friend, Dr. James Ryan, has done right by people. He was a pretty straight-laced, clean-cut guy. When he talked about Sarah, how did he sound? In the beginning, he seemed enthusiastic and excited. But Stephen says at a certain point,

Ryan did reach out with a concern. He had asked about how to best be helpful and supportive to someone in that place of depression and possibly addiction. Did it make you wonder if he was actually asking about Sarah? Yeah, but I didn't press. So Stephen says he had no idea what was really going on between the two. Then he discovered his friend was arrested

and headed to trial. When you heard the verdict, what did you think? I was taken aback. After a nearly two-week trial, it takes jurors less than three hours to reach their decision. On August 25, 2023, they find James Ryan guilty of the second-degree depraved heart murder of Sarah Harris. Release. Yeah, release. They also convict Ryan on the manslaughter and drug charges. My heart just felt satisfied.

Sarah's voice was heard through this. Tina and Rachel speak at a press conference after the verdict. She was this beautiful beauty queen, and she wasted away at the hands of Dr. James Ryan. And again at sentencing months later. He's a predator. He's a wolf, and he's floating. He's floating.

Floating. He's a predator. He's a wolf and he's floating. Please. Put him on my bars. Until his life is done. But James Ryan's lawyers had submitted supportive letters from his friends, and a legal filing which detailed that James Ryan had his own struggles with drugs and mental health. Ryan addresses the court and insists he didn't administer the lethal dose, but takes responsibility for not preventing Sarah's access to the drugs that killed her. The words do not exist to convey and express the level of remorse I feel.

The words do not exist to convey and express the level of remorse I feel. Though the guidelines suggest a sentence of 15 to 25 years for this case of depraved heart murder, the judge has something else in mind. It is the sentence of this court that you be committed to the Maryland Division of Corrections for a period of 40 years. With more time for the other counts, it's a total of 45 years. With more time for the other counts, it's a total of 45 years in prison. A 45-year sentence puts James Ryan in a category with some violent murderers.

You know, 45 years for James Ryan is basically life. Patients rely on doctors and their expertise and their advice, and I think she's sending a very loud message to the medical community. And state's attorney John McCarthy wants to send a message to lawmakers. The depraved heart murder charge may have worked in this trial, but it's a difficult crime to prove in other overdose cases. We need tougher laws. As early as 2015, McCarthy began pushing to streamline Maryland law so state prosecutors

can more easily convict dealers and distributors who supply the drugs that lead to overdose deaths. But it hasn't been easy. We're not at a place in Maryland right now that the legislature seems very interested in creating new crimes and new penalties. Ian Iacovello, who read murder between the lines of this case and retired after the trial, says he still thinks of Sarah often.

I did everything I could for her. So does her ex-boyfriend Henry Peterson, who looks back at their breakup with regret. I guess I always thought she was going to be there. A regret Sarah seemed to share. He showed us a letter she wrote him years earlier when their relationship ended. You made me feel alive.

Now that you're gone, I feel so many pieces and parts have died with you. As if to preserve his connection to Sarah, Peterson still practices a concerto he played at her grave. Where today, a mother who faced great loss with even greater courage struggles to face the future without Sarah and her brother, so close in life and death that she actually buried their ashes in the same casket. I hear Sarah telling me, Mama, it's okay. What do you want your daughter's legacy to be? I want people to remember my Sarah as a light,

a brilliant young woman who cared about others and loved life. Loved it. James Ryan will likely be eligible for parole in 20 years. He is appealing his conviction. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman.

But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Erin Moriarty of 48 Hours, and of all the cases I've covered, this is the one that troubles me most. Listen to Murder in the Orange Grove, The Trouble Case Against Crosley Green, wherever you get your podcasts. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus

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