Ohio man convicted of tub drowning seeks 4th trial

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — A state appeals court will decide whether to grant a fourth trial for a man convicted of murdering his wife in 2008 in their bathtub in southwest Ohio.

Thirty-one-year-old Ryan Widmer’s attorney told the 12th Ohio District Court of Appeals on today that police should not have taken the bathtub for evidence without a court order. A prosecutor argued police could not include everything on the search warrant.

Widmer is serving 15 years to life in prison for Sarah Widmer’s drowning at the couple’s Warren County home.

A jury in February 2011 found Widmer guilty of a murder charge.

The first trial’s guilty verdict had been thrown out over juror misconduct. The second trial ended in a hung jury.

The appeals panel did not say when it would rule.