A Maryland dentist has been found guilty of killing his girlfriend after she overdosed on anesthetic delivered through an IV station he had rigged in their home.
The jury took less than three hours of deliberation to convict Dr. James Ryan on one count of second-degree broken heart murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter in the January 2022 death of 25-year-old Sarah Harris.
Ryan, 50, an oral surgeon from Germantown, was also found guilty of possession with intent to distribute midazolam and distribution of ketamine and diazepam — all powerful sedatives.
Montgomery County Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Harrison told jurors that as a trained professional, Ryan knew the risks associated with this “dangerous and deadly drug” — yet he continued to give it to his girlfriend “even as he watched her deteriorate before his eyes,” the newspaper reported Washington Post.
Dr. James Ryan, 50, was convicted of second-degree broken heart murder and involuntary manslaughter in the overdose death of his girlfriend. Montgomery County DOC
“Every time he gave her the drugs — whether he gave them or whether he instructed her how to administer them to herself — a little bit of Sarah died,” Harrison added.
Davis weighed just 83 pounds when she was found dead in the rental home she shared with Ryan in Clarksburg on January 26, 2022.
Ryan told police that Harris seemed “okay when she went to bed the night before,” but the next day he found the woman “unresponsive on the couch with a used hypodermic needle” and a vial of a controlled substance next to her, court documents state.
Sarah Harris died of ketamine and diazepam intoxication in January 2022. Sarah J. Harris/Instagram
An autopsy found Harris died of ketamine and diazepam intoxication.
A search of Ryan and Harris’ home turned up bottles of propofol, ketamine, diazepam and midazolam, along with hypodermic needles, syringes and tourniquets, Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said at the time.
Ryan had provided Harris with anesthetic from his practice and often administered it to Harris himself, investigators said.
Police seized drugs, syringes and other equipment from Ryan and Harris’ home in Clarksburg, Maryland. FOX 5 DC
Investigators obtained a text message in which Harris asked Ryan to bring a sedative from his office. FOX 5 DC
The couple first met in the fall of 2020 when Harris came to Ryan as a patient to have his molars removed. FOX 5 DC
The couple discussed Harris’ drug use in text messages, which showed her asking her dentist boyfriend for various controlled substances from his practice.
Investigators obtained text messages in which Ryan talked about bringing home IV poles, saline solutions, fluids and needles to use as part of a home drug delivery system.
In a text on November 14, 2021, Harris asked Ryan: “Can you get some propofol and ketamine too, please?”
Harris is a contestant in the Miss Maryland Petite beauty pageant. Family Distribution
He reportedly replied, “OK.”
“Thanks, honey,” Harris wrote back, adding, “Sorry, we need a syringe.” The dentist replied that he had left the office but would be back.
Ryan first met Harris in the fall of 2020 when the former beauty pageant contestant came to his office as a patient who wanted to have his molars extracted.
After learning that Harris had experience working in a dental office, Ryan hired him as a surgical technician.
Prosecutors said Ryan knew the risks associated with sedatives, yet he continued to put Harris on them, often unsupervised. Evolutionary Oral Surgery
The two began dating in January 2021 and moved in together that summer.
Soon, prosecutors said, Ryan offered Harris sedatives from his practice — including propofol, the drug Michael Jackson famously used when he died — to help manage his anxiety and insomnia.
Harris’ family members grew concerned about his physical appearance, noting that he “didn’t look healthy,” with his arms covered in needle marks and bruises, Jones said.
At the time of his death, Harris weighed just 83 pounds and his arm was covered in needle marks. Sarah J. Harris/Instagram
Relatives who visited Harris in her final months testified during Ryan’s two-week trial that they saw drug bottles, bloody towels and an IV pole set up next to the woman’s bed.
Prosecutors argued that Ryan showed “extreme indifference” to her life by continuing to carry her drugs — and often leaving her alone connected to an IV while she slept.
The dentist’s attorney said Harris struggled with mental health issues and died either by suicide or a self-inflicted accidental overdose.
Ryan did not defend himself during his murder trial. He faces up to 55 years in state prison when he is sentenced at a later date.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
