During a four-hour sentencing hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court, the family of Sarah Harris called James Ryan a “monster” and a “predator,” saying the oral surgeon led Harris down a road of addiction that took her life.
“I wanted him to hear me. I wanted him to know, in a way, what he had taken from me. I don’t think he quite understands what kind of damage he has caused, not just to me, but to my whole family, to his family, to his children, his granddaughter. I wanted him to sit there and be held accountable by listening to me,” Harris’ mother Tina told WTOP.
Ryan, 50, was convicted of murder in August in the death of Sarah Harris, who was 25 when she was found dead at Ryan’s Montgomery County home in January 2022. During the trial, jurors heard testimony that Ryan set up an intravenous stand to administer drugs to Harris.
An autopsy found that she died of intoxication from ketamine, Propofol and diazepam.
Prosecutors argued Ryan showed “an extreme indifference” to Harris’ life by continuously supplying her with drugs as her health worsened. She weighed 83 pounds at the time of her death.
Ryan’s attorney said during Wednesday’s sentencing that he was only trying to help Harris as he battled his addictions. Ryan told the court he deserved to be punished.
During last year’s trial, Ryan did not testify and his lawyers argued Harris died of either suicide or an accidental overdose that she administered to herself. He was convicted on charges of second-degree depraved heart murder, involuntary manslaughter and drug distribution.
Harris began working for Ryan and dating him after she was a patient at his office in Germantown.
“It grieves my heart that he allowed himself to do the things that he has done and that he did. He could’ve stopped at any time, but he didn’t, and then he tried to cover it up and he tried to blame it on my daughter Sarah,” Tina Harris said.
In the court room
One powerful moment in the court involved Harris’ mother holding up a small bag that contained her daughter’s ashes and hair. Through tears, she looked at Ryan and said, “Do you see this? This is all I have!”
When Ryan appeared to look away, Harris shouted, “Don’t look away from me!”
Harris told the court that she is broken after not only losing Sarah but also her son days before her daughter’s fatal seizure.
Several impact statements from Harris’ close family members were followed by questions from Ryan’s attorney, asking them when they first noticed Sarah’s addiction and what they did to help her seek treatment, which drew anger from several family members.
While Ryan didn’t speak during his trial, he did speak at sentencing, telling the court, “Words do not express the remorse” he feels for what happened to Harris.
Tearing up at the time, he said he deserved to be punished but also sought to convince the judge that while Harris having the drugs was his responsibility, he didn’t administer the drugs that killed Harris that day.
Before delivering the sentence, Judge Cheryl McCally said during this case, she couldn’t help but think “that there is no reason for any of us to be here.”
McCally said while she doesn’t believe Ryan intended to kill Harris, his actions started what she called the march to Harris’ death. McCally also said Ryan “knew better” and should have sought help for Harris.
“Your oath was to do no harm,” McCally said.
On Ryan’s claims he didn’t administer the drugs that killed Harris, McCally said it “defies logic” that Harris had time to put together an IV pole used to deliver the powerful drugs away before they kicked in.
McCally said that the discovery of vials of medicine in Harris’ purse illustrated a “moment of self-preservation” by Ryan.
SOURCE: WTop News
