Charles Ryan, SCDC mugshot
SALINE CO., Ill. - A stipulated bench trial for a man accused of murdering his stepfather in 2011 was swiftly carried out this week in Saline County, but the determination of "not guilty by reason of insanity" by Judge Walden Morris doesn't mean that Charles Ryan is going to be released from the Saline County Detention Center.
Ryan stabbed his stepfather, Carl Crouch, 59, on December 23, 2011 at Crouch's residence on Barnett Street in Harrisburg. He was charged with first degree murder and held on a million dollar bail at SCDC after his arrest over in Jackson County.
Represented by Morgan Scroggins, Ryan went to a stipulated bench trial this week (November 17). Regular readers will recall that White County murderer Danny Coston had a stipulated bench trial in August of 2013. During this trial for Ryan, no testimony was elicited except for statements by the two psychiatrists who examined him, Michael E. Althoff for the defense and Terry Killian for the state. Both doctors concluded that Ryan was insane at the time of the crime...and for this to be conclusive by both retained doctors pretty much sealed the deal for Morris.
Yesterday (Friday, Nov. 20), Morris determined that Ryan was not guilty by reason of insanity. And despite published reports about the matter which have lead people to believe that somehow, Ryan is going to be released because his trial is over and he's "not guilty," that's not the case at all. Ryan is going to be remanded to the custody of the Department of Human Services, because he remains mentally unable to function in society and for all intents and purposes is a danger; Morris in fact told the courtroom that the state proved its case of murder beyond a reasonable doubt, so it's accurate to say that Ryan murdered his stepfather...but the "not guilty" verdict is one that fit the criteria as established by the laws of Illinois, and that's what Morris went with. How long Ryan will stay in DHS custody remains unknown; it could be for a very long time.
Rick White
Other media, primarily Wayne County's radio station, are producing misleading reports because A - they weren't there and B - they're relying on Illinois State Police investigator Rick White to spoon-feed them material so they can get the scoop on everyone else in the area. While former ISP investigator Bryan Harms was the lead agent in the Ryan murder case, White stepped in because Harms retired in the interim. White has a track record of screwing things up, sometimes irretrievably, and provides a terrible playing field for most prosecutors in southern Illinois to work with. However, his greatest drawback at this time is that he leaks info to the radio station and to his drinking buddy, on-air personality Len Wells, and when he so leaks, it's not quite accurate. Further to that, White has caused others in ISP to get into trouble for providing information to other news sources...yet he himself rarely causes the flutter of an eyelid when he does the same thing.
We'll have coverage of White's most recent call to the carpet over just that - leaking info to Wells - as well as full coverage of what REALLY went on in the Ryan stipulated bench trial, this in the upcoming print version of Disclosure, the December Special Edition, on stands Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25...be watching for delivery announcements, as well as e-Edition postings on Monday night. If you're not an online member...why not sign up now? Click this link to get started, so you'll be first to get to read everything in the print version, and have e-Edition Xtras delivered right here to your computer.