Tag: Sentenced to Life

By: Nicolas Di Nardo, Junior Marketing & Administrator

A man that was on the verge of marriage, Brett Ryan, 36, pleaded guilty last week to killing his mother, and two of his brothers in August 2016.

However, Brett’s motivation for the events that occurred in August 2016 stem from his troubled past. In 2009, Ryan pleaded guilty to eight bank robberies, sentenced to five years. Due to pretrial custody he only ended up serving three years and nine months.

Fast forward to June 2016. Ryan got a job at an IT company, but before he could even step foot in the office, he was fired after the employer discovered he had a criminal record.

Days before the murders took place, Ryan admitted to his mother that he was unemployed, and has been lying to his fiancée. He was telling her that he was working from home. Susan, Brett’s mother had told her son to tell his fiancée the truth, and that she would support him financially for a period of time, says the statement of facts.

Brett than became concerned that if he were to admit he was unemployed to his fiancée, that she would break off the relationship. In the statement of facts, he then admitted to a plan to kill his mother out of fear that she would expose him and that the wedding would then be called off.

Ryan’s plan involved:

• Placing a crossbow in the garage of their family home
• Setting up his devices (laptop, iPad, iPhone) to be activated and create an internet footprint to serve as an alibi

On the 25^th day of August 2016, Ryan arrived to confront his mother around 1 p.m. The statement of facts reads that Ryan only intended to confront her about her threats of exposing him, and that he was going to convince her to continue to support him financially until the wedding and until he found a job.

The argument unfortunately took a turn, and Ryan’s mother called her son Christopher, 42, to come help her. During the argument, Brett retrieved the crossbow and bolts from the garage. He then stabbed his mother with a bolt, and strangled her.

Once Christopher arrived, he shot him with a bolt, and hid their bodies in the garage. As he was walking out, his other brother, Alexander, 29, arrived. They fought and Alexander was then stabbed.

By this time, Brett’s plan had escalated and he was left with three of his family members’ bodies. Leigh, his older brother was in the house, and came downstairs to see what was going on. Leigh walked outside to see Ryan standing over Alexander’s body and ran into the house. He was then assaulted by Brett while attempting to call police.

Leigh managed to escape to a neighbour’s house and called 911.

Ryan was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Last week in court, Brett Ryan pleaded guilty to the following:

• First-degree murder in the death of Christopher Ryan
• Two counts of second-degree murder of Susan Ryan and Alexander Ryan
• Attempted murder of his older brother Leigh

He was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, life in prison in the second-degree murders, and a 10-year sentence for the attempted murder of his brother. He is not eligible for parole for 25 years, and the sentences will run concurrently.

If you require representation for criminal disputes, please contact Devry Smith Frank LLP’s criminal lawyers. For all other legal services and inquiries, please visit our website or call us directly at 416-449-1400.

“This article is intended to inform and entertain. Its content does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon by readers as such. If you require legal assistance, please see a lawyer. Each case is unique and a lawyer with good training and sound judgment can provide you with advice tailored to your specific situation and needs.”