A Gaston County man took a huge legal gamble after a deadly break-in that happened more than 15 years ago, and now he’ll serve a fraction of the prison term that he was originally facing.
Michael Ryan was accused of the 2007 murder of 65-year-old David Farrar in his Mount Holly home. Three years later, Ryan was convicted of first-degree murder and begged for the death penalty because he could get more appeals.
Seven years after his conviction, the state supreme court called for a retrial, saying witnesses who might have been able to confirm Ryan’s alibi weren’t asked to testify. His current attorneys say Ryan’s gamble paid off because courts are more cautious with death penalty appeals.
Channel 9′s Gaston County reporter Ken Lemon has been on this story since 2007 and was in court on Thursday for the plea. Ryan accepted a second-degree murder plea and praised his attorneys.
Farrar’s family cried in court Thursday and didn’t speak.
Charles Fernandez, Ryan’s brother, told Channel 9 he’s happy to put this all behind them.
“I’m sure there is some kind of relief; he has maintained his innocence,” Fernandez said.
“When someone is executed, if you find out later that they are innocent or something went wrong, there’s no undoing it. So instead of serving life in prison, Ryan gets this plea that allows him to continue to claim innocence and get out of prison in about a year,” said Defense Attorney, Lisa Dubbs.