Opinion ID: 1281505
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Information Leading to Defendant's Arrest

Text: Ryan had lived at home with her stepmother. When Ryan's stepmother awoke around 5:30 a.m. on February 3, she found the living room lights still on and the drapes and sliding glass door open. The victim's bed had not been slept in and her bedroom window was open and missing its screen. She had last seen Ryan the night before. Around 8 p.m., the victim had left with a girlfriend, and she had returned home around 10 p.m. to get her pool cue, saying she was going out to play pool. As Ryan's stepmother left for work, she noticed the pool cue and the victim's jacket were on the living room floor. The victim's purse was outside on the ground and items from the purse were spilled out. Ryan's stepmother drove her son to Millikan High School and noticed police activity near the school. When she arrived at work, a friend told her a girl had been killed, and she just knew it was Ryan. She contacted police and ultimately identified the murder victim as her stepdaughter based on photographs, identification of the discarded items of clothing police had found in the area, and a broken necklace the girl had worn. When police began to piece together what Ryan had been doing the night of her murder, they learned that a group of young people regularly met in El Dorado Park and that on the night of February 2, the group included defendant and Ryan. A girlfriend named Tracie Barr had picked up Ryan at her home that evening, and they had driven to El Dorado Park where they met defendant and other regulars including Chris Jackson, Bob Beeler, and Diva Sarzynski. Later they decided to go to a local pizza parlor to play pool. Barr drove Ryan back to her house to retrieve her pool cue, and they then went to Big John's Pizza Parlor, stopping at a liquor store along the way to pick up defendant who had parked his van there. During the evening of playing pool and drinking beer, it was evident to several in the group that defendant was focusing considerable unwelcome attention on Ryan. He tried to put his arms around her, pinched her in the buttocks and put his hands on her hips, but she kept pushing him away. He apparently was also aggressive with other young women, pinching Sarzynski and Barr and grabbing Barr's breast. Chris Jackson tried to intervene, but at one point defendant grabbed Jackson by the throat and pushed him away. Finally, Jackson persuaded defendant to go outside and smoke some marijuana. Outside, defendant told Jackson he wanted to make a sandwich out of Ryan; he wanted to fuck her in the butt until she screams. He told Jackson he would get some tonight or tomorrow night. [2] The party ultimately broke up around 1 or 1:30 a.m., on February 3; and departing in Barr's car were defendant, the victim, Beeler, and Sarzynski. First they dropped defendant off at the liquor store where he had left his van. They then drove toward Ryan's home, and Barr and Sarzynski noticed defendant followed them for a way in his van before turning around. Ryan seemed a little nervous, and witnesses told somewhat inconsistent stories as to whether she was anxious to get home to avoid seeing defendant or whether she anticipated defendant was coming to her house and planned to meet him.