7/15/2010

Shannon Ryan, son of murder victim Jeff Ryan, said in an interview with the Bangor Daily News that he still does not believe Ormsby acted alone.This echoes the sentiments of the DeHahn family who also believe that one person could not have overpowered their son, Jason DeHahn, let alone both men together.

Ryan, who visited his father's home to gather some personal items and mementos, noted signs of a struggle in the home. He staunchly denies that his father was a drug dealer as first claimed by Ormsby and Robert Strout and hearing these accusations about his father from a murderer have been especially hard.

Ryan's father took Vicodin for years for his medical condition, but did not sell drugs. A background check on the elder Ryan showed absolutely no history of any drug related offenses. Robert Strout later claimed that Ormsby committed the murders because Ryan owed a $10,000 drug related debt to a third party. One report claimed that the debt was owed to Ormsby's father.

Shannon Ryan firmly believes that his father would have never let anyone harm Jesse with out a fight. Ryan says that while there were pictures of him and Mariah in the home, anyone could tell that raising Jesse was Jeff's life. He also questions how Jesse was killed. He wonders if Jesse was asleep when the incident began, that would explain why the child did not escape out the back door.

While in Amity, Ryan walked his father's property and remarked that things just don't add up. He cannot understand why his father was in a woodshed that contained old tools and unusable junk.

Jamie Merrill, mother of 10 year old Jesse Ryan, has also been to the Route One home to collect some of her son's things.

Shannon Ryan grew up mostly in Massachusetts, but came to Maine to spend summers with his father and lived in Weston and attended East Grand High School for two years. He does not plan to attend Ormsby's hearing on the 21st, but believes family members will be there. He may come to Maine to attend future court hearings as the case progresses.