This Story... wow.
Judge Yang made a poor decision, here, I think, in sentencing this man responsible for killing another to a year in the county workhouse and seven years probation. The judge gave too much deference to the tears of a grieving widow, and did not consider the protection of the public.
The dispute between Ryan and Whisler began as Ryan was supporting the restaurant’s COVID-19 regulations when he saw Whisler was not, said Ryan’s father, George Ryan, in court Monday.
Some urinals in the men’s bathroom were covered with cellophane to encourage social distancing, but Ryan saw Whisler punch a hole in the cellophane and take a cell phone video of himself urinating at the covered urinal, according to a criminal complaint. Ryan called Whisler out for his behavior as they were leaving the bar, which led to a verbal confrontation and then Whisler’s assault on Ryan.
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Mike Ryan, 48, attended a Minnesota Wild game on April 17, 2021, and went to the nearby Herbie’s on the Park afterward. A man he didn’t know, Ryan Whisler, sucker punched him on the side of his face and pushed him down nine stairs outside the bar, Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Jennifer Verdeja said in court Monday.
Ryan hit his head on concrete and died of a brain injury the next day.
Whisler’s attorney, Andrew Birrell, said he regarded what happened as a “great tragedy” during a night of drinking that left Ryan dead and Whisler “drowning in grief and sorrow.” Whisler didn’t intend to kill Ryan or cause him severe harm, Birrell wrote in a court document....
Whisler, now 46, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and a charge of unintentional murder was dropped. With no criminal history, state sentencing guidelines called for a prison sentence of just over seven years. The Ramsey County attorney’s office asked for that sentence, as did Ryan’s parents and his only sibling, while Julie Ryan asked for a departure.
Judge Adam Yang told the courtroom Monday — packed with supporters of Ryan on one side and Whisler on the other — that the case represented the most difficult decision he’s had to make. He said he placed great weight on Julie Ryan’s request that Whisler not go to prison, and followed her other recommendations...
Julie Ryan asked that Whisler complete a certified alcohol abuse program, not drink while he is on probation, finish an anger management program, undergo two years of therapy, and volunteer for two years at a program such as an anger management group, non-violent communication center or an offender training center. Yang sentenced Whisler to those conditions.
“We hope that this will provide … a chance to heal and to provide healing,” Birrell [the defendant's attorney!] said.
Mike Ryan was head coach of the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars girls hockey team. He and Julie had two daughters, who were 14 and 16 when he died.
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