Dentist convicted of murder after his girlfriend overdosed on anesthetics

A Maryland dentist and oral surgeon was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Sarah Harris, after she overdosed on anesthetics administered through an IV station that was set up in the couple's home.

The jury made a decision about James Ryan in less than three hours. He was found guilty of one count of second-degree depraved heart murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter, per the New York Post.

Additionally, Ryan was found guilty of possessing midazolam with the intent to distribute. He was also found guilty of distributing ketamine and diazepam, both of which are powerful sedatives.

The Washington Post reported that Montgomery County Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Harrison shared with jurors that Ryan was familiar with the risks of the "dangerous, deadly drugs" but that he continued giving them to Harris "even as he watched her deteriorate before his eyes."

“Every time he gave her those drugs — whether he administered them or whether he instructed her on how to administer them to herself — a little bit of Sarah died,” she said.

Harris, who died on January 26, 2022, weighed just 83 pounds when she was discovered in the rental home she lived in with Ryan.

However, Ryan said she seemed "okay when he went to bed the night before," adding that he discovered her "unresponsive on the couch with used hypodermic needles" and vials of controlled substances next to her the following morning.

When the authorities searched the home, they found bottles of propofol, ketamine, diazepam, and midazolam, along with a number of hypodermic needles, syringes, and a tourniquet.

The two had even discussed Harris' drug use in text messages. She had previously texted Ryan to bring home propofol and ketamine from his practice, which he agreed to do.

The two first met in the fall of 2020, when Harris, a former beauty pageant contestant, came to Ryan's office to have her wisdom teeth removed. After learning that Harris had previous experience in a dental office, Ryan hired her as a surgical technician.

Ryan's lawyers in the case asserted that Harris struggled with mental health issues and that she passed away by suicide or by a self-inflicted accidental overdose.

Ryan did not defend himself during the murder trial.

He now faces up to 55 years in a state prison. He is set to be sentenced at a later date.

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