A court has convicted a Canada man of using a crossbow to kill his mother and two brothers, just because he feared that lies he told his fiancée would come to light, as reported by The Toronto Star.
Brett Ryan, 36, went on a murderous rampage after suspecting that his mother, Susan Ryan, would reveal that he was lying to his would-be wife about his job,education and criminal past. According to National Post, Brett was convicted in 2009 of committing eight bank robberies. In June 2016, Brett was fired by an IT company due to his lengthy criminal record.
Days before the murder—and weeks before his wedding—Brett confided in his mother that he was lying to his fiancée about having a job. He admitted to staying in the family condo all summer while telling her that he was working from home. Brett also claimed to have graduated from the University of Toronto with a physics degree in April 2016, another lie.
Susan told her son that she would financially support him for a short time but urged him to come clean. Court records indicate that Brett became obsessed that Susan would expose his lies, leading him to retrieve a crossbow from her garage.
Brett confronted his mother in the family home on the afternoon of August 25, 2016. The argument became heated, with Susan calling for another son Christopher Ryan, 42. Following him to the garage, Brett stabbed his mother with a crossbolt before strangling her with a nylon rope.
The 36-year-old then shot Christopher in the neck using the crossbow. Brett also used a crossbolt to fatally stab his younger brother Alexander Ryan, 29, who approached Brett as he exited the garage.
The sole survivor was Leigh Ryan, 38, who was in the bedroom and witnessed Brett standing over Alexander’s body. Brett assaulted Leigh but he managed to flee and get help.
“Somebody was really pounding on it. I opened the door, and this gentleman almost fell on me,” a neighbor told CBC News Toronto. “I sort of carried him half into the living room and he fell down on the floor. He said, ‘Call 911, my brother is bleeding in the driveway, make sure the police come.'”
Autopsies revealed that Susan died of ligature strangulation, Christopher died from a perforating trauma of head and neck caused by a crossbow bolt, and Alexander died from trauma to the neck—also from the crossbow bolt.
On Friday, Brett pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of his oldest brother Christopher and two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his mother Susan and younger brother Alexander. The Toronto man also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder his older brother Leigh.
A court ultimately sentenced the 36-year-old to life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for 25 years, according to The Toronto Star. Brett was also sentenced to life for the murders of Susan and Alexander, in addition to a 10-year sentence for attempted murder. These sentences will run concurrently.
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