On December 23, 2006, 18-year-old Ryan Waller was at home with his girlfriend Heather enjoying the Christmas holidays when there was a violent break-in. Two men entered their home and shot both Ryan and Heather.

Sadly, Heather would die from her injuries however Ryan would be found miraculously still alive - though clearly very badly bruised. Instead of being taken to the hospital to be treated for what would turn out to be very serious injuries, the police brought him to the police station to interrogate him for Heather’s murder. Ryan didn’t remember much about what had happened during the break-in, which lead investigators to believe that this story about the intruders was a lie - and that he had actually murdered his girlfriend.

What the police didn’t know, was that Ryan had been shot in the head and was internally bleeding to death. He tried to answer their questioning, while clearly in pain. However, they continued to press him for information - before finally deciding to send him to the hospital to be treated.Ryan would spend 35 days in the hospital before being released with severe trauma and lifelong injuries that would ultimately claim his life. Ryan Waller’s story is a tragic tale of what happens when the police get it very wrong.

Sources:
https://unquestionablycriminal.medium.com/police-interrogate-a-dying-man-with-two-bullets-in-his-brain-accusing-him-of-murder-28644de1a899
https://www.maricopacountyattorney.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=185
https://celebsuburb.com/what-happened-to-ryan-waller-the-untold-truth-about-his-death/#A_Few_Details_On_Ryan_Waller_Early_Life
https://www.okaybliss.com/ryan-waller-story/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI8G0KOOtqk

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