[Update: The motion was denied Thursday morning in the sentence modification hearing for the convicted killer of Kevin Ryan, Matthew Miller. The conviction will stand as is on Miller’s record].
On October 14, 2007, Towson University lost a fellow young tiger. Kevin Ryan was a freshman at Towson University when on a late October evening he was struck by a drunk driver while walking on the sidewalk alongside Goucher Boulevard. The driver, Matthew Miller, jumped the curb and hit Kevin into the street and then fled the scene during which time a second car hit Kevin. Miller later crashed his car a few miles down the road and claimed that his car was hijacked. Kevin died two days later.
Kevin Ryan
Kevin was not just a name you may have read about in the newspaper or heard a story about during your freshmen orientation. Kevin was an excited freshman who had planned to major in business. He liked video games, preppy clothes, and played poker with a group of friends at least once a week. He enjoyed all types of music, especially dubstep and techno. He had received a few bids to join a fraternity, but declined them. He was student, a friend to many, a brother, and a son. He could have been you.
Kevin also happened to be the older brother of a close friend of mine, Dan Ryan. The drunk driver who struck Kevin, Matthew Miller, was convicted of manslaughter and served seven months of an 18 month sentence. Tomorrow, Miller will have a hearing to modify his sentence to probation before judgement, which would expunge the conviction from his record. Millers record would not include anything about his conviction. Essentially it would be as if Miller had never killed Kevin in the eyes of the court.
Kevin (far left) and a group of friends in the dorms at Towson
When I asked Dan about his reaction to the hearing, he said that he initially did not understand that it was possible for Miller to get the conviction removed from his record. “I was initially confused because I didn’t think that it was possible,” he said. “I knew you could get things like alcohol citations removed, but [Miller] was convicted of manslaughter, who’s to say that a guy convicted of murder couldn’t do that too.”
Dan also said that he was surprised that the judge would even consider the motion and let it go to a hearing and not dismiss the motion right away. Dan does not believe that Miller should have the conviction removed. “He should have to live with this,” he said.
Rather than get angry, Dan got productive. He created a petition on Change.org (which you can sign here) which asks signers to express opposition to Miller’s motion. He plans to give the petition to the judge before the hearing. As of Wednesday evening the petition has gained over 2,500 signatures.
It is in the same spirit that the entire Ryan family has always had throughout this tragedy. After Kevin died they established a scholarship in Kevin’s name, Kevin Ryan’s Gift, which is awarded annually to a student at Towson. Additionally, they organize a golf tournament each year to benefit the scholarship and have adopted a road in Howard County in his honor.
To quote Buddha, Dan said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
But, Dan admits that if this motion is granted he will become angry.
“Essentially [the courts are saying] that no one needs to remember what [Miller] did,” he said. “People need to know what happened to my brother. By having this pass it would basically say that Kevin is not worth remembering and telling people about.”
(From left to right) Dan Ryan, Kevin Ryan, and older brother Luke Ryan
As Dan remembers his brother, he says that he does not have a lot of fond memories with him. Dan says that they would fight a lot as most siblings do. He said, “The thing that I mourned the most was that I didn’t have any great memories with him.”
The entire Ryan family was dealt a life sentence on October 14, 2007 when Kevin was killed. Please do not let Kevin’s memory be forgotten. Sign the petition, talk to your friends, floor mates, and classmates about Kevin. And please, don’t drink and drive.