According to the Van Wert Independent

Two more late motions have been filed in the case of Ryan Houser, the man charged with shooting an killing his girlfriend over one year ago.

On Wednesday, September 25, defense attorney Kenneth Rexford filed a motion asking the court to authorize $2,000 to pay an expert witness to assist, advise and possibly testify on behalf of Houser regarding the time of death in the case. In the motion, Rexford said Houser’s family is paying for his services but he claims Houser himself is indigent and the cost of the expert witness is beyond the family’s means.

Rexford also wrote that the prosecution believes the victim, Barbara Ganger, 43, of Van Wert, was murdered by Houser at approximately 8 p.m. September 3, 2023, but her body wasn’t discovered until 26 hours later. In the motion, he claims research may suggest a scenario that her death occurred at 8 a.m. September 4, 2023. In a previous motion, Rexford said Houser may have an alibi for September 4. He stated that the expert witness could assist in the following manner:

• Assess the field notes, death examiner’s report, autopsy, coroner’s field notes, and responses to new discovery.
• Possibly provide an expert assessment of time of death.
• Provide advice on cross examination of state witnesses.
• Advise settlement discussions if warranted.

In a motion filed on Thursday, September 26, Rexford requests more discovery information from the Van Wert County Coroner’s Office related to the case, qualifications, and protocols related to crime scene investigations.

Houser is due in court for a pre-trial conference at 9 a.m. Monday, September 30. It’s unknown if the latest motions and the motions filed earlier this month will be addressed at that time.

Houser, 39, of Rockford, is charged with aggravated murder, an unclassified felony; murder, an unclassified felony; possessing a weapon under disability, a third degree felony, along with tampering with evidence. He remains in the Van Wert County Correctional Facility in lieu of $1 million bond.

He was originally scheduled to stand trial the week of April 15, but the case has been delayed multiple times by two changes of legal counsel, a suppression hearing and various other motions. A new trial date still has has not been established.