Victims Impact Statement for Sentencing of Ryan Garner, Dec 8, 2025 by Sandra Mickanen
I met Cynthia during a Warriors watch Game gathering at our home. She loved the Warriors. She was warm and kind and beautiful, but the other thing that stood out: She was tiny. I mean, I don’t think she could have even weighed 100 pounds. She was so thin.
The thing that continues to replay the most in my heart and
mind and soul: How utterly defenseless
she was, how small and light.. and 57
years old.
And how Ryan was a strong, stocky, male, 35 years old. With only one punch, he could have sent her
flying across a room; but he brutally and sadistically beat her continually,
throughout her entire body, and for an unfathomable amount of time. He tortured her; to death.
A 35 year old stocky, physically strong, violent, sadistic
male brutally beat to death an utterly defenseless, 57 year old female who
weighed next to nothing.
Add on, the 57 year old female was his mom; Cynthia was a
beloved elementary school teacher; beloved sister to 5 siblings, a daughter, an
aunt, a cousin, a neighbor, a friend..
****
Our Christianity and God’s love can be directly credited
with our ability to move forward in our lives; to love each other, thrive,
continue to nurture positive relationships with our family and friends;
continue to walk in the light within a dark world.
And I have some prayers that result from this sadistic,
torturous murder:
1.
I pray it
results in a number of audits within our justice system. A closer, more comprehensive look and
examination of which criminals in jails now, will eventually be allowed to roam
free and claim more victims. I am of
the belief, Ryan, who had been arrested prior, for physically beating his
mother, should have never been released back into free society. He had a sadistic, brutal, violent track
record.
I would love to know this truth: how many inmates in the state of California,
within the current decade, have served time, been released and gone on to kill,
steal and destroy more innocent lives?
2.
I pray it results in a closer, more
comprehensive look and examination of ‘anger management’ programs provided to,
and sometimes, mandatory for inmates. I
believe they might be a very expensive joke on tax payers. Ryan, who sadistically tortured his own,
barely 100lb 57 years old mother; was a graduate of more than one anger
management course. And it is germane for
me here, to share, around 2005, when I was a certified volunteer for the Tri
Valley Haven, who provided support for victims of sexual assault and domestic
abuse: it was common knowledge shared by
administrators and executives, that violent abusers did not seek ways to manage
their anger; they used the mandatory anger management classes to learn how not
to get caught in the future. This common
knowledge never resulted in changing or terminating the mandatory classes
though; everyone just continued to meet the mandatory requirements. When do results get factored in?
3.
I pray it results in a closer, more
comprehensive look and examination of our death penalty. I believe, strongly, completely that there
are crimes which warrant a temporary removal from society; crimes which warrant
a permanent removal from society; and crimes which warrant a removal from our
planet; as in the death penalty.
. I speak for myself
here: I do believe Ryan’s actions
warrant the death penalty
When you sadistically, brutally, violently torture a
defenseless person; you forfeit your right to share the
planet with the rest of us. You do not
get tax-payer funded, free room and board; three meals a day; free health and
dental, air conditioning, recreation, laundry services and ‘programs’
If the public at
large, had access to Ryan’s trial: there
would be a mass uprising demanding the audits I speak of here. Ryan, callously, went on to dating websites,
and to party with friends in the direct aftermath of sadistically, brutally,
torturing his mother -to her death. Cynthia is the one who got the death
penalty when they released Ryan from jail despite his violent track record. Whatever laws currently on our books that
allowed this; need to be changed.
4. I
pray it helps us all return to a PUBLIC SAFETY FIRST & FOREMOST justice
system. We have spent decades
experimenting with soft on crime policies; and the results are in: soft on crime directly results in hard on
innocent citizens. We have spent decades
spending uncalculatable tax payer dollars for ‘programs’ which help, coddle,
enable and empower criminals; instead of investing in and supporting and
rewarding hard-working, tax-paying, law abiding, contributors.
5.
I pray
this trial results in a larger public revisit of what jails and prisons are;
and are not.
I believe we need to return to the
fundamentals: JAILS are for criminals; a
consequence of criminal behavior. No one
should want to go to Jail; it is an awful place for good reason. JAILS & PRISONS are not ‘second chance
schools.’ JAILS & PRISONS are not
rehabilitation facilities. JAILS &
PRISONS are not, criminals trade their freedoms for free air-conditioned
shelter, 3 meals a day, gym/recreation, laundry, health care, tv, libraries,
internet access.. - basketball.
6.
I pray this trial results in audits of ‘rehab’
facilities. There are private,
government and faith-based rehabilitation facilities all around the United
States. They have been operating for
years.. Some of them are succeeding;
and some are sucking up tax payer dollars without having to prove results.
I pray we take a much closer look
at each and every ‘rehab’ and double
down on successes and close the others.
I recognize there are people who
can and do turn their lives around; people who can and will learn from their
mistakes and become contributors for good.
We have enough data, enough years,
enough examples that the profiles of criminals who can and will turn their
lives around.. vs the ones who will only
go out and claim more victims and commit more crimes. -I believe we have accumulated more than
enough data that we should be able to better, more accurately discern one from
the other.
Ryan is a clear example of a
sadistic criminal with a track record of violence which dictated that he should
have never been released back into society; and certainly should not have been
the recipient of an anger management diploma.
I pray for a closer, more
comprehensive look at our justice system; and that we make the adjustments that
would result in sadistic violent criminals either remaining behind bars; or
being removed from the planet via the death penalty.
I pray for public safety to be
paramount; and that we base all decisions, and create all laws around public
safety as our highest value.
Selah & amen,
Sandra Mickanen, wife to Robert
Mickanen, Cynthia’s brother
posted by SANDRA MICKANEN @ 12:11 PM
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