Homicide suspect had nooses, ex testifies
The ex- girlfriend of the suspect in an Ettersburg homicide testified at a preliminary hearing Monday the suspect had a history of violence and threatened her and her son. Witness Vanessa Womack testified that Ryan Anthony Tanner, who is facing charges related to the homicide of 33-yearold Jason Todd Garrett in February, had a history of violence toward her and previously told Womack he had killed people.
“Nothing I took serious, but yes,” Womack said.
Shortly before Tanner was arrested, Womack said Tanner came to her house and said she and her son, Christopher Champagne, who previously testified, needed to come with Tanner up the hill.
“He woke my son up with a noose,” Womack said, “hitting him in the chest.”
Tanner told Champagne that if he told anyone, Tanner would kill him, Womack testified.
“I was telling him that my son didn’t tell anybody,” Womack said, “that he’s been sleeping since he got home.”
Tanner had another noose and told them, “You each get one,” Womack testified.
Roughly a month before the homicide, Womack said she told Tanner she couldn’t be in a relationship with him anymore and he responded by hurting her.
“He picked me up by my hair,” Womack said. “He threw me on the ground a few times and then he choked me.”
When she came to, Womack said she ran barefoot into her truck, but Tanner got onto the hood and stayed there as she drove to the Briceland Fire Department before turning back and going home.
“I was scared,” Womack said. “I didn’t know what to do and just what he would say to me, I just, I didn’t know what else to do.”
Tanner stayed there until about daylight when
Womack said she opened the door and the two of them “went inside and went to bed.”
Womack testified about another time when she called her son to let him know she was dropping Tanner off because she “wasn’t going to have service and felt like the argument was about to happen.”
“As soon as we drove away from the call spot, Ryan had taken my keys out of the truck,” Womack said, and made her get on the passenger side.
He drove the truck above his house to the water tank, at which point he told Womack to get out, she testified. Womack said she didn’t get out of the car and locked the door.
“Ryan was stating to get out and die with honor,” she said, adding he had an AR-15.
Womack said she hadn’t reported Tanner’s violence toward her to authorities because she “didn’t want him to get in trouble.”
Womack testified she had taken photos of her injuries and recorded some conversations with Tanner, some of which were produced in court.
The preliminary hearing, which was ongoing at publication time, is set to continue Tuesday morning.