A Mills man who was convicted of child abuse against his son and stepson, leaving one boy with permanent brain damage, lost his appeal Monday to the Wyoming Supreme Court.
Ryan Hilyard was found guilty of two counts of child abuse in late 2021 after he and his wife, Sarah, drugged, beat and kicked a child in their home, the court’s ruling states. Hilyard’s son “got in trouble for stealing cake at a family picnic,” so the parents forced him to run up and down the stairs, beating him along the way in August 2020.
“At one point, it looked like [he] had no bones,” the statement said. The stepbrother, who was also abused, was interviewed by investigators in his foster home later that month. The first 14 minutes was admitted as evidence into the trial.
A Natrona County judge sentenced Ryan Hilyard to up to 30 years for both child abuse convictions. Sarah Hilyard accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to two counts of child abuse and no contest to an attempted second-degree murder charge. She is serving up to 45 years.
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Ryan Hilyard appealed the district court’s decision to admit his stepson’s out-of-court interview, which he believed was hearsay because it was made outside of court. He argued the statement was given with improper influence or motive, and his stepson’s testimony wasn’t entirely consistent with the events he told investigators.
His stepson told his foster mother about the abuse after he had been “acting out,” according to the ruling. The defense counsel asked whether it was possible that he told her about the abuse “to try and get back in your good graces.”
But the high court ruled that Hilyard had a chance to request the statement only be used in a limited capacity during the initial trial, which he didn’t. The jury was then able to use it for any purpose, including as evidence of guilt.
