© 2024 St. Louis Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ryan denied plea for freedom to spend time with ill wife

Former Ill. Gov. George Ryan in 2007 prior to his indictment. (Flickr Creative Commons User spsarge).
Former Ill. Gov. George Ryan in 2007 prior to his indictment. (Flickr Creative Commons User spsarge).

An attempt for former Ill. governor George Ryan to be released from prison on bail has failed, according to the Associated Press.

We've been following the story of Ryan's efforts to leave prison to spend time with his very ill wife, Lura Lynn.

After the announcement of his wife's deteriorating condition in early Dec. 2010,  Ryan made an urgent plea to be relased, which he was denied.

After the first denial, one of  Ryan's attorneys, Andrea Lyon, said that the decision not to release him from federal prison meant he'd never see his terminally ill wife again.

"The bottom line is Mrs. Ryan's going to die, and she's never going see her husband again because she cannot travel," Lyon said.

Most recently, however, it was reported that Ryan was allowed to leave prison for a few hours to visit with his wife.

During that visit, Ryan was awaiting today's ruling in appeals court. The Chicago Tribune has posted the full ruling for you to read, here.