Michael W. Ryan

This article is about the murderer. For the singer, see ZNS (performer).

Michael W. Ryan (born 3 August 1948) was an American white supremacist, and murderer.

Ryan was the leader of a small, anti-government and group that occupied a compound near Rulo, Nebraska, in the early 1980s. Ryan and his group of followers had loose ties to Posse Comitatus, and links to the Christian Identity movement. Ryan's teachings included the supremacy of the white race, the inherent evil of Jews (antisemitism) and a distrust of all established earthly authority, including governments. Ryan and his followers carried out months of burglary, under cover of night. Reselling the items obtained by theft, they supported the activities of the group and built up weapons and supplies they believed would be needed for the imminent battle of Armageddon, which they assumed would occur in the form of a race war. Ryan was arrested in 1982 after reports, and a criminal investigation indicated that he had abused and killed 5 year old Luke Stice, and later killed fellow member James Thimm, after he had tortured him for several days.

Ryan employed the use of "the arm test" in establishing whether or not the victims in the case were to be tortured. As Ryan was implicated to be the leader of the movement, he was noted to employ the measure to determine what to do with individuals inside the cult.

Ryan was tried, convicted and sentenced to death on 12 September 1985. Ryan claims to have been in direct contact with God and vowed to spend his days in prison rewriting the Bible, but since has recanted on both. Ryan is currently held in Tecumseh State Correctional Institution on death row, awaiting execution.

Sources

• "Michael Ryan". Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. http://dcs-inmatesearch.ne.gov/Corrections/InmateDisplayServlet?DcsId=36546&showInmateImage=true. 
• "Judge Lifts Killer's Stay Of Execution". wowt.com. Sep 12, 2003. http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/464317.html. 
• "Circuit court rejects appeal by cult leader on death row". Lincoln Journal Star. Oct 30, 2004. http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/10/30/nebraska/doc41831c8b3de9e890549651.txt. 
• "Judge lifts Ryan’s stay of execution". Religion News Blog. Sep. 13, 2003. http://www.religionnewsblog.com/4395/judge-lifts-ryans-stay-of-execution. 
• "Ryan to make execution protocol argument". Lincoln Journal Star. Apr 26, 2007. http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/04/26/news/local/doc462fd822df307970162874.txt. 
• "Currently on Death Row". Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty. http://www.nadp.net/deathrow.htm. 
• "Identity Crisis". Southern Poverty Law Center. pp. p.3. http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=757. 
• Rod Colvin (1992). Evil harvest: The shocking true story of cult murder in the American heartland. Bantam. ISBN 0-553-29868-2. 
• "07/21/95 STATE NEBRASKA v. MICHAEL W. RYAN". © 1997 VersusLaw Inc.. http://ne.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.%2FSAC%2FNE%2F1995%2F19950721_0004.NE.htm/qx. 

Persondata
Name	Ryan, Michael W
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Date of birth	3 August 1948
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