Judge Denies Bail for Man Accused of Killing Timonium Attorney, Citing Risk to Family

A Baltimore County judge denied bail Tuesday for Mark Ryan, the Harford County man accused of fatally shooting his father-in-law, finding that Ryan would pose a danger to his wife and children if released on home detention.

Ryan, 41, was arrested May 2 at his in-laws' home on Sawmill Court in Phoenix and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of 74-year-old Robert MacMeekin, a Timonium attorney. Ryan was denied bail after his arrest. His attorneys requested a bail review hearing this week, arguing that he should be released on home detention.

Judge James Rhodes said at Tuesday's hearing he initially was not concerned Ryan would flee if released on home detention. After hearing the prosecution's argument, however, he concluded Ryan posed too great a danger to his wife and children. Rhodes noted that Ryan knew a protective order had been filed against him before the shooting. Although it had not yet been served, Ryan still went to MacMeekin's home, where Ryan's wife and children were staying. Attorneys said they have since left the state.

"He was aware that there was a protective order, and he decided to defy what he would have known to be in place at the time," Rhodes said.

Assistant State's Attorney Michael Fuller said Ryan and his wife had been having a "date night" the evening before the shooting while their two young sons spent the night at their grandparents' home. The evening unraveled after Ryan believed he discovered evidence that his wife had been unfaithful, Fuller said. Ryan’s wife said in her application for a protective order that he struck her and threatened to get a gun from the safe. She left their Bel Air home and went to her parents' house in north-central Baltimore County.

The next morning, MacMeekin accompanied his daughter, Alexandra Ryan, to file for a protective order. The petition sought to have Ryan stay away from his wife, their home on Deadora Drive in Bel Air, and her workplace. Alexandra Ryan also asked the court to grant her custody of their two children and the family dog, according to court records. Ryan was scheduled to appear in court the day after the shooting.

According to Fuller, MacMeekin had told Ryan in a phone call that a protective order had been filed and said something to the effect that Ryan "would be crying on Monday."

"What that did was set this defendant off," Fuller said. Ryan retrieved a gun from a safe, fired a shot inside his home, and then drove to his in-laws' house, he said.

During the 20-minute drive, Fuller said, Ryan texted a friend, "I've had it. I've suffered long enough.”

Ryan also wrote that he didn't need any more "dirty courts" and that he might as well live in a jail cell. Fuller said Ryan's final text message read, "I've got a good one for Mr. Tough Guy."

Fuller said Ryan was angry because he believed MacMeekin was "being a tough guy" by using his legal knowledge and the courts to keep Ryan from his children. 

Fuller said the investigation shows Ryan walked into an enclosed patio of the MacMeekin home and shot and killed his father-in-law. He said the grandchildren witnessed the shooting.

Afterwards, according to police interviews, Ryan dropped the gun, sat down, and told MacMeekin's wife, "We'll all be crying on Monday."

Defense attorney Marshall Henslee presented Judge Rhodes with letters from several people who know Ryan, vouching for his character. He argued that his client was neither a danger to the public nor a flight risk.

Ryan went to MacMeekin's house because he wanted his children returned to the family home, Henslee said.

The two men struggled over the gun, Henslee said, and MacMeekin was shot once in the neck. Although police say Ryan confessed to the shooting, Henslee said his client does not admit that he intended to kill MacMeekin.

Henslee characterized the shooting as an isolated incident stemming from a family dispute  where emotions were running high. He noted that Ryan remained at the scene and waited for police to arrive rather than fleeing.

"When you remove that tension from the situation, the odds of Mr. Ryan being a danger to anyone in the public are remote," Henslee said.

Ryan, a software developer for Travelers Insurance, has no prior criminal record, Henslee said.

The letters written to the court on Ryan's behalf were "outstanding," Rhodes said.

"It's hard to see the person in these letters as compared to the person who is alleged to have done the things in this case," he said. "I don't think I initially was concerned with flight risk."

However, after hearing the prosecution's argument, Rhodes said his concerns shifted.

The judge said he was troubled by Ryan's anger over his wife's suspected infidelity and his desire to see the couple's two young sons — contact that would not have been permitted if Ryan were released on home detention.

Based on those concerns, Rhodes denied Ryan's request for bail.

Fuller said prosecutors will seek a sentence of life without the possibility of parole if Ryan is convicted.

Ryan's next court date is July 17, when attorneys are expected to schedule a trial date.