On his Facebook page five years ago, Shannon Ryan called himself a witch, spiritual adviser, teacher and CEO. This week in a Broward courtroom, Ryan is the defendant, the last person known to see Leila Cavett alive, and the person prosecutors say murdered her beyond a reasonable doubt.
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In the latest case involving a victim whose body has yet to be found, prosecutors told a Broward jury this week that there’s more than one way to prove a murder case. Ryan, 44, is charged with second-degree murder in the case of Cavett, 21, a Georgia woman who came to South Florida in July 2020 and whose disappearance first came to light when her 2-year-old son, Kamdyn, was found wandering the streets of Miramar by himself.
Assistant State Attorney Elizabeth Lipella in her opening statement this week said the finding of Kamdyn, who is nonverbal, started an intense search that ended with family members from Alabama contacting police saying they recognize the boy but could not contact his mom.
A search for her vehicle led them to a Racetrac near a Walmart in Hollywood, where authorities found Ryan “cleaning out the car,” Lipella said.
Though he denied having anything to do with her disappearance, Ryan promised authorities he would cooperate with any investigation, Lipella said. He then got in his car and, according to cellphone records, bolted to Texas.
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Searches of his phone and Internet history showed Ryan doing Google searches for alcohol, bleach and chloroform. He also bought duct tape, cleaners and carpet deodorizer from the Walmart.
Ryan was charged with the murder in 2021.
His lawyer, Dameka Davis, accused prosecutors and law enforcement and prosecutors of rushing to judgment and questioned whether they would be able to prove the victim was even dead.
The trial opened on Wednesday and is scheduled to continue before Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan.
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Rafael Olmeda can be reached at [email protected] or 954-356-4457.