May 1, 2015 at 4:30 p.m.
Boyfriend of murder suspect charged with unrelated misdemeanor
Sisco accused of having sex with underage Martinson
Ryan D. Sisco made his initial appearance Thursday afternoon before Branch I Judge Patrick O'Melia on a charge of sexual intercourse with a child age 16 or older. Sisco has been in the Oneida County Jail since he was transferred from the Lincoln County Jail in March. He was returned to Lincoln County after waiving extradition from Boone County, Indiana where he and Ashlee A. Martinson were arrested following a nationwide manhunt on March 8.
Martinson is accused of killing her mother and stepfather, Jennifer and Thomas Ayers, in their town of Piehl home March 7. She is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of false imprisonment, for allegedly placing her three younger siblings in a bedroom and tying the door shut so they could not get out after the alleged murders. She faces the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted of the homicide charges.
While the two were apprehended in Sisco's truck, he has not been charged with any crime in connection with the double murder.
Sisco was first lodged in the Lincoln County Jail for violating the terms of his probation but was later moved to Rhinelander so that detectives from the Oneida County Sheriff's Office could finish their investigation into the deaths of the Ayers couple.
Two members of the sheriff's office drove to Boone County on March 10 to question both Martinson and Sisco. The detective's report attached to the criminal complaint states that when questioned about his relationship with Martinson, Sisco acknowledged that the two had consensual sexual intercourse on three occasions in Rhinelander. The report states that Sisco told investigators that he had believed Martinson was over 18. It wasn't until he had a Facebook conversation with a person he believed to be Martinson's mother on March 7 that he learned she was only 17, the complaint states.
According to the report, Sisco showed the detectives the conversation on a computer. At that time, they also saw a transcript of a conversation between Martinson and Sisco dated Feb. 26 where Martinson allegedly told Sisco she was only 17.
The River News generally does not identify victims of sexual assault, however this case differs from other sexual assault cases in that the relationship between Martinson and Sisco has already been made public, there is no indication in the complaint that Martinson was forced to act against her will (in other words, the alleged violation is a technical one as Martinson is too young to consent) and there is significant public interest in the homicide case.
When Sisco appeared before O'Melia, he waived his right to an attorney and entered a not guilty plea. The matter was scheduled for a pretrial conference on May 5 and O'Melia ordered a $1,500 signature bond. However, Sisco will likely remain jailed on the probation hold.
He faces up to nine months in jail if convicted of the class A misdemeanor.
Sexual intercourse with a child is the least serious of the three crimes an adult can be charged with under Wisconsin's sexual assault laws that are considered the statutory rape. First-degree sexual assault of a child involves an alleged victim under the age of 12 years old, and is a class B felony punishable by up to 60 years in prison. Second-degree sexual assault of a child involves an alleged victim between the ages of 13 and 15, and is a class C felony punishable by up to 40 years in prison.
Under Wisconsin law, conviction for sexual assault of a child does not require registration as a sex offender.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
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