Members of Ryan Connell’s family collectively sighed with relief Thursday when the man charged with killing him Jan. 1, 2020, was convicted of first-degree murder.
A jury found Richard Proctor, 29, guilty of fatally stabbing 28-year-old Ryan Connell from Steger. The verdict came after a nine-day trial and a case that has spanned four years.
Connell family members said they have experienced significant loss in recent years, including the death of Ryan’s father, Scott, and his brothers, Sean and Nicholas.
“We’ve lost them all,” said Ryan’s Connell’s aunt, Lori Connell, as she placed down photographs of the deceased family members she keeps with her.
“We are just hoping for peace,” she said shortly before the verdict was announced.
Several of Ryan Connell’s family members said Proctor, who represented himself, repeatedly delayed the trial over the past four years while preparing his defense, making it difficult to find closure.
Ryan Connell’s stepmother, Rachel Teneyuca, was among the family members who left the courtroom in tears Thursday, as Proctor was led away in chains.
Ryan Connell was attending a New Year’s Eve party at Proctor’s apartment when he was brutally killed, suffering multiple blunt force trauma injuries and four stab wounds to the back that punctured his lung, prosecutor’s said during closing arguments.
Prosecutors said Proctor killed Ryan Connell in a fit of rage, detailing how Proctor initially assaulted Connell, knocking him to the ground, then left the apartment. Surveillance footage showed Proctor running frantically back and forth across Chicago Avenue before returning to his residence, where he proceeded to stab Ryan Connell four times in the back, they said.
“The defendant took it upon himself with the victim who was just there, decided that’s his target, an outlet for his rage, an outlet for his anger and murdered Ryan Connell,” Assistant State’s Attorney Aristotelis Theodorou said.
Proctor said he pulled a butcher knife from Ryan Connell’s back but could not recall how the knife ended up there, due to his heavy intoxication.
Prosecutor’s argued that memory lapse was convenient. Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Molesky told the jury Proctor’s defense is “just complete nonsense which is filled with contradictions and fast, half truths.”
Proctor also claimed Ryan Connell had instigated an argument about the race of Proctor’s friends at the party, leaving him no choice but to defend himself. Prosecutors said Ryan Connell was too intoxicated to defend himself and had no defensive wounds, indicating he was unable to put up a fight.
Throughout the trial, Proctor tried to cast blame on other people who attended his party, including Hannah Kuckuck, Proctor’s alleged girlfriend and one of the last people at his apartment the night Ryan Connell was killed.
Proctor faces federal charges for attempting to have Kuckuck, a key witness for the state, killed by a former friend, Charles Miceli, who testified against him.
Proctor told the jury, “That matter is entirely separate from this case, and there is no guilt because it has nothing to do with Ryan Connell.” This was the first time he addressed the charge that had been central to the testimonies of two key witnesses for the prosecution.
During his testimony, Proctor portrayed himself as a caring friend and host, claiming that Kuckuck was an uninvited guest and Ryan Connell was so intoxicated that he started a fight. Prosecutors contended Proctor’s attempts to cast doubt by attacking the character of Kuckuck and Ryan Connell was an attempt to divert attention from his own culpability.
“When he argued here, he made sure to drag Hannah and Ryan through the mud, which is real easy to do when they’re not here to defend themselves. But he only does it because it’s in hope that you’ll basically give him a pass for what he did,” Molesky told the jury.
After stabbing Ryan Connell, Proctor fled the scene, running a mile to his aunt’s house and neglecting to contact the authorities, behavior prosecutors said is associated with guilt rather than innocence.
Proctor said in his closing statement he should have called the authorities that night.
“We’re talking about my best friend,” Proctor said, saying maybe he made mistakes and should have called police.
Proctor faces criminal contempt charges for a series of outbursts while presenting his case. He could be penalized with a maximum $500 fine and up to six months in jail, with the final determination to be made by Judge Kenneth Zelazo.
A sentencing hearing was scheduled for Sept. 12.
smoilanen@chicagotribune.com
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