After a trial that began in late January, a Manhattan jury has convicted Ryan Cato for the 2021 murder of 10-year-old Ayden Wolfe, as reported yesterday by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. CBS News New York details the conviction, which came after approximately one day of jury deliberation, on a second-degree murder charge.
DA Bragg spoke on the case, saying Cato effectively "tortured" the child over a period of months in a Harlem apartment. He said, "The evidence shown to the jury proved the utterly depraved nature of Ayden’s murder, including extensive internal and external injuries that no one, let alone a child, should suffer," according to a statement obtained by CBS News New York. Wolfe was discovered unconscious and unresponsive, and despite emergency services provided upon their arrival, he died shortly after at Harlem Hospital.
Jessica Horani, the public defender for Cato, expressed her client's disappointment in the verdict and announced plans to appeal. "The death of Ayden Wolfe is a tragedy, but a depraved indifference murder conviction for Mr. Cato is not justice," she told CBS News New York. The conviction comes after the boy's body displayed numerous signs of abuse, both old and recent bruises, indicating an extensive history of mistreatment.
Further disquieting details emerged from NBC New York, which reported that upon Wolfe's discovery, he had multiple broken ribs and lacerated organs. The medical examiner described the boy's body as being covered in a myriad of bruises and abrasions, including a lacerated spleen, liver, kidney, and renal vein, leading to severe hemorrhaging. A witness described, a day before he was found, hearing Wolfe moaning in pain for a full day. Chilling exchanges were overheard by neighbors, supposedly between Cato and another resident, with threats indicative of the violence that was occurring.
After Cato called 911, emergency responders recounted attempting to perform CPR on the naked child, riddled with visible injuries. The physical evidence of Cato's involvement further solidified as the criminal complaint against him noted swelling to his right hand, presumably a result of the brutal acts leading to Wolfe's death, as reported by law enforcement sources in the emergency call to NBC New York.
