EVERETT — Ryan Leenders collapsed and wept in the arms of his defense attorneys Thursday as the verdict in his murder trial was read aloud. Not guilty of first-degree murder. Not guilty of second-degree murder. Not guilty of first-degree assault. It took a jury of five women and seven men less than two days to acquit Leenders, 36, of all charges related to the deadly shooting of William Harper, 28, who was a guest at a party in 2020. Leenders walked out of the courtroom a free man, two days before Christmas. The jury sat through nearly four weeks of...
