Court upholds Vevay murder, animal torture conviction

(VEVAY, Ind.) – A murder conviction in Switzerland County has been upheld by the Indiana Court of Appeals. 

32-year-old Ryan Uopasarn was convicted earlier this year of stabbing his father more than 25 times in a Vevay apartment in March 2025. 

Investigators say Uopasarn then mutilated four small dogs that were also in the apartment. 

The guilty verdict marked the first murder conviction since the Switzerland County circuit court was established in 2008.

The judge agreed with prosecutors to have Uopasarn serve the maximum sentence of 67.5 years in prison. 

Uopasarn appealed the jury‘s verdict and the sentence by claiming he was insane during the crimes. 

However, a three-judge panel reviewed the trial and found no error with the trial or sentence. In its opinion, the Court of Appeals cited Uopasarn’s lack of remorse for the unprovoked murder of his father, and additional violent behavior while awaiting trial at the Switzerland County Jail. 

Switzerland County Prosecutor Ryan Marshall commented on the appellate court’s ruling.

“The Indiana Court of Appeals has confirmed that Ryan Uopasarn’s trial was fair and the sentence handed down by Judge Coy was appropriate under our law. Uopasarn will almost certainly spend the remainder of his life in a prison cell,” Marshall said.