Vevay man gets max sentence for killing father, mutilating dogs

Marked the first murder conviction in Switzerland County since 2008.

(VEVAY, Ind.) – A Vevay man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for killing his father and animal torture. 

32-year-old Ryan Uopasarn was convicted last month 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 in since the Switzerland County circuit court was established in 2008.

During sentencing, Switzerland County Prosecutors Ryan Marshall and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Bland argued for a maximum sentence due to the heinous nature of the crimes.  

A family member who testified during sentencing said that the choices Uoposarn made deserved a serious response.  

“When a life is taken, when a family is shattered, the consequences must reflect the gravity of that harm. A sentence that minimizes the permanence of this loss would compound it. A sentence that allows for early release would prolong our anxiety and undermine any sense of closure we might one day find,” the family member said in a written statement. 

Switzerland Circuit Judge W. Gregory Coy issued a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison. 

In addition to the murder sentence, the judge also issued a second maximum sentence for the torture and mutilation of four small dogs.

Altogether, Uopasarn will now serve a total of 67.5 years behind bars. 

Judge Coy also acknowledged the work of the Switzerland County Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police, and those who were involved throughout the case. 

Switzerland County Prosecutor Ryan Marshall commented on the sentence:

“There is no doubt Judge Coy’s ruling made Switzerland County safer by removing one of the most violent offenders in its history. As expected, this sentence was thoughtful, appropriate, and rendered fairly. While no prison sentence can ever bring back a life taken by another’s violence, this sentence keeps other innocent people from ever experiencing that trauma at the hands of this defendant. We thank the Court for its swift justice and wish the family peace as they move through something so awful," Marshall said.