bessie
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On October 31, 2001, Columbia Tribune sports editor, Kent Heitholt, lay brutally murdered next to his car in the Tribune parking lot. He'd been bludgeoned and strangled with his own belt.
Approximately 2:20 a.m.: Michael Boyd, Heitholt's colleague, says goodbye to Heitholt.
2:22 a.m.: Janitor Shawna Ornt goes outside and sees shadows near Heitholt's car. She goes inside and tells her colleague, Jerry Trump. They go back outside and see two people standing near Heitholt's vehicle. One of the men walks over to speak to Ornt before leaving with the other man, walking east toward 4th Street.
2:26 a.m.: Ornt calls 911.
For two years, there are no suspects and no arrest. Then in 2004, Charles Erickson reads about the murder, and recalls being out that night at a bar with his friend Ryan Ferguson. He sees a sketch of the suspect drawn from a description given by Shawna Ornt. He think the sketch resembles himself. Later he tells a friend he dreamed about the murder, and believes that he and Ryan killed Heitholt. The friend places an anonymous phone call to the police. In March 2004, Erickson is brought in for questioning.
Ryan Ferguson, now 19, is brought in for questioning. He tells police he left the bar around 1:15 a.m., took Erickson home, and then sat outside his home to talk on the phone before going inside and going to sleep.
Later in 2004, Ferguson and Erickson are charged with murder by then-Prosecutor Kevin Crane. There is no DNA evidence linking Ferguson or Erickson to the crime scene, and the pair have no motive to kill Heitholt. The strand of hair found at the crime scene, the blood found on the hair, and the fingerprints do not match Ferguson or Erickson.
Ornt had described the suspect as standing 6'0" tall, weighing around 200 pounds, with blonde hair when she was questioned the night of the murder. Ferguson stands 5'8" and weighed 160 pounds at the time of the murder, and Erickson stand 5'6" tall and weighed 150 pounds at the time.
Erickson's statements about the night of the crime continue to change. He believes the dream he had about the murder is true, and agrees to a plea deal to receive a lighter sentence.
Erickson took a plea deal, and testified against Ryan Ferguson at trial in 2005. Ferguson was convicted for second-degree murder and robbery, and sentenced to 40 years in prison. After a long legal battle, during which Erickson recanted his testimony, Ferguson's conviction was overturned, and he was freed in November 2013.
Erickson claims that he has no clear recollection of the night of the murder, as he had been drinking and using drugs. He further claims that the detectives who conducted his interrogation pressured him into giving a false confession.
[...]
In a February affidavit Erickson provided to Fergusons attorney, he said Ferguson did not harm Heitholt in any way and that his trial testimony was the result of pressure from Columbia police and Boone County prosecutors.
Recently, after reviewing the police reports and transcripts of my interrogation, I do not understand how the information I provided resulted in the conviction of Ryan Ferguson, he said. I did not provide any of the pertinent details in my interrogation that would support a conviction.
Erickson said in his affidavit he believed Ferguson was going to accept a plea agreement and testify against him. He also acknowledged he did not remember any details about how the crime took place during his interrogation.
The police threatened me to implicate Ferguson or else I would be solely responsible for Heitholts death and be charged with first-degree murder and possibly sentenced to death, Erickson said in the affidavit.
[...]
Just days after Heitholts murder, Erickson was tested by the University of Missouris Assessment and Consultation Clinic for possible attention difficulties. The assessment suggested three findings: Erickson became bored with school at a young age; he experienced a minor brain insult or abnormality that had gone undetected and had compromised his cognitive abilities, memory, motivation or judgment; or that Ericksons past or current substance abuse impaired his memory.
http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2013/11/13/ryan-ferguson-timeline/3520063/
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news...cle_2088f7eb-a65e-566b-b444-93c1872a23c3.html
Approximately 2:20 a.m.: Michael Boyd, Heitholt's colleague, says goodbye to Heitholt.
2:22 a.m.: Janitor Shawna Ornt goes outside and sees shadows near Heitholt's car. She goes inside and tells her colleague, Jerry Trump. They go back outside and see two people standing near Heitholt's vehicle. One of the men walks over to speak to Ornt before leaving with the other man, walking east toward 4th Street.
2:26 a.m.: Ornt calls 911.
For two years, there are no suspects and no arrest. Then in 2004, Charles Erickson reads about the murder, and recalls being out that night at a bar with his friend Ryan Ferguson. He sees a sketch of the suspect drawn from a description given by Shawna Ornt. He think the sketch resembles himself. Later he tells a friend he dreamed about the murder, and believes that he and Ryan killed Heitholt. The friend places an anonymous phone call to the police. In March 2004, Erickson is brought in for questioning.
Ryan Ferguson, now 19, is brought in for questioning. He tells police he left the bar around 1:15 a.m., took Erickson home, and then sat outside his home to talk on the phone before going inside and going to sleep.
Later in 2004, Ferguson and Erickson are charged with murder by then-Prosecutor Kevin Crane. There is no DNA evidence linking Ferguson or Erickson to the crime scene, and the pair have no motive to kill Heitholt. The strand of hair found at the crime scene, the blood found on the hair, and the fingerprints do not match Ferguson or Erickson.
Ornt had described the suspect as standing 6'0" tall, weighing around 200 pounds, with blonde hair when she was questioned the night of the murder. Ferguson stands 5'8" and weighed 160 pounds at the time of the murder, and Erickson stand 5'6" tall and weighed 150 pounds at the time.
Erickson's statements about the night of the crime continue to change. He believes the dream he had about the murder is true, and agrees to a plea deal to receive a lighter sentence.
Erickson took a plea deal, and testified against Ryan Ferguson at trial in 2005. Ferguson was convicted for second-degree murder and robbery, and sentenced to 40 years in prison. After a long legal battle, during which Erickson recanted his testimony, Ferguson's conviction was overturned, and he was freed in November 2013.
Erickson claims that he has no clear recollection of the night of the murder, as he had been drinking and using drugs. He further claims that the detectives who conducted his interrogation pressured him into giving a false confession.
[...]
In a February affidavit Erickson provided to Fergusons attorney, he said Ferguson did not harm Heitholt in any way and that his trial testimony was the result of pressure from Columbia police and Boone County prosecutors.
Recently, after reviewing the police reports and transcripts of my interrogation, I do not understand how the information I provided resulted in the conviction of Ryan Ferguson, he said. I did not provide any of the pertinent details in my interrogation that would support a conviction.
Erickson said in his affidavit he believed Ferguson was going to accept a plea agreement and testify against him. He also acknowledged he did not remember any details about how the crime took place during his interrogation.
The police threatened me to implicate Ferguson or else I would be solely responsible for Heitholts death and be charged with first-degree murder and possibly sentenced to death, Erickson said in the affidavit.
[...]
Just days after Heitholts murder, Erickson was tested by the University of Missouris Assessment and Consultation Clinic for possible attention difficulties. The assessment suggested three findings: Erickson became bored with school at a young age; he experienced a minor brain insult or abnormality that had gone undetected and had compromised his cognitive abilities, memory, motivation or judgment; or that Ericksons past or current substance abuse impaired his memory.
http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2013/11/13/ryan-ferguson-timeline/3520063/
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news...cle_2088f7eb-a65e-566b-b444-93c1872a23c3.html