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Ryan Ferguson: Wrongfully Convicted | Full Episode — Transcript

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0:01[Music]
0:08[Music]
0:16I haven't had time to actually think
0:18about what it is to be free what it
0:20means to be free what it is to have this
0:22life
0:22[Music]
0:23[Applause]
0:28back I get out and
0:30such a different world there's so much
0:32more going on I'm ready for anything
0:34really I kind of want some Dairy
0:39Queen all right
0:45please I'm Erin morard I've been
0:49following the case of Ryan Ferguson
0:51since 2005 when he went on trial for the
0:55murder of newspaper sports editor Kent
0:57height hold from the beginning there
1:00there was just something not right about
1:02this
1:03[Music]
1:06case there is no physical evidence
1:09whatsoever to connect right into the
1:11crime
1:13scene recording this will be detective
1:18Storer a lot of it's kind of foggy kind
1:21of fuzzy to you as to what you
1:25remember your honor the state calls
1:28Charles Ericson I looked
1:31up and Ryan was over the victim he had
1:35his foot on his back and he was pulling
1:37up on the
1:39Belt the reality is that he chose to lie
1:42about
1:43me as to count one guilty of murder in
1:47the second
1:49degree it just sucked the air right out
1:53of
1:54us we were absolutely
1:58devastated love you
2:01love you Ryan Ferguson never should have
2:04been tried for this
2:07murder this case is full of holes it's
2:11just full of holes Ryan Ferguson is
2:14actually
2:17innocent I think I saw Ryan it is oh my
2:20God I it's there oh my gosh look
2:24at it cannot get better than
2:28that oh my
2:36God I think I've proven my innocence I
2:39think most people in the world in the
2:40whole world can see
2:44that end of story not yet not for Ryan
2:49Ferguson it's very daunting you don't
2:51know what you're doing in this world and
2:54you don't know how to navigate it and
2:55operate in it and not for his accuser it
2:59was really easy for the police and the
3:02prosecutors to manipulate me I'm angry
3:05I'm angry at myself I feel like I've
3:09been played for a fool and I feel like I
3:11should be released from prison I know
3:13that Charles Ericson is absolutely
3:16innocent when you've got innocent people
3:18locked up you've got the murderer still
3:20on the
3:21street they need to find the real killer
3:31[Music]
3:37[Applause]
3:48this is an incredible
3:50feeling I can go where I want and do
3:53what I
3:54want that's just something I haven't
3:56experienced in my whole adult life
3:58pretty much do you feel a little behind
4:00absolutely there's so many things that
4:03you haven't done in a decade and you
4:05have to learn them immediately now a
4:08free man I was by myself for the first
4:10time driving down the highway that's
4:12when I actually felt free Ryan Ferguson
4:16spent nearly a decade trapped inside
4:18this Missouri State
4:22Prison the circumstances that put him
4:25there are
4:27bizarre they began appro appropriately
4:30enough on Halloween night in 2001 Kent
4:34heid hold the well-liked sports editor
4:37of the Columbia Daily Tribune was
4:39murdered how would you describe his
4:41personality wonderful wonderful guy to
4:43work with and it was easy to learn from
4:45he's one of the most popular men I've
4:46known part-time sports writer Michael
4:49Boyd who spoke with 48 hours in 2010 was
4:53among the handful of people working into
4:55the early morning hours with hiid Hol
4:58sometime after 2 a.m. Boyd recalls he
5:01left the office height hole came out a
5:04few minutes later and they chatted did
5:07he seem concerned about anything at that
5:09moment no just like normal it was just a
5:11normal
5:12[Music]
5:13night shortly after Boyd drove off two
5:16janitors came out on the loading dock
5:19and noticed he High hold's car was still
5:21there I had that feeling that something
5:23was wrong one of those janitors Shauna
5:26War remembers seeing two shadowy figures
5:29Emer Ed from behind the car one a
5:32college age male she says stop to speak
5:36looked me dead in the eyes and said
5:37Somebody's hurt and he walked off
5:38casually like nothing had happened
5:41scared shaa went for help two reporters
5:45rushed out and found their boss by his
5:47car in a pool of
5:51blood K hiid hold had been bludgeoned
5:54and strangled he 6'4 no one's going to
5:57mess with Kent who's going to mess with
5:59Kent
6:03earlier on that same night Ryan Ferguson
6:06was at a local bar just blocks away from
6:08the murder scene he and Chuck Erikson
6:11another 17-year-old had sneaked in
6:14together we were there for approximately
6:172 hours probably 11:30 to 1:30 I drove
6:20them home and went home myself did you
6:23have anything to do with the death of
6:25Kent heid hold absolutely
6:28not whoever did Kill Kent may have left
6:32Clues police found hair fingerprints
6:35bloody shoe prints they also spoke with
6:38the janitors one could not provide a
6:41detailed description of the two men he
6:43saw but the other Shauna or
6:49did police released a sketch and fielded
6:52a dozens of leads all dead ends it just
6:57doesn't seem possible that anybody could
6:59hurt him and and and being as nice as he
7:01was
7:05why two years pass with no breaks in the
7:08case and then a tip came into Crim
7:11Stoppers Chuck Erikson told friends that
7:14he was having dreamlike memories of the
7:18crime he soon found himself in a police
7:21interrogation room this is so foggy like
7:24I could just be sitting here fabricating
7:27all it he didn't seem to know many Det
7:29details can you tell me exactly where
7:31this happened even when they took him to
7:33the crime scene parking lot is right
7:36there cuz this look familiar to you I
7:38don't remember most of what happened but
7:40Erikson seemed eager to cooperate
7:43especially as the questioning got
7:45aggressive it's you that is on this
7:49chopping block and I don't want to
7:53hear oh all a sudden I just think I may
7:56fabricated all this eventually Ericson
7:59told them what they wanted to hear he
8:02said that he and Ryan had run out of
8:04drinking money and decided to get more
8:06by robbing someone whose idea was it it
8:09was Ryan's idea Ryan's idea Ryan then in
8:12college was also brought in I wasn't
8:15there I didn't do anything police
8:17questioned him for hours but he stood
8:20his ground trying to get me to admit to
8:22something I didn't do I'm not lying to
8:24you man I was not
8:27there in March 2004 for both men were
8:30arrested and charged with murder Ericson
8:34took a plea 25 years and agreed to
8:37testify against Ryan it's beyond
8:40comprehension that Ryan could ever be in
8:41this situation Ryan's father bill just
8:45tears at your
8:46[Music]
8:48heart when Ryan stood trial a year later
8:51is the state ready to proceed Chuck
8:54Erikson the once seemingly confused teen
8:57you raise your right hand please had
8:58become a polished witness he had been
9:01allowed to study police reports and
9:04crime scene photos I'm just doing this
9:06because I know it's the right thing to
9:08do the story Erikson told was
9:12riveting and revolting not H you hit him
9:16just like that well I hit him more than
9:18that how'd you hit him I hit him like
9:21that after he hit him with a tire tool
9:25he High Hope fell to the ground Erikson
9:27said then Ryan turned he High hold's
9:30belt into a weapon he was down here and
9:32he had a
9:33belt and he had his he had his foot on
9:36his back on the victim's back and he was
9:38pulling up on the Belt like
9:43this still none of the physical evidence
9:47nothing tied Ryan or chuck to the scene
9:50you're talking here about a very messy
9:53crime and yet there's no physical
9:55evidence that connects him the scene if
9:57I've got physical evidence at the scene
9:59that's great but I don't go I can't
10:02prosecute this case if there is no
10:04physical evidence boom County
10:06Prosecuting Attorney at the time Kevin
10:08crane spoke to 48 hours in 2005 are you
10:12saying then really what most convinces
10:15you that Chuck and Ryan Ferguson killed
10:18Kent hdold is Chuck Zing we did this mhm
10:22yes you nervous shaa the janitor who
10:25helped police create the sketch said she
10:28couldn't ident identify either man you
10:30may call your next witness but
10:32prosecutor crane had a trump card jury
10:36Trump trump a convicted sex offender Was
10:39the janitor who told police he couldn't
10:42describe the man he saw at the crime
10:44scene and yet at Ryan's trial if you see
10:48the individual would you point to that
10:50individual please
10:53yes Trump claimed his memory had been
10:56jogged by the arrest photos in the
10:58newspaper
10:59I recognize the two pictures I've seen
11:02these two faces before at the Tribune
11:05that night that Kent was
11:07[Music]
11:09killed with two eyewitnesses against him
11:13Ryan Ferguson was doomed all right he
11:17was found guilty and sentenced to 40
11:23years Bill Ferguson is convinced his son
11:26is innocent and shockingly that Chuck
11:30Erikson is too the police did a great
11:34job of talking somebody into a crime
11:36they did not commit he believes Ericson
11:38was strong armed by police into giving a
11:41false confession one day Chuck's going
11:43to wake up in he sail and go my gosh
11:46what have I done
12:05[Music]
12:09I started going to the crime scene
12:11within a week of the arrest Bill
12:14Ferguson was determined to prove his
12:16son's
12:18innocence after Ryan was sent to prison
12:21in December
12:242005 I'd go down at 1:30 I'd stay down
12:27until 3:00 bill spent night after night
12:30in the parking
12:32lot where sports editor Kent hiol was
12:35attacked and killed how many times have
12:38you gone down to the crime Scene 40 or
12:4050 at least Brian Ferguson's appeals all
12:45failed and then in 2009 a new attorney
12:49came on
12:51board Kathleen zelner is a tough Chicago
12:54lawyer with a reputation for winning
12:57freedom for the wrongly coni
13:00she aged to take Ryan's case pro bono
13:03what is the best way to describe Ryan
13:06Ferguson's case the analogy I think of
13:08is that he's in quicksand and I'm trying
13:12to grab a hold of him once you're
13:14convicted the system works completely
13:17against you it just becomes overwhelming
13:20to find evidence that a court will
13:22accept soon after she took on the case
13:25she got a break out of the blue Ryan
13:30received a mysterious letter from his
13:32accuser he says Ryan have your lawyers
13:34come speak to me the next time that
13:36they're down here zelner quickly paid a
13:39visit may I call you Chuck uh Mr Eric
13:43Charles I don't know about Chuck okay
13:45she videotaped Charles Erikson as he
13:48read a prepared
13:50statement things happen much differently
13:53than I had previously stated I could not
13:55accept in my conscious mind that I was a
13:58sole perpetrator
13:59four years after his testimony put Ryan
14:02Behind Bars Erikson had a change of
14:05heart and told zeler that he had lied
14:09Erikson said he was the one who
14:11committed the murder I beat the victim
14:14can't hide hold until he was on the
14:16ground then I took his belt off and
14:18strangled him with it Erikson even said
14:21that Ryan tried to stop him I regret now
14:24that I put an innocent man through that
14:26he didn't deserve it
14:29but Erikson's new story still put Ryan
14:33at the crime scene Ryan was actually the
14:36one who pushed me off of the victim he's
14:39exonerated You by saying you had nothing
14:41to do with the murder but he has said
14:42you were
14:44there isn't there a problem I believe he
14:48thinks that he committed the crime my
14:51personal belief is that he didn't you
14:53don't even think he was there either I
14:55don't think he was there I know I wasn't
14:57there Erikson's news story is a problem
15:01but all that matters to attorney
15:02Kathleen zelner is that his statement
15:05gives Ryan a new opportunity for an
15:08appeal I made up what I said about Ryan
15:10being on top of the victim I lied about
15:12him strangling the victim that was a lie
15:15Ryan never touched the victim I think
15:18what's more important than the details
15:20of what he's saying about the crime is
15:21he's saying repeatedly I lied to the
15:24jury I committed perjury and she sets
15:28out to prove that the story Ericson told
15:30at trial couldn't be true the whole
15:34story about the robbery is preposterous
15:36she points out that heid hold's wallet
15:38wasn't taken only his keys and a watch
15:42were missing what did they do take he
15:44High hold's watch back and barter for
15:46drinks Erikson had also claimed that he
15:49attacked K hiid hold with a tire tool
15:53you but that's not consistent with the
15:56evidence says Dr Larry bloom a forensic
15:59pathologist hired by zelner a tire tool
16:02would not really fit the injuries at all
16:05a heavy Tire tool would have left skull
16:07fractures says Dr Bloom the victim had
16:10none there were no skull fractures
16:12associated with any of the outward
16:14injuries that were present Dr Bloom says
16:17Holt's wounds are more consistent with a
16:20two-prong tool like this nail poar in a
16:24defensive posture with the hands up it
16:27would cause uh two parallel marks on the
16:30skin in this fashion there were several
16:33on Mr heinold's forearm wrist area back
16:37to the hand I believe Blom estimates
16:39that the struggle lasted about 6 to 8
16:42minutes that's important because Zelmer
16:45says that means police overlooked a
16:47potential suspect Michael Boyd the
16:50part-time reporter puts himself at the
16:53scene very close to the time the crime
16:56was reported Boyd says he left the lot
16:59around 2:20 a.m. only 6 minutes before
17:03911 was called what was the last thing
17:06Kent said to you I can't remember the
17:08exact words of what he said but it was
17:09just more lines to see you later and uh
17:11and I thought it would what do you think
17:13happened to him I don't know and I in
17:16this 2010 interview Boyd told us that he
17:20returned to the parking lot later that
17:22night after learning about the crime
17:24this appears to be him in a crime scene
17:27photo he cooperated with detectives who
17:30interviewed him briefly he denies having
17:34anything to do with heid Holt's murder
17:36did you fight with Kent that night did
17:38you have anything to do with his murder
17:41no ma'am no ma'am did you but boy the
17:44last known person to see Hy hold alive
17:47was never subjected to a thorough
17:50investigation did the police ever check
17:53your car check your clothes ask you to
17:55take a polygraph no they never ask do
17:57anything DNA fingerprints no nothing
18:00nothing not a thing zelner says police
18:03didn't consider Boyd a suspect because
18:06they just assumed the white men the
18:09janitor saw were the
18:12killers we are going to establish that
18:15Ryan Ferguson is actually innocent of
18:17the murder of Ken hi
18:19highle in 2012 she was hoping to
18:22convince a new judge that the wrong man
18:25went on
18:27trial so this is the whole ball game
18:30this is it all right it's as if we're
18:32retrying the
18:33[Music]
18:39[Music]
18:43case how do so many people get it so
18:46wrong that you end up in prison for 40
18:49years for something you didn't have
18:50anything to do
18:51[Music]
18:53with my life was taken because a jury
18:56made a decision based off of Lies
18:597 years after his trial after 11 failed
19:03appeals Ryan Ferguson is back in court
19:07asking a judge to overturn his
19:09conviction Kathleen zelner calls police
19:12interrogation expert Joseph Buckley to
19:15the stand be very leery of the voluntary
19:18confession the person who walks in and
19:20says I did it because it's not typically
19:23what murderers do Buckley tells the
19:25court that the confession of Charles
19:27Erikson the state star witness is
19:30suspect because the police fed him too
19:33many details the number one thing you
19:35want to do is ask open-ended questions
19:37that's not the case here says Buckley
19:40watch what happened when Ericson is
19:42asked how Kent heul was strangled I
19:45think it was a shirt or something well I
19:47know it wasn't a shirt like maybe a
19:49bungee cord we know for a fact that his
19:51belt was ripped off of his pants and he
19:53was strangled with his belt really do
19:55that ring a bell not at all and look at
19:58Eric face when police take him to the
20:01crime scene that is the parking spot
20:04where Mr hiy hul had his car parked it's
20:08impossible Buckley says to tell what
20:11Erikson knew on his own at the end of
20:13the day you don't know what you have
20:15even though he was so convincing at
20:18trial and he was pulling up on the Belt
20:21like this his story does not match this
20:24crime scene that is not what happened at
20:27the hearing zelner called a witness
20:29Ryan's jurors never heard Michael Boyd
20:33that last known person to see heid hold
20:36alive no one checks either of your cars
20:39that's right and nobody ask you what
20:41clothes you were wearing that night
20:43[Music]
20:45no but the most important witness to
20:48zelner is an eyewitness who did testify
20:52before Jerry Trump back in 2005 janitor
20:57Jerry Trump was a critical witness for
20:59the prosecution would you point to that
21:02individual please yes at Ferguson's
21:06trial Trump told the jury that he had
21:08been in jail on a sex offense at the
21:11time Ferguson and Erikson were arrested
21:15his wife sent him the newspaper article
21:17Trump said and the mug shot suddenly
21:20jogged his
21:22memory but s years later at this hearing
21:26Trump says his trial test
21:29was a lie and when you pointed to Ryan
21:32Ferguson in the courtroom and you said
21:35that's the person you saw at the
21:37Columbia tribute parking lot was that
21:40true or false
21:44false the truth he says is what he first
21:47told the police he could not identify
21:50either man he saw that night it was very
21:53difficult for you to admit that you fly
21:58absolutely
21:59extremely difficult Trump claimed it was
22:02the prosecutor Kevin crane who showed
22:05him that newspaper he said it would be
22:07very helpful if you can help us with
22:10this by identifying them he says crane
22:14assured him they had the right men I
22:17felt very intimidated cuz the only thing
22:20I wanted to do at that point was to do
22:22the right thing I'd been in enough
22:25trouble
22:29but after trial Trump says he was
22:31haunted by what he
22:33did this time when he points to Ryan
22:37it's for a very different reason I'd
22:39like to have
22:41forgiveness from
22:43Ryan and
22:47his and his
22:51family I couldn't even move I couldn't
22:54hardly think but I did feel sorry for
22:57the man because you can just see the
23:00pain that he's been dealing with he has
23:02a conscience he was really evaluating
23:05his life and he felt that what he'd done
23:08was terrible Kevin crane now a judge
23:12also takes the stand and he denies
23:16trying to influence Trump's testimony in
23:18any way did you show Mr Trump this
23:22article of that date absolutely not
23:25crane claims Trump volunteered the
23:28information Mr Trump's in the doorway of
23:31my office and
23:34unsolicited very soon into the
23:37conversation he said I think I can
23:41identify these guys you swear to tell
23:43the truth the whole truth but then
23:45there's a surprising Revelation
23:48something Ferguson's team had never
23:50heard before and it comes from Crane's
23:53own investigator William HW where did he
23:56get the article he said his wife sent it
23:58to him as it turns out H tried to
24:01confirm Trump's Story by speaking with
24:04Trump's wife I explained to her that
24:07Jerry had said that she sent him an
24:08article and she said I don't remember
24:10that and I really don't want to talk to
24:11you about this that's crucial evidence
24:13says Kathleen zelner that the
24:15prosecution never told the defense all
24:18right zelner says that if Ryan's lawyers
24:21had known that at trial they could have
24:23argued that Trump was
24:25lying finally the court is about to hear
24:29from another witness whose story has
24:32changed I think it was a shirt or
24:34something again he was down here and he
24:36had a belt and again I beat the victim
24:40can't hide hold and I took his belt off
24:42and strangled him with it what will
24:44Charles Ericson say to this judge
24:47logically nobody should believe anything
24:49that I say because I'm a liar
24:59[Music]
25:08when he walked in it's very strange
25:09feeling seeing him again you swear to
25:11tell the truth the whole truth and
25:12nothing but the truth to help you guys I
25:14do when Charles Erikson takes the stand
25:17at Ryan Ferguson's 2012 hearing it is
25:20the first time since the trial that the
25:22men come face to face in court I know
25:26that he chose to lie about me so it kind
25:27of hurt that a person would do that for
25:31reasons that I don't understand it was
25:32good to see him it was good to see that
25:34he's doing all right and that he's alive
25:37Erikson was in a Missouri prison serving
25:40his 25e sentence when we first spoke
25:43with him in January
25:452013 he told us then that his entire
25:48testimony at Ryan Ferguson's trial was
25:52fabricated the reason that I felt I
25:55needed to lie and make things up is
25:57because
25:59I couldn't remember anything whose idea
26:01was it it was Ryan's idea Ryan's idea
26:04despite everything he said before
26:06Erikson now says he has never had any
26:10memory of what happened the night Kent
26:12hiid Hol was killed at least not after
26:14he sneaked into that bar do you remember
26:17leaving the club no I don't remember
26:19leaving at all you remember driving home
26:22no I don't even know if Ryan took me
26:24home what's the next thing you remember
26:26I remember waking up in the morning and
26:28having to go to school Erikson's use of
26:31drugs and alcohol as a teen is well
26:34documented on that particular night he
26:36says along with abusing cocaine and the
26:39prescription drug Aderall he consumed a
26:42large amount of alcohol I remember
26:46drinking green drinks I remember being
26:48pretty pretty intoxicated did you find
26:51any blood on your clothing when you woke
26:53up no I had no blood on my clothing I
26:55had no injuries I had no murder weapons
26:57was there any anything through that day
26:59that made you think that you had been
27:01involved in a horrific murder
27:05no and yet a full two years later after
27:09reading an article about the unsolved
27:12murder Erikson suddenly became convinced
27:16almost obsessed with the idea that he
27:18might have done something terrible
27:20during his blackout I read there were
27:22two white guys there two white kids I
27:25saw the picture in the paper which is a
27:27sketch
27:28and it looked like me but I just
27:30realized I couldn't remember what I'd
27:33done that night help me out with this
27:35why would
27:37you suddenly think just because you
27:39couldn't remember what you had done that
27:41night that you might be involved in a
27:42murder I'm trying to think about that
27:44night when I was very intoxicated
27:45there's a lot of drugs in between then
27:47and I'm when I'm trying to think about
27:48it I'm high on something I was probably
27:50paranoid because of all the drugs I was
27:52doing when Erikson ran into Ryan at a
27:55party he told him about those strange
27:58thoughts maybe he thought I was crazy
28:00anyway but man we you're tripping we
28:01didn't do that you know you didn't kill
28:03that guy why didn't you believe him when
28:05Ryan said we didn't do this it's not
28:07that I didn't believe him I'm thinking
28:08well maybe he knows I don't remember and
28:10he doesn't want to tell me because he
28:13thinks I'm going to say something or he
28:14thinks I'm going to flip out or he
28:16thinks I'm going to kill him because he
28:17was a witness I don't
28:19know it was an anonymous call to police
28:22that landed Ericson high on marijuana he
28:25says in that police interrogation room I
28:29don't remember a lot of this ericon
28:31spoke to detectives hoping for answers I
28:34think I just blacked out instead
28:36attorney Kathleen zelner says they were
28:38focused on finally closing the case
28:41here's a kid that for whatever reason is
28:45trying to involve himself in this I'm
28:47going to be point blank with you pal and
28:48they've got the perfect person to
28:51manipulate bully mold his testimony I'm
28:54going to start talking and you're going
28:56to start listening because he's a kid
28:58with a drug and alcohol problem do you
29:00understand me yes and so they start
29:02working on him you better start thinking
29:07very clearly they take advantage of him
29:09and they scare him Ericson began to
29:12panic he says when detectives claimed
29:14that Ryan was about to turn on him and
29:17Erikson would take the blame Ryan's
29:20going to talk don't let Ryan tell the
29:21story for you I was scared that he was
29:23putting it on me and I created this
29:26story based basically to cover myself
29:29and I did lie I lied he stuck with the
29:33story and even began to believe it he
29:36says when he was shown police reports
29:39like this one which states that a
29:41schoolmate Dallas mallerie saw him that
29:43night at one point Dallas mallerie is
29:46telling him that he saw me fleeing the
29:48scene and that Ryan was with me but in
29:512005 Dallas mallerie told us he didn't
29:54see Erikson at the scene although police
29:57pressure him to say that he did I was in
30:00tears scared shaking why were you scared
30:04cuz I didn't know what was going on they
30:06were saying that I could be charged with
30:07murder cuz I was with them I was not
30:11with him at all attorney zeler says
30:14Ericson was duped by investigators he
30:17didn't realize that Dallas malie had
30:19said no I was pressured by the police
30:21into saying you were there he didn't
30:23realize that Ryan was not plotting
30:26against him so he was completely misled
30:29about the evidence prior to entering his
30:31guilty
30:34plea four years after the trial a sober
30:38Ericson began to have serious doubts
30:41about what he did it's really hard to to
30:44uh admit that you you know really
30:46screwed somebody over that's why he says
30:49he spoke to Ryan's lawyer in 2009 and
30:53took full responsibility for the crime I
30:56could not accept in my conscious mind
30:58that I was a sole perpetrator and
31:00aggressor but even that was a lie he
31:03says I thought that the only way I could
31:05help Ryan was to say that I'd done
31:09everything he didn't know what I was
31:11going to do he tried to stop me Ericson
31:14says the real truth is what he tells the
31:17court at the hearing in April
31:202012 that he doesn't know what happened
31:22that Halloween night and never has I
31:26don't want to die you know
31:29no one that uh I I did the wrong
31:35thing good afternoon Mr Erikson how are
31:37you in
31:39cross-examination a lawyer for the state
31:41challenges Erikson's credibility you've
31:44testified in trial in front of a jury
31:47under oath and said you did it yeah
31:49because I was I had to save my ass are
31:51you saying then you remembered and no
31:53you don't today no I'm just good at
31:56making stuff up
31:59am I telling the truth now I'm telling
32:00you the truth now do I expect you to
32:01believe it no I don't expect you to
32:03believe it more important this judge
32:06doesn't believe him he rules that
32:08Ericson was more credible at the
32:10original trial and upholds Ryan
32:13Ferguson's
32:16conviction it just really made me feel
32:19like there is no hope for Ryan that was
32:232012 a lot has changed since then I feel
32:28like there is some light at the end of
32:29the tunnel and it feels really really
32:33[Music]
32:49good you just cannot give up you just
32:52have to keep going with Ryan still
32:54behind bars Bill Ferguson takes to the
32:57road to tell his story I've driven 9,000
33:01miles in 21 days doing this is like a
33:06four-wheel billboard he creates a free
33:08Ryan Ferguson Facebook page where
33:11supporters pose with signs we had
33:14thousands and thousands of supporters
33:16all over the world he continues to have
33:18great ideas and continues to do
33:20everything he can to help prove my
33:22innocence all right Ryan is hanging his
33:25hopes on yet another hearing this one in
33:28a Missouri appell court may it please
33:31the court in September
33:332013 attorney Kathleen zelner argues for
33:36his freedom there is no evidence left in
33:40this case so let's get to the legal
33:42issues these judges well versed on the
33:45case seem particularly concerned about
33:47the evidence used against Ryan at trial
33:50specifically how the janitor Jerry Trump
33:53was suddenly able to identify Ryan Mr
33:56Trump had come to an Awakening of sorts
33:59based upon a newspaper article that his
34:02wife had purportedly sent him in prison
34:04generally I've got it right
34:06absolutely but prosecutors knew that
34:09Trump's wife couldn't recall ever
34:11sending that newspaper and kept that
34:14crucial fact from the defense I believe
34:18that there was an effort to conceal
34:21anything exculpatory that might have led
34:23the defense to question the
34:24identification thank you Council if you
34:27cannot get the conviction vacated at
34:29that stage you're at the end of the
34:31[Music]
34:33road for two months Ryan's parents
34:37anxiously look for a sign of the
34:39decision the waiting it's agonizing and
34:43then on November 5th I think I saw Ryan
34:47oh my God I it's there oh my go the
34:50decision is unanimous convictions are
34:53vacated the judges rule that Ryan did
34:56not get a fair trial
34:58and set aside his
35:02conviction it's been a long long road
35:05Ryan hey Ryan Ryan Hey man
35:07congratulations can't wait to see you
35:10can't wait for my really long hug hell
35:12yeah a real
35:14hug Aaron good to see you we spoke with
35:17Ryan shortly after he got the news you
35:20are as you stand here an innocent man
35:23I'm an innocent man and I hope the whole
35:25world can see it now it's kind of
35:26overwhelming but same time you don't
35:28really feel it because you know you're
35:30still surrounded by these fences and the
35:32guards and everything see you on the
35:33outside soon I think once I'm with my
35:35family that's when it'll probably hit
35:39me nearly 10 years after he was picked
35:42up for questioning Ryan is finally free
35:46the state has decided not to retry him I
35:49thought about that moment so many times
35:51in the past of actually walking out and
35:54getting out of prison while I was in the
35:56moment I almost couldn't feel
35:59anything and then I get out we drive
36:01away from the prison I'm just thinking
36:03this is what it's like to drive with my
36:05family on a road my first glimpse of him
36:10he just looked so vulnerable so small I
36:14mean he just reminded me of you know
36:16when he was a little
36:18kid and I just remember standing there
36:21just on the verge of tears not being
36:23able to
36:24really control my emotions in that
36:30moment the amazing thing is 1 hour later
36:33he's doing a press
36:36conference to get charged for a crime
36:39you didn't commit it's incredibly easy
36:41to get out of prison it takes an
36:43army he was just so cool and so
36:46articulate you must have been very proud
36:49oh very proud you're even emotional
36:52thinking about it I am I am I am yeah
36:58is it over no not at all it's not over
37:02um because he lost 10 years of his life
37:06Ryan Ferguson has filed a civil suit
37:08against the police and several
37:11investigators there has to be
37:13accountability for all of these people
37:16Ryan Ferguson may be free but the
37:18mystery remains who killed can't height
37:22hold what evidence exists today that
37:25could be tested or examined that might
37:29lead to solving the case there's seven
37:31unidentified prints on the
37:36car there's a big palm print and there's
37:38a thumb print on those papers that have
37:41Mr hi High old's blood on them and the
37:43people that were right there that they
37:45haven't eliminated people like Michael
37:47Boyd says zelner that last known person
37:50to see the victim alive Boyd has always
37:53denied any involvement but even the
37:56appellant judges raised questions about
37:58Boyd's past testimony in November
38:012013 the police issued a statement
38:04saying they would follow up on any new
38:06leads or information but how can they
38:09investigate in Earnest while Charles
38:11Ericson is still serving time for Kent
38:14heid hold's murder you haven't heard
38:16from Columbia Police you haven't heard
38:18from any investigator taking a new look
38:21at the case NOP 3 months after Ryan left
38:24prison we sat down again with Charles
38:27Eric son Ericson would like to withdraw
38:30his guilty plea after all the only
38:33evidence linking him to the crime is his
38:36own confession which he says is a false
38:39confession Charles as you sit here today
38:43do you think you had anything to do with
38:45the death of Kent heol no no I don't but
38:48you've admitted that you lied at trial
38:51why should people believe you now all I
38:54can really ask is to look at the
38:56evidence they should look at the first
38:59interrogation tape and you can see how
39:01it happened and while he still has no
39:04memory of the night he says the
39:06unidentified Prince are proof that
39:08neither he nor Ryan had anything to do
39:11with the murder what should happen to
39:13you now I feel like I should be released
39:15from prison I try just to take it day by
39:18day and work on improving myself and
39:20educating myself and work on trying to
39:23get out of prison but it's not going to
39:25be easy he may have waited too long to
39:28file for some legal procedures still he
39:32has the support of a dedicated Facebook
39:34page and even Ryan Ferguson I know he
39:38had nothing to do with this crime I took
39:39him home he went to sleep there's just
39:41no way but Charles knows that some
39:43people may never forgive him I I
39:47apologize obviously I'm I I I don't
39:50think that there's anything I can say to
39:52console
39:54anybody I've given the hidle family
39:56false hope and so I can't imagine the
39:59pain that I've caused them you have a
40:01family too has it been tough on your
40:03family incredibly incredibly my mom my
40:07dad they come and see me whenever they
40:08can I'm just glad that they support me
40:11and they want me to get out what do you
40:13want people to know about you what do I
40:14want people to know about me I want
40:16people to know that I'm not crazy I want
40:21people to know that sort of just the
40:23whole
40:24[Music]
40:25story the best part he says is that Ryan
40:28Ferguson is no longer Behind Bars it
40:32feels good knowing that he's out and
40:34it's really feels like my load has been
40:36lightened and I hope that he's able to
40:38do all the things that he wants to
40:42do are you bitter I am bitter but I try
40:46to take that negativity and I turn it
40:48into you know a positive action I still
40:50have to pinch myself every day and I
40:53just love being able to watch him doing
40:56normal things
40:58Ryan now has a girlfriend Micah Kane I
41:01have helped with the Facebook page and
41:03the website a key supporter whom he got
41:06to know through letters while he was
41:08still in prison it was kind of shocking
41:10at first when he got out because it was
41:13just chaos she's there on a day-to-day
41:15basis like here's how you turn on your
41:17phone and here's when you need to get up
41:19and here's how you get on the airplane
41:20so it's it's incredible she's been
41:23amazing and I'm so grateful to her we're
41:25just excited to get some normaly in her
41:28life it'll be a new beginning for both
41:30of us Ryan has been making public
41:33appearances he and Micah have moved far
41:35from Missouri where his case is still
41:38controversial the challenge is putting
41:41the painful past far behind nothing
41:45feels quite right you always kind of
41:47feel like an outcast you always feel
41:48like people judge you you just have to
41:51accept that and move forward in your own
41:52life but it's just it's it's hard
42:04[Music]

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