Ferguson family's online campaign attempts to clear son's name
This is the third in a four-part series about Kent Heitholt, his death and the trial of Ryan Ferguson, who was convicted of the murder. This issue focuses on the effect on his family. The next part will focus on the trial and the evidence in the case.
Nov. 6, 2007
Ryan Ferguson’s father, Bill Ferguson, wears his 'Free Ryan' bracelet on his wrist while at Panera Bread on Oct. 29. The Fergusons have been making the bracelets to raise support for Ryan Ferguson, who has been incarcerated since March 2004.
While at Panera Bread on Oct. 29, Ryan Ferguson’s father, Bill Ferguson, shows a picture of the tire iron Chuck Erickson claims to have used to beat former Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt to death in 2001. Ferguson said he believes this photo is evidence for Erickson’s and Ryan Ferguson’s innocence.
Boone County prosecuting attorney Kevin Crane shows photos to Ryan Ferguson of Ferguson’s car during the fourth day of the October 2005 trial in the Boone County Courthouse. Since Ferguson was convicted of the murder of former Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt, his family has been campaigning for his acquittal and release from prison.
An officer from MUPD questions Brother Cope after a student called them about an alleged assault at Speaker's Circle on Monday. The student involved decided not to press charges.
UnificAsian leaders and participants gather in groups to get to know each other in Memorial Union on Saturday. The groups later competed against each other in a game of trivia to identify famous Asians in American culture.
MUchachas Ultimate Frisbee team members Anne Binder and Beth Aubuchon practice Ultimate Frisbee on Stankowski Field on Wednesday evening. The MUchachas Ultimate Frisbee team is open to all MU women.
Columbia resident Mike Bergman walks down Broadway on Sunday evening where canopies were removed during the summer. “It stinks. If it rains, what are people supposed to do?” Bergman said.
Aubrey VanHoose, drummer in local jazz and blues group the VanHoose Family Band, keeps it all in the family.
Royals fan and freshman Derek Harshner looks through jerseys Monday at Columbia Mall. ‘On campus, everyone knows you’re an MU fan,’ Harshner said. ‘You’ve got to show people you’re from Kansas City.’
Alex Pattillo, 10, goes off a jump a Cosmopolitan Park on Saturday afternoon during a competition sponsored by Dream Catchers.
Missouri outside hitter Shen Danru attempts a spike over the head of Texas Tech’s Ann Romjue during a match Nov. 30, 2002, at the Hearnes Center. The Tigers experienced their first conference loss of the season to Texas A&M on Saturday.
Leslie Ferguson said she has two full-time jobs: She is a literacy coach at West Boulevard Elementary School, and she is trying to spread the word that her son, Ryan Ferguson, has been incarcerated since 2004 for a crime she is convinced he didn't commit.
Ryan Ferguson's father, Bill Ferguson, and Leslie Ferguson have spent many hours each week since Ferguson was first arrested trying to find evidence that would lead to his acquittal.
Since his conviction in October 2005, the family has been working to spread the word about his case.
What has almost become a campaign, bypassing mainstream media and working through the Internet, just happened, Bill Ferguson said.
"It just evolved from an unfortunate situation," he said.
Their main method of communication is the Web site www.freeryanferguson.com, which Bill Ferguson said has had more than 220,000 visitors.
The Web site has facts about the case, what the family considers the most persuasive evidence for Ferguson's innocence and documents about the case, including the trial transcript and police reports, all interspersed with photos of happier times, Bill Ferguson said.
Ferguson was convicted of the 2001 murder of Kent Heitholt, the sports editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune. Chuck Erickson, who was with Ferguson the night of the murder, confessed to the crime and told police that after he beat Heitholt with a tire tool, Ferguson strangled Heitholt with his own belt.
Ferguson was sentenced to 40 years for second-degree murder and first-degree robbery.
Prosecutor Kevin Crane and Columbia Police Department Chief Randy Boehm both said they are convinced Ferguson is guilty.
The case was publicized when CBS ran a "48 Hours" segment entitled "Dream Killer" about the case and the trial.
The piece was criticized heavily in the Tribune as well as on its message boards for being biased toward Ferguson.
After it ran, Leslie Ferguson said the Web site "exploded" and got 20,000 hits in 24 hours.
Bill and Leslie Ferguson said people — from Columbia and elsewhere — have been overwhelmingly supportive.
They also said they have been contacted by other people and families of people who say they have been wrongly incarcerated.
"It's so much more common than you could imagine," Leslie Ferguson said.
The family also polices the blog, looking for vulgar language and places to educate people about the details of the case. They regularly update it with posts about Ryan's life and the case.
The family has also put together three videos that constitute the "Have you ever had a cop in your face?" series.
The videos include clips from police interrogations and highlight mistakes the Fergusons think police and prosecutors made during the course of the investigation and trial.
The first video is about the police interrogation of Erickson, the second is about the interrogation of Ferguson and the third is about statements Crane made during the trial.
Through the videos, the Fergusons have criticized the Columbia Police Department and Crane.
The Fergusons put the videos together by taking excerpts from the hours-long police tapes and adding commentary.
Boehm said the police used common, perfectly acceptable techniques during the course of the investigation.
He also said the clips are taken out of context and could be misinterpreted without the rest of the interrogation.
But Boehm said he understands. "More than anything, he wants to believe his son," he said.
Boehm said he has reviewed all the reports and thinks the case came to a "very successful conclusion."
Crane also said he is certain Ferguson and Erickson committed the crime.
He also said he would not have tried someone he did not think was guilty.
"The issue is that we tried this case," Crane said. "He had excellent representation. We have 12 jurors from outside this county who were selected from a large group of people, then we went to jury trial and the jury decided."
Crane said he does not think he did anything wrong during the trial.
On top of the time they've spent, the Fergusons have used a large portion of their incomes on the trial.
Bill Ferguson said they have spent more than $100,000 on lawyer's fees alone. They also have to pay for private investigators, expert witnesses and smaller expenses such as making copies of documents and transportation.
"We'll be paying off the first trial for the rest of our lives," Leslie Ferguson said.
She said if they have to go to trial a second time, they might have to ask for donations from supporters because of the costs.
On the Web site, there is an option to donate money, but they don't get nearly as much money as they spend, she said.
They also ordered Livestrong-style purple wristbands that read "Free Ryan," but they have not started selling them, Bill Ferguson said.
They are also offering a $25,000 reward on the Web site for "information leading to Ferguson's exoneration and the conviction of the person/persons responsible for the death of Kent Heitholt."
Kelly Ferguson, Ferguson's sister, said she is not able to do as much as she would like, but if he is released, she plans to move to wherever he is and help him fight what he considers an unfair justice system.
Both Bill and Leslie Ferguson said they also want to work toward a more fair system; specifically, they think prosecutors should not have immunity for things they say in court.
Leslie Ferguson said she often thinks about her son in jail.
"We're victims too," she said. "Ryan is a victim. Justice was not served to their (Heitholt's) family. My heart goes out to them."
But Heitholt's family, including his mother and father, Bill and Dorothy Heitholt, said in an e-mail they believe Ferguson is guilty and they want the media coverage of the case to end.
"People can be in a state of denial," they both said in an e-mail. "Some well intentioned people can spoil their children."
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