YouTube helps shed light on conviction

Ferguson is serving 40 years in prison for a murder and robbery.

By Roseann Moring, Staff Writer
May 4, 2007

A YouTube video entitled, "Have you ever had the cops in your face?" that raises questions about the interrogation and trial of Ryan Ferguson and Chuck Erickson has garnered public interest.

A confession from Erickson led to his and Ferguson's conviction in the 2001 murder of Kent Heitholt, the Columbia Tribune sports editor.

Members of Ferguson's family, who are in the process of appealing the sentence, published the video.

Most of the nine-minute, 51-second video is footage of Erickson's interrogation.

Columbia police chief Randy Boehm said he has not received any feedback from the public about the video, and the officers in the video employed appropriate and usual interrogation tactics.

"I'd say that all of the techniques that are used there are acceptable," he said. "Every interrogation is unique. The investigators have to react to what's said and done."

He said the detectives involved in the case still work for Columbia police department.

Heitholt was murdered early in the morning of Nov. 1, 2001.

Ferguson was arrested for the murder based on testimony from Erickson.

Erickson told police seeing coverage of the two-year anniversary of Heitholt's death jarred his memory of committing the crime with Ferguson.

Ferguson and his family have maintained his innocence throughout and after the trial.

"It's been tremendously overwhelming," Ferguson's father Bill Ferguson said.

The video highlights several parts of Erickson's interrogation in which the police tell him information.

At one point, the detective asked Erickson what Ferguson used to strangle Heitholt. Erickson first demonstrated with his hands, then said it might have been a shirt or a bungee cord.

The detective told Erickson that Heitholt was strangled with his belt, and Erickson said, "Really?"

Bill Ferguson said they have received responses from all kinds of people through YouTube and the Web site, freeryanferguson.com.

He said the Web site has gotten about 110 more hits a day since the video went on YouTube about 10 days ago.

Bill Ferguson said they have had an extremely positive reaction.

"People who are not in law enforcement and are not familiar with it are shocked," he said. "The consensus of people who are familiar with law enforcement is that they are happy to see we are using YouTube as a method of (ensuring) transparency," he said.

The video has been viewed over 2000 times and had 89 comments last night.

The comments include discussion about Ryan's innocence or guilt, the judicial system and the abuse of drugs and alcohol.

Bill Ferguson also said that a photo with the front-page article in the Missourian about the video was not cropped well.

In the video, text at the bottom states, "There is no physical evidence to connect Ryan to the crime.

The photo was cropped so the text reads, "physical evidence to connect Ryan to the crim(e)."

The case was also the subject of an episode of CBS's 48 Hours entitled, "Dream Killer."

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