Kathleen Zellner
Who was the attorney for Ryan Ferguson?
attorney Kathleen ZellnerConviction vacated, charges dismissed. Following the conviction, Ferguson gained a following with wrongful-conviction advocacy groups. In 2009, high-profile Chicago attorney Kathleen Zellner took over Ferguson's case, working pro bono.
Where is Chuck Erickson now?
Erickson remains in prison. His lawyer, Landon Magnusson, on Friday filed a petition with the Missouri Supreme Court that could lead to Erickson's release. He is conducting the work pro bono.Jun 30, 2021
Did Charles Erickson get released?
Ferguson always maintained his innocence, but a jury found him guilty in 2005, mainly based on Erickson's testimony. That conviction was overturned in 2013 and Ferguson was released. According to previous KOMU 8 reporting, Erickson currently has a parole date set for 2023.Jun 25, 2021
Is Dream killer on Netflix?
Dream/Killer is available on Netflix now.Nov 21, 2019
Who is Charles Erickson?
Erickson was a key witness in the conviction of Ryan Ferguson for the same crime, but Ferguson was freed in November 2013 when the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District vacated his convictions on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery.Jun 25, 2021
Did Ryan Ferguson receive any money?
A federal court awarded Ferguson more than $11 million in a settlement after he sued the city of Columbia along with police and prosecutors. The city and its current insurer paid out $2.75 million to Ferguson.Dec 10, 2019
Is the dream killer still in jail?
The murder remains unsolved, and Erickson is still serving his 25-year sentence for lying under oath. In the years since he was released, Ferguson has worked to publicize other cases where he believes that the person imprisoned has been wrongfully convicted.Jan 5, 2022
Does Ryan Ferguson have a Instagram?
Ryan Ferguson (@lifeafterten) • Instagram photos and videos.
Who is Ryan Ferguson?
Ryan Ferguson is an American man who spent nearly a decade in prison for the 2001 murder of Kent Heitholt. Kent’s murder remained unsolved for two years after he was found beaten and strangled in the parking lot of the Columbia Daily Tribune, where he worked as an editor. A break in the case happened when Ferguson’s friend, Charles Erikson, ...
What is Ryan's mission?
Ryan’s mission is to help wrongfully convicted people get out of prison. Immediately after his release, Ryan stated that it ‘takes an army’ to get a person out of prison. A positively beaming Ferguson waved at droves of supporters during a press conference held after he ditched his prison attire for a sweater and shirt. ...
How much did Kathleen Zellner spend on Ryan's case?
The law firm of Kathleen Zellner spent over 3,500 hours on this case, about $1,065,000, plus $132,636.65 in expenses. All of this work was gladly done pro bono to save Ryan and return him to the life that was taken from him so unjustly. Our battle continues until the case is dismissed.”
How did the Missouri Innocence Project help?
We got the Missouri Innocence Project to help by filing an amicus brief, also known as a friend-of-the-court brief. We knew if we could show just one constitutional violation we could win but we wanted to demonstrate Ryan was actually innocent. A habeas court's power is limited to vacating the conviction and giving the prosecutor the option to retry the case. If the court is persuaded that a Brady violation has occurred, it can stop there and vacate the conviction. The Western District did say that the Barbara Trump Brady violation was so severe it alone would suffice to vacate the conviction. However, the court evaluated all of our other arguments and concluded there were many Brady violations, including evidence of another person at the murder scene when the murder happened. The court listed all of the evidence that demonstrates Ferguson's innocence but concluded that a jury has to decide guilt or innocence. The prosecution’s numerous Brady violations were referred to as a "trademark" of the State's investigator who failed to write reports of anything favorable to Ryan.
Did Jerry Trump commit perjury?
Yes, Jerry Trump demonstrated he has both. All he wanted was forgiveness from Ryan and his family. Incredibly, Jerry Trump admitted he committed perjury at Ryan's trial. He did so in open court with the national media filming him. The co-defendant Erickson admitted his entire trial testimony was fabricated. We conducted cross-examinations of the prosecutor and his investigator and their stories conflicted. William Haws made a critical admission on cross examination, that he never made a report of Barbara Trump's interview when she told him she had no memory of sending a newspaper article to Jerry, which Jerry claimed he had used to identify Ryan. Haws made no report of this interview. We uncovered three additional so-called Brady violations during the hearing. Again no reports were ever made. We presented nationally renowned experts in pathology and police procedure trying to persuade the habeas judge the State's trial evidence was false. The police "had left enough stones unturned to build a cathedral” one attorney commented. So a happy ending right? Not exactly.
Overview
Conviction vacated, charges dismissed
Following the conviction, Ferguson gained a following with wrongful-conviction advocacy groups. In 2009, high-profile Chicago attorney Kathleen Zellner took over Ferguson's case, working pro bono. In 2012, both Erickson and Trump recanted their trial testimony in statements obtained by Zellner and her investigator. In the subsequent habeas corpus hearing, both Erickson and Trump admitted that they had lied at Ferguson's trial.
Murder
In the early morning hours of November 1, 2001, 48-year-old Kent Heitholt was murdered in the parking lot of the Columbia Daily Tribune, where he worked as a sports editor. He was last seen alive by co-worker Michael Boyd, who told police that he had a work-related conversation with Heitholt in the parking lot between 2:12 and 2:20 a.m.
Investigation
Ornt told police that she got a good look at the young men, while Trump reported that he was unable to see them clearly. Police recovered unidentified fingerprints on and inside Heitholt's car, as well as an unidentified hair in his hand. Police also recovered footprints from the blood at the crime scene. Ornt provided police with a description of the men and a composite sketch was drawn.
Trial
The government offered Erickson a plea dealin exchange for testimony against Ferguson at his trial, which took place in 2005. Along with Erickson, Trump testified that he had seen Erickson and Ferguson at the scene. Trump testified that while he was in jail on unrelated charges, his wife sent him a news article about the crime. He claims that as he removed the newspaper from the envelope, he saw photos of Erickson and Ferguson and immediately recognized them as the tw…
Civil rights suit
On March 11, 2014, Ferguson filed a civil suit against 11 individuals as well as Boone County, Missouriand the city of Columbia in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The suit alleged suppression of exculpatory evidence, fabrication of evidence, reckless or intentional failure to investigate, malicious prosecution, conspiracy to deprive constitutional rights, false arrest and defamation. The suit also claimed that following Ferguson's release, former prosecut…
Charles Erickson
Charles Erickson remains imprisoned for the crime. He is serving a 25-year sentence in exchange for testifying against Ferguson. Despite the fact that Erickson had implicated him in the crime, Ferguson has vowed to help Erickson with his release from prison. "There are more innocent people in prison, including Erickson... I know that he was used and manipulated and I kind of feel sorry for the guy. He needs help, he needs support, he doesn't belong in prison," Ferguson said. T…
Media coverage
In September 2013, the first book about the Ryan Ferguson case was released: Free Ryan Ferguson: 101 Reasons Why Ryan Ferguson Should Be Released, by Brian D'Ambrosio. The book details allegations of police misconduct and intimidation by prosecutor Kevin Crane. There are also accounts of bogus police reports and alleged witnesses claiming that affidavits against Ferguson were signed in their names. D'Ambrosio proposes alternate theories and examines th…
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