Uncensored Justice System Discussion

SaberGal · Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 349 Location: Oregon

I saw the 48 Hours production of this case over the weekend and found it quite disturbing just how easily Ryan Ferguson was convicted.

The only evidence against him was questionable testimony from a troubled young man, Chuck Erickson, Ryan's alleged accomplice. Here's how the prosecution's story went....

Halloween night, 2001, Chuck and Ryan were just 17. Ryan's sister helped sneak them into a local night club - a decision she would later regret. According to the prosecution, Ryan and Chuck, the intoxicated teens, ran out of money and on the fly, decided to go and rob someone. They left the club and started off until they spotted Mr. Ken Heitholt. Heitholt was walking to his car in the parking lot of the local newspaper where he worked as the sports editor. He had just gotten out of work and was likely heading home to his family. According to the prosecution, Chuck first brutally attacked Ken hitting him numerous times with some sort of car tool. Then, Ryan took off Heitholt's belt and strangled him with it until Heitholt died. The truly fascinating thing is that these two intoxicated teens commit this brutal crime, with no planning, and manage to leave absolutely NO physical evidence behind. That is not to say that there was no evidence at the scene...just that none of it belonged to the teens. There were fingerprints, shoe prints....even a hair in Heitholt's hand that did not belong to either the two boys OR Heitholt.

There was a witness who claimed to see two male figures leaving the lot. When asked by the cops the night of the murder, he was not able to give a description of the two because he couldn't see them well at all.

So....how did Ryan and Chuck show up on LE radar? Here goes....and this is where I get REALLY angry....

Two years after the murder, the case had gone completely cold. There is nothing more than a high-profile case-gone-cold to put pressure on LE. The newspaper ran a big article about the murder of their beloved sports editor on the 2nd anniversary of Heitholt's death. After that, Chuck, who by many accounts was a troubled young man, started telling some of his friends that he had been having dreams that he might have been involved in Heitholt's murder...but he didn't know if it was just because of the article or if he really was involved. Eventually, LE brought him in for questioning. During the interrogation, LE literally fed him the details of the crime.

http://www.freeryanferguson.com/chucke.htm

At one point, they even took him and had to point out the spot where he and Ryan allegedly committed this brutal murder. Eventually, the cops got Chuck to say that it was Ryan who strangled Heitholt....but Chuck had NO IDEA what Ryan allegedly used to strangle Heitholt....until the cops told him. It's all in the interrogation.

So....the cops arrest both boys. Ryan has maintained his innocence since day one. His story has never changed. The prosecutions timeline doesn't fit. None of the fingerprints matched the boys. LE couldn't match the shoe prints to the boys. None of the 'car tools' in Ryan's car were used in the crime. Oh yeah....you know that witness who couldn't even give the cops a description of the two figures he saw on the night of the murder? He pointed Ryan out in court as absolutely one of the people he saw that night. Unbelievable. There is much, much more on the official Free Ryan Ferguson sight put up by Ryan's family. Ryan was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Over the summer, Ryan's defense motioned the court for a new trial based on new evidence (and ineffective assistance iirc) and I am anxiously awaiting that decision. Links of interest are below...but if you only have time for one, make sure and watch Chuck's interrogation that's listed above.

http://www.freeryanferguson.com/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCyKnc1BVV8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5McAuB6zhH0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ-ZoS_Dmbk pt. 3 revised
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IbEjC7BBHc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_FJHWYq1mA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhKeiY-tyY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZKo7IjLKvA
_________________
"Evil triumphs when good men do nothing."
- E. Burke
__________________________________________
That's OK. I wasn't using my civil liberties anyway. (Insert rolly eye emoticon here)

JUSTICE1st · Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 715 Location: USA

VERY disturbing indeed, and a case for RAISING THE BAR if I ever saw one. I didn't see the interrogation only because I'm missing a piece of hardware on my new PC (which I forgot to ask for) that allows me to view videos on sites.

It just seems to me that LE is getting MORE sloppy with its procedures lately, not making absolutely sure they are locking up the RIGHT person or persons that committed the crime in question. Just because there is pressure on police to solve a cold case doesn't give them a pass on doing bad police work just to "nail" SOMEBODY. Aren't they supposed to be doing more careful police work instead?

We see shows on IN SESSION TV like "Forensic Files" that's supposed to lay out how good forensics solved a case. WHERE are the good forensics in THIS case? And here's a suggestion for a new program for the evening I.S. lineup; ANALYSIS OF WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS, which could examine current cases of those with suspicious convictions and asking these questions on broadcast media. Why isn't I.S. doing more of those programs in the evenings instead of these silly "most shocking" reality-TV-type shows that are more fluff than substance?

I'm with you, Saber; this is the kind of case that should get everyone "spitting mad," as Jami Floyd frequently says, about the increasing number of wrongful convictions and why they're happening. I think more TV coverage needs to be focusing exclusively on this issue, because it really is a nightmare that could happen to anyone, simply for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

J Cool

_________________
"We must remember, always, that accusation is not proof, and conviction depends on evidence and due process of law."
EDWARD R. MURROW, 1954

SaberGal · Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 349 Location: Oregon

I am hearing that Greta Van Susteren is very close to doing a show on Ryan's case. Please email her urge her to go through with it....this is one case that needs as much public attention as possible...Ryan is innocent and should freed! The public needs to hear what happened to him because if it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone!

Greta can be emailed at ontherecord@foxnews.com

Thanks in advance!!
_________________
"Evil triumphs when good men do nothing."
- E. Burke
__________________________________________
That's OK. I wasn't using my civil liberties anyway. (Insert rolly eye emoticon here)