Comments on: Dream Killer

A Young Man Dreams He Murdered A Man

[jesscar]

After watching Dream Killer, i was shocked that Ryan was found guilty. I feel so bad for him ,his family and the victims family. I didn''t see any evidence that the two boys did it. There was NO JUSTICE!! The Jurors, Prosecutors and Police just wanted to close the case and not find the real killers. Haven''t we learned to not put innocent people in jail. I can bet, later down the road they''ll find out that the two boys are innocent. It is sad.

[mreuss1]

After watching "Dream Killer" last night and the Dateline story about Barry Beach, I have lost total faith in our justice system. The inept police work and the unethical prosecutors in both cases make me sick to my stomach. Ryan''s prosecutor who knew nothing about "false memories" is now a Circuit Court Judge. WOW!!! Unbelievable!!! There needs to be more judicail oversight and review of cases that are obvious malfeasance. What both cases have in common are unethical police work and prosecutial malfeasance. The Department of Justice needs to be involved immediately in order to see that justice is served. Public trust needs to be restored!!!

[emjayp1]

I can''t imagine the detectives assigned to this horrific case didn''t see the discrepency in Chuck''s testimony. He claimed that Ryan strangled the victim by standing on his back while pulling the belt tight. However, according to the pictures of the victim at the crime scene, he was laying on his back. Explain to me how Ryan could have stangled the victim the way Chuch described if the victim was laying on his back at the time. How Ryan could have been found quilty is beyond me.

[emjayp1]

I can''t imagine that the detectives assigned to the "Dream Murder" case haven''t taken this into consideration, but, after watching the show last night, I have to bring it up. According to the boy you confessed to the murder, he said Ryan stepped on the victims back while pulling the belt tight around the victims neck. But, according to the pictures taken of the victim at the crime scene, the victim was laying on his back, face up. Explain to me how Ryan could have strangled the victim by pulling the belt tight while standing on the victims back.

[barbisrael]

The SHEER INCOMPETENCE OF THE DEFENSE LAWYERS! not to
have made the interrogation videos the very CENTER-
PIECE of the trial, to be examined & disected over and
over again, ASTOUNDS ME!! The Fergusons need to sue
for a new trial on the grounds of GROSS INCOMPETENCE
and INADEQUATE COUNSEL!!, (like what just happened in
the Cynthia Sommer case! What a HORRIFIC situation!
My heart goes out to them - it will take alot of
strength.

Barbara / NYC

[roscoezzz]

If Chuck was seeking attention. Why oh why did he choose to seek attention through MURDER? Then why did he drag Ryan down with him? Chuck had a history of forgery, drug and alcohol abuse and displacement from society. He''s got to be insane. Come on! He had a dream about the murder he committed two years later. Did you see how confident Chuck was on the witness stand though? The jurors believed him.
I believe Ryan''s innocence, but boy was he "Arrogant" shackled in those chains. I''d be scared out of my mind! Chuck gets 25 years after a plea deal and Ryan gets 40 years maximum. What a mystery....

[zooie]

I am so deeply bothered by this report that I can''t sleep. Why didn''t they change the venue to Kansas City? The murder victim was 6''3". Supposedly a young boy, who appeared to be nearly a foot shorter (how tall was he when the murder was committed?) was capable of hitting a huge man hard enough with a rachet (or was it a tire iron?? the story changed) to render him helpless so Ryan could then strangle him with the victim''s own belt. I grew up in a small community near Columbia and I can understand how the simple-minded jurors could easily be led like sheep by a man self directed for his own benefit - a prosecutor bucking for a promotion - judge no less. The defense attorney did nothing to discredit the night guard''s id of the suspects - night guard - it''s dark at night. Was this the defense attys first murder trial? Why were they tried together? They should have had separate trials??? Isn''t there a good defense atty out there to step in and help Ryan Ferguson?? This is just dispicable!

[amc64]

The jury''s comments led me to believe they made up there decision before Ryan even took the stand. I have a hard time understanding how a jury could believe a man who did not remember anything until 2 years after the crime and then remember in full detail after being told details...It is obviously doubtfull which would be grounds for aquittal. Also, the hair in the victims hand did not match either of the boys DNA....That points to someone else and it is disgusting that the prosecution believed this manipulated child over physical and scientifical evidence...

[lbanos]

Well, well, well, Kevin now has a huge promotion to Circuit Court Judge. Good Grief Gracy....how can you sleep at night? I realize that the dollar is at the heart of the issue here....the faster it goes away, the less it will cost. But, what about our Constituion? What about the judicial process that has been in place forever? What about the sloppy and inconclusive investigating, not to mention forensic work? It is one guy''s word (who understandably wants to avoid the consequences of a drunken admission of guilt) against another guy''s word here. A total injustice. And, even the victim''s family, is not a peace with the decision, bless her heart, though she tried to be. Patience....somehow the truth will be known by the fortitude of others!

[lbanos]

Wake up America....Plea deals are the way our Judicial system works these days. It closes the case easily, quickly and all still get the big bucks. I hope Ryan''s family does whatever it takes to FORCE their judicial system to look at the evidence, or lack there of, to convict their son. Appeal, appeal, appeal. What transpires in the court room is only a facade of where the justice is really dealt. Even, by their own admmission, the jury had him guilty before he took the stand in his own defense. Please
don''t ever give up!

[lbanos]

Wake up AMerica!! The plea bargain process is the deal these days. It easily, painlessly (unless you are the innocent) and quickly closes a case. The prosecutors get the paycheck, the attorneys get their big bugs, and the prison system will be still overcrowded.

As a parent of a Marine who recently went through the Court Martial process (the most unfair ''judicial'' system in the entire world) charged with muder, among other things, as part of the Camp Pendleton 8, in California. Cases are not ever solved anymore by the never-lie evidence, as we would hope. No, they are solved by the prosecutors weeks before trial behind those elicit ''closed doors''. There is where you can really see our ''judicial'' system at work, I am sorry to say. With a plea deal, it''s a done deal...unless you are on the receiving end of the deal!

[ketshia]

I don''t know what to say, other then the little faith I had in the criminal justice system just reached a new low. I empathize with the victim''s family and how desprerate everyone was to find the killers, but this was somewhat tanting the memory of a man who lived his life editing facts. I just believe Ryan deserved more then a confusing confession and a shakey eye witness.

[daddybob4]

As Chuck was talking to police when asked what he had hit the victim with I think he said a ratchet which is not a tire tool. In later statements it becomes a tire tool. If he did say ratchet the leverage is quite different with a ratchet than with a tire tool.
This needs to be clarified.

[conhem]

This case makes me sick. I cannot believe that there was no evidence that either Ryan or Chuck had been at the crime scene. I would like to know about the hair found in the victim''s hand...who does that belong to? I believe something needs to be changed in the law that allows police to give details of evidence when trying to get a confession. Pretty easy to get the details you want when you give them to an unstable person. Is this America? I am deeply concerned that Crane is now a judge. It is very disturbing that a jury would dismiss the evidence that was found....and convict with NO evidence. The eye witness testimony of the janitor was unreliable....the jury should study the reliability of eye witnesses....usually an eye witness cannot identify the correct person in a line up.

[conhem]

This case makes me sick. I cannot believe that there was no evidence that either Ryan or Chuck had been at the crime scene. I would like to know about the hair found in the victim''s hand...who does that belong to? I believe something needs to be changed in the law that allows police to give details of evidence when trying to get a confession. Pretty easy to get the details you want when you give them to an unstable person. Is this America? I am deeply concerned that Crane is now a judge. It is very disturbing that a jury would dismiss the evidence that was found....and convict with NO evidence. The eye witness testimony of the janitor was unreliable....the jury should study the reliability of eye witnesses....usually an eye witness cannot identify the correct person in a line up.

[conhem]

This case makes me sick. I cannot believe that there was no evidence that either Ryan or Chuck had been at the crime scene. I would like to know about the hair found in the victim''s hand...who does that belong to? I believe something needs to be changed in the law that allows police to give details of evidence when trying to get a confession. Pretty easy to get the details you want when you give them to an unstable person. Is this America? I am deeply concerned that Crane is now a judge. It is very disturbing that a jury would dismiss the evidence that was found....and convict with NO evidence. The eye witness testimony of the janitor was unreliable....the jury should study the reliability of eye witnesses....usually an eye witness cannot identify the correct person in a line up.

[conhem]

This case makes me sick. I cannot believe that there was no evidence that either Ryan or Chuck had been at the crime scene. I would like to know about the hair found in the victim''s hand...who does that belong to? I believe something needs to be changed in the law that allows police to give details of evidence when trying to get a confession. Pretty easy to get the details you want when you give them to an unstable person. Is this America? I am deeply concerned that Crane is now a judge. It is very disturbing that a jury would dismiss the evidence that was found....and convict with NO evidence. The eye witness testimony of the janitor was unreliable....the jury should study the reliability of eye witnesses....usually an eye witness cannot identify the correct person in a line up.

[conhem]

This case makes me sick. I cannot believe that there was no evidence that either Ryan or Chuck had been at the crime scene. I would like to know about the hair found in the victim''s hand...who does that belong to? I believe something needs to be changed in the law that allows police to give details of evidence when trying to get a confession. Pretty easy to get the details you want when you give them to an unstable person. Is this America? I am deeply concerned that Crane is now a judge. It is very disturbing that a jury would dismiss the evidence that was found....and convict with NO evidence. The eye witness testimony of the janitor was unreliable....the jury should study the reliability of eye witnesses....usually an eye witness cannot identify the correct person in a line up.

[conhem]

This case makes me sick. I cannot believe that there was no evidence that either Ryan or Chuck had been at the crime scene. I would like to know about the hair found in the victim''s hand...who does that belong to? I believe something needs to be changed in the law that allows police to give details of evidence when trying to get a confession. Pretty easy to get the details you want when you give them to an unstable person. Is this America? I am deeply concerned that Crane is now a judge. It is very disturbing that a jury would dismiss the evidence that was found....and convict with NO evidence. The eye witness testimony of the janitor was unreliable....the jury should study the reliability of eye witnesses....usually an eye witness cannot identify the correct person in a line up.

[conhem]

This case makes me sick. I cannot believe that there was no evidence that either Ryan or Chuck had been at the crime scene. I would like to know about the hair found in the victim''s hand...who does that belong to? I believe something needs to be changed in the law that allows police to give details of evidence when trying to get a confession. Pretty easy to get the details you want when you give them to an unstable person. Is this America? I am deeply concerned that Crane is now a judge. It is very disturbing that a jury would dismiss the evidence that was found....and convict with NO evidence. The eye witness testimony of the janitor was unreliable....the jury should study the reliability of eye witnesses....usually an eye witness cannot identify the correct person in a line up.