Dream Killer

A Young Man Dreams He Murdered A Man

(CBS)  This story originally aired Feb. 18, 2006. It was updated on April 17, 2008.

For two years, police investigated the brutal 2001 Halloween night slaying of newspaper editor Kent Heitholt in Columbia, Mo. They had no viable suspects and the victim's family had come to terms this crime might never be solved.

But then police heard that a young man told a friend that he had dreamed he participated in the killing and also named an accomplice to the murder: his good friend, Ryan Ferguson.

48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty reports on this mysterious murder investigation, and the subsequent trial.

---

It's not unusual for a father to miss his college-aged son but, in this case, Bill Ferguson's 21-year-old son Ryan is in jail. He was arrested for the 2001 murder of the Columbia Tribune’s sports editor Kent Heitholt, after Ryan’s alleged accomplice talked to friends about the crime.

"It just tears at your heart. And knowing that he’s going through this," says Bill.

Bill and his wife, Leslie - now separated - have put aside their differences to fight for their son and help prove his innocence.

"This is something that I never thought our family, our child, would ever have to go through," says Leslie. "And it's scary."

"It was so sad, and just such a shock. I just remember thinking 'Well, they obviously have the wrong person,' " says Ryan's sister Kelly.

Kelly and Ryan grew up in Columbia, Mo., an affluent college town deeply rooted in family and tradition. Their father made his mark in real estate; their mother is a reading coach.

Asked to describe Ryan, Leslie says her son is "loving," "laid back" and has a "good sense of humor."

Even Kelly has only good things to say about her kid brother. "He’s just got such a good heart. Being an older sister, I put him through hell, growing up. And he would always be my friend, no matter what."

Ryan, not much of a student, was more focused on the social side of high school; Kelly says her brother was always with a girl, no matter what.

Ryan says the murder charge is one big terrible mistake and he’s counting on his family to help him prove it.

"They’re doing everything they can for me. And I love 'em so much for that. I’m just glad that they can see that I am innocent," he says.

In 2001 when the murder occurred, Ryan often hung out with Chuck Erickson, a high school buddy who, like Ryan, loved to party.

That Halloween night, Kelly offered to sneak the two boys into the dance club.

"I know that Ryan was underage, I shouldn’t have gotten him in the bar. But I just thought, maybe, you know, he’ll have fun," she recalls.

"It was extremely crowded," Ryan remembers, "And there were people in costumes running around. Everyone was having a good time. I enjoyed it."

Just a few blocks away from the bar where Ryan and Chuck were partying, Kent Heitholt was at work. The Columbia Tribune’s sports editor often worked into the wee hours, as he did that night. After he left his office, he went to his car and began his nightly routine.

Kali Heitholt says her father always took the time to feed a stray cat that roamed the lot, keeping a box of cat food in his car.

"Every night before he left, he’d pour a little on the concrete slab for the cat to come and eat," she says.

Kent fed the cat that night, but never made it home. Kali and her mother were fast asleep when police came knocking on their door.

"They say to my mom like, 'There’s been a horrific act committed against your husband,' " Kali remembers.

[santaslilho]

I am totally outraged and believe that Prosecutor Crane should be immediately removed from his position. I thought he was the one that I found hard to believe. I felt every word out of his mouth was absolute nonsense. I also feel that the investigators in this case should be suspended/relieved of their duties. They are a complete embarrassment to their badges. They are why most citizens have such little faith in them. It is quite obvious that the kid that claimed to have dreamt about this crime, did not and could not have committed it. HE COULDN''T EVEN REMEMBER ANY, I REPEAT, ANY DETAILS ABOUT THE CRIME. All details were absoluted planted by the interogator. And as for the CRIMINAL janitor, that told police on the phone that he couldn''t tell them any details/descriptions of the perpetrators. Only that they were two males leaving the scene. That he TOTALLY knows who they were in the court room were an outrage. I deeply feel for the Fergusons and PRAY TO GOD, that the true criminals that committed this crime will eventually be found. Until then I pray for their family. Thank you...Cheryl

[troyramsey]

What a horrible miscarriage of justice! I understand sitting on a jury is difficult, but I am unsure how you are able to overlook the fact that information was "force-fed" to a very confused young man! The police investigation was irresponsible and convoluted. It makes you wonder about our justice system!

[ecperry]

I cannot believe what has transpired here! To think that evidence can be disregarded in such a manner as it was in this case makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. There was forensic evidence left at the scene of the crime that does not match either of the two boys. The most obvious being the unidentified hair that was found in the victim''s hand. This hair had to have belonged to someone at the scene of the crime. If that is so, then Chuck''s version of the story, that he and Ryan (alone, just the two of them) killed this man, is obviously false. IF the two of them were involved, then why does he not remember the THIRD person who must have been present - the owner of the hair? This is just one of many holes in his story. We need to remember here that this is not a circumstantial case; there was evidence left at the scene that should not be so carelessly discarded.

[ecperry]

I cannot believe what has transpired here! To think that evidence can be disregarded in such a manner as it was in this case makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. There was forensic evidence left at the scene of the crime that does not match either of the two boys. The most obvious being the unidentified hair that was found in the victim''s hand. This hair had to have belonged to someone at the scene of the crime. If that is so, then Chuck''s version of the story, that he and Ryan (alone, just the two of them) killed this man, is obviously false. IF the two of them were involved, then why does he not remember the THIRD person who must have been present - the owner of the hair? This is just one of many holes in his story. We need to remember here that this is not a circumstantial case; there was evidence left at the scene that should not be so carelessly discarded.

[snackbar99]

I can''t begin to imagine why Mr Erickson would confess to a crime he did not commit but it happens all the time. Then I watch the tape of the police FORCE-FEEDING him key details of the investigation to get the testimony they want to hear and I am sickened. They should get up off their lazy ***** and go find the real killers ''cause it sure wasn''t these two. And then the ignorance of the jury to convict Mr Ferguson with no physical evidence made me want to smash my TV over their heads. I know one thing after watching this episode.....I WOULD NEVER TRUST A JURY OF MY PEERS TO DECIDE MY FATE. They all seemed to be lacking common sense.

[ecperry]

I cannot believe what has transpired here! To think that evidence can be disregarded in such a manner as it was in this case makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. There was forensic evidence left at the scene of the crime that does not match either of the two boys. The most obvious being the unidentified hair that was found in the victim''s hand. This hair had to have belonged to someone at the scene of the crime. If that is so, then Chuck''s version of the story, that he and Ryan (alone, just the two of them) killed this man, is obviously false. IF the two of them were involved, then why does he not remember the THIRD person who must have been present - the owner of the hair? This is just one of many holes in his story. We need to remember here that this is not a circumstantial case; there was evidence left at the scene that should not be so carelessly discarded.

[ecperry]

I cannot believe what has transpired here! To think that evidence can be disregarded in such a manner as it was in this case makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. There was forensic evidence left at the scene of the crime that does not match either of the two boys. The most obvious being the unidentified hair that was found in the victim''s hand. This hair had to have belonged to someone at the scene of the crime. If that is so, then Chuck''s version of the story, that he and Ryan (alone, just the two of them) killed this man, is obviously false. IF the two of them were involved, then why does he not remember the THIRD person who must have been present - the owner of the hair? This is just one of many holes in his story. We need to remember here that this is not a circumstantial case; there was evidence left at the scene that should not be so carelessly discarded.

[yamaha2u]

In the crime photo, the victim was lying on his back. Chuck Erickson testified that Ryan put his foot in the victim''s back while strangling him. Even if that were the case, rolling over a 300+ lb. body would have likely left one arm close to the torso, yet both arms were extended in the photo. Did that indicate that one arm was purposely extended after rolling the body over, or was that yet another flaw in Chuck''s testimony?

[ecperry]

I am sorry for the repeated posts, they can be removed. I kept getting an error message and thought my post had not been published. I deeply apologize!

[mickeyminni1]

I can''t believe how inept the prosecutor in this case was! What an injustice to this young man. I don''t think the jury had enough experience to understand the whole case. I would have really had questions. I would have wanted every detail of the autopsy to be convinced of this young mans guilt. The so called witnesses did not seem credible to me. I feel they were fed the details by the police. This is coming from a criminal justice major. Why if Ryan had choked this man with a belt while standing on his back were there no foot impressions left on his back with bruising. Now a days they should almost be able to tell shoe size by those bruises that should have been left!!!!!

[psychstudent-2009]

I just finished watching this story and was intensely disturbed both by the biased police investigation and ignorant prosecutor. I can imagine their level of desperation, after searching fruitlessly for 2 years to find the killer of a man who certainly did not deserve to be so brutally murdered. However, the few investigation clips that were shown during the 1 hour show were enough to convince me that neither the police department, nor the prosecutor were current on the literature surrounding the psychology of investigation practices. This topic has become an increasingly hot button within the field of forensic psychology, and a variety of major police departments%u2019 contract forensic psychologists to help them eliminate the very biases that corrupted the Columbia police dept. For the prosecutor to claim that he has NEVER heard of "false memory" tells me that neither he nor his legal aids did their research. I am a graduate student in psychology, however I am not studying forensic psychology and I still know that the debate over false memory and the psychology of interview tactics has been one of the premier topics within both cognitive and forensic psychology for the last 15 years.

[psychstudent-2009]

This is the end of my earlier post...

A simple journal search would surely hit thousands of articles on this topic. Likewise, the expert witness, Dr. Loftus, is one of the top 25 psychology researchers of all time... we''re talking Freud, Erickson, Pavlov....and yes Loftus. She is not just fabricating a crazy idea she dreamed up, she has years and years of reliable, meaningful, and empirical research to defend her perspective on false memory. If the prosecutor was unable to understand or fathom the intricacies of false memory, he is either a poor researcher, he is ignorant, or he is biased. Finally, if Loftus'' research is not compelling enough, a short review of the work of Dr. Gary Wells would certainly leave no doubt that the police investigation was just about as poorly conducted as possible. There was no control for bias or suggestibility, and the boy who confessed was essentially spoon-fed everything the police needed to achieve a conviction. When one party (the police) have a vested interest and do nothing to control for the influence of their bias and eagerness to find a killer, there is no level of checks and balances to achieve the type of judgment process our Country claims to uphold. I am extremely disheartened by this display of unethical behavior which has consequently landed a young man in prison for the rest of his life. Does the end justify the means?

[mickeyminni1]

I really hope the Innocense Project will see this story and take on Ryans case. And to top everything else in this case is that the prosecutor of this case is now a JUDGE!!!!!!!

[mickeyminni1]

Just another side note is they claimed Ryan exhibited no emotion. I am sure he probably is very tramitized over this whole ordeal and some people have PTSD type behavior when thrown into a tramatic event. This sure counts as a trama to me. He probably is feeling very void empty and numb.

[dubble_dee]

Just when you think you''ve seen and heard it all a story like this comes to your attention. I don''t think I could''ve made it through the night without coming here and venting my frustration and anger I feel towards this whole group of purely ignorant and unjust people (jury, prosecutor, detectives, etc.) There is no way possible I could of ever convicted someone of murder based on that case. It really scares me to think that anyone of us could end up in this kind of situation and there''s nothing we could do about it. My mind right now is just in an uncomprehendable mode and I can''t except that this has happened to someone. I''ll pray for Ryan and his family while I''m asking God for my own personal understanding of this tragic misjustice.

[dubble_dee]

Just when you think you''ve seen and heard it all a story like this comes to your attention. I don''t think I could''ve made it through the night without coming here and venting my frustration and anger I feel towards this whole group of purely ignorant and unjust people (jury, prosecutor, detectives, etc.) There is no way possible I could of ever convicted someone of murder based on that case. It really scares me to think that anyone of us could end up in this kind of situation and there''s nothing we could do about it. My mind right now is just in an uncomprehendable mode and I can''t except that this has happened to someone. I''ll pray for Ryan and his family while I''m asking God for my own personal understanding of this tragic misjustice.

[owhatanght20]

I originally saw this when it first aired and it made me so mad that when I saw it on tonight I made my husband watch it. He was amazed that he was convicted. What I REALLY want to know is....The janitor...What is he in trouble for legally? There are WAY to many unanswered questions on this case and if I was a juror I don''t think I could''ve done guilty...I think I would''ve been at minimum a hung jury!

[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.

[lisannenyc]

i am utterly heartsick for ryan and his family. to me it''s obvious that chuck(? is that his name) had done something horrible in his past and it is eating away at him. although his psyche can''t accept it, he therefore is confessing to something perhaps not as heinous as that killing. because chuck probably has some deep seated jealousy of ryan, he is simply bringing ryan down with him. i hope and pray that they look deeper into chuck and his life before any of this happen and can come up with what it is that he did. i''m sure this is how he is purging his sin. i pray for ryan and his family and i''m utterly disgusted with that prosecutor and the jury. small town justice?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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]

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!

[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...

[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!

[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....

[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

[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.

[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.

[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!!!

[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 reading Ryan''s Appeal on freeryanferguson.com, all I can say is INCREDIBLE!!! I hope the prosecutor is brought to justice just like Mike Nifong was charged in the Duke University Lacrosse players'' case. We have to reign in these corrupt, incompetent, egomaniac prosecutors. If we do nothing, it could happen to anyone of us!!

[paladin-ddl]

Unfortunately this type of injustice happens more often than anyone can imagine.

Police and prosecutors don''t always care about facts.
Once you''re indicted there is a presumption of guilt rather than a presumption on innocence. Many defense attorneys and Judges are incompetent. Prosecutors coach their witnesses and have no problem suborning perjury. The testimony of anyone cooperating with the government for a reduced sentence should be discounted greatly. The government often makes a deal with the party who takes a plea in order to punish someone who will not take a plea and who insists on their constitutional right to a jury trial.

After a jury verdict for the prosecution it is not uncommon for the prosecutor to have his tie cut off and hung on a wall like a trophy. "Good Job" it doen''t matter that you''ve destroyed a young mans life for personal gain or caused a respected family untold grief. The prosecutors reward for this victory was a position as a judge and who knows maybe even someday a lifetime appointment to the bench.

Why do I know these things? Because I refused to accept an 18 month plea agreement for a crime I did not commit. My reward was to be convicted by a jury and sentenced to 60 months.

I lost my direct appeal (Harmless Error). The supreme court chose not to hear my case.

I can only hope and pray the Ferguson''s will have better luck.

[nickntonymom]

How on earth does this jury sleep at night? The luminol proved there was NO blood in Ryan''s car. The bloody footprint did not match either boys'' and the hair found in the victim''s hand did not belong to either boy! The jury decided their verdict solely on the dream of a troubled boy. They have sent an innocent boy to prison! Apparently chuck wants to be there, so let him go. I have lost all respect and confidence in our judicial system. It is apparent that proof of innocence has no place in the courtroom.

[mrsself]

That was the most ridiculous form of justice I have ever seen! I just could not believe the jury found that kid guilty! I was completely shocked! They found absolutely no evidence at all. There was even evidence of other persons at that scene! That one juror at the end of the show dismissed everything said in court and said what cinched it for her was the other boy''s "pleading look" on his face!I agree with alot of comments here, including the jurors made up their minds before Ryan even took the stand. He even said so much. What an outrage! I also agree with losing faith in the judicial system.

[yupyup5]

Wasn''t there testimony that Ryan stepped on the victims back while pulling the belt...that is not consistent witht the crime photos...the jury should be ashamed of themselves for not picking up sooo many inconsistencies!