Ep. 175 - The Wrongful Conviction of Ryan Ferguson, Part 2
Arrested for something someone saw in their dreams, Ryan Ferguson hoped justice would prevail in court. He wasn’t prepared to face a corrupt system, fabricated evidence, and a prosecutor who seemed willing to do anything to win. It would take an army to right some of the wrongs, but an innocent man remains in jail and a killer is still on the loose. This week’s episode is the Wrongful Conviction of Ryan Ferguson Part 2.
SOURCES
Sources previously cited in Part 1: https://sinisterhood.com/shownotes/episode-174-the-wrongful-conviction-of-ryan-ferguson-part-1
Dream/Killer on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80081990
Final Appeal (provides facts established): https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=67260
Petition for Writ of Habeas: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/564390-ryan-ferguson-habeas-corpus-petition
Trial Transcripts and other original case files: http://www.freecharleserickson.org/casefiles.html
Victimology and analysis of the crime for likely suspect - Ann Burgess Report: http://www.freecharleserickson.com/Exhibit-31-Classification-of-Ann-Wolbert-Burgess.pdf
Ann Burgess: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Burgess
One Murder, Two Victims: The Wrongful Conviction of Ryan Ferguson, Crime Magazine: http://www.crimemagazine.com/one-murder-two-victims-wrongful-conviction-ryan-ferguson
Ferguson attorney Kathleen Zellner boasts high success rate, Columbia Missourian: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/ferguson-attorney-kathleen-zellner-boasts-high-success-rate/article_8b612ffc-a9ac-5044-bc16-765594a1cf2b.html
Ryan Ferguson on life and "The Amazing Race": "You've got to keep going — no matter what the challenges", CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ryan-ferguson-amazing-race-48-hours/
Ryan Ferguson thinks he knows who really killed Kent Heitholt, KMBC News: https://www.kmbc.com/article/ryan-ferguson-thinks-he-knows-who-really-killed-kent-heitholt/3444678
Friends of Heitholt Surprised by Ferguson Decision, KOMU News: https://www.komu.com/news/friends-of-heitholt-surprised-by-ferguson-decision/article_cbecc255-9988-53cd-b2a1-cf9bac3d8d38.html
Families React to Ferguson Verdict, KOMU News: https://www.komu.com/news/families-react-to-ferguson-verdict/article_9ceb593f-2432-5236-b7c7-8d43a9226964.html
Police Seek New Leads in Murder Case After Ryan Ferguson Freed From Jail, ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-seek-leads-murder-case-ryan-ferguson-freed/story?id=20891097
Kent Heitholt: The Man Ryan Ferguson Was Wrongly Convicted of Murdering, Heavy: https://heavy.com/entertainment/kent-heitholt-ryan-ferguson-accused-murdering/
Ryan Ferguson, Who Was Wrongfully Convicted of Murder, Is Competing on 'The Amazing Race' Season 33, Distractify: https://www.distractify.com/p/ryan-ferguson-today
The 2004 murder of a Missouri sports reporter and the man who lost his 20s, Fox 2 News: https://fox2now.com/news/true-crime/the-2004-murder-of-a-missouri-sports-reporter-and-the-man-who-lost-his-20s/
Kevin Crane Judge Profile: https://www.courts.mo.gov/hosted/circuit13/geninfo/jdgdiv03.htm
False Memory Syndrome Foundation: http://www.fmsfonline.org/
Memory distortion is real: Here’s why your brain creates false memories, Thrive Works: https://thriveworks.com/blog/memory-distortion/
False Memory: What You Need to Know, Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/false-memory#whos-at-risk
RESOURCES ON PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT AND POLICE INTERROGATION TACTICS
Law Journal Articles and Studies
Police Integrity Lost: A Study of Law Enforcement Officers Arrested, Department of Justice: https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249850.pdf
Fraudulently Induced Confessions, Notre Dame Law Review: https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4940&context=ndlr
MANIPULATION OF SUSPECTS AND UNRECORDED QUESTIONING: AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF MIRANDA JURISPRUDENCE, STILL TWO (OR MAYBE THREE) BURNING ISSUES, Boston University Law Review: https://www.bu.edu/bulawreview/files/2017/08/SLOBOGIN.pdf
The Law Relating to Police Interrogation Privileges and Limitations, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5004&context=jclc
Relevant News Articles
St. Louis prosecutor: Fabricated and hidden evidence by police, prosecutor led to wrongful conviction, Injustice Watch: https://www.injusticewatch.org/news/2019/st-louis-prosecutor-calls-to-overturn-conviction-based-on-fabricated-police-evidence-undisclosed-witness-payments/
For the First Time Ever, a Prosecutor Will Go to Jail for Wrongfully Convicting an Innocent Man, Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/for-the-first-time-ever-a_b_4221000
Only One Prosecutor Has Ever Been Jailed for Misconduct Leading to a Wrongful Conviction, Innocence Project: https://innocenceproject.org/ken-anderson-michael-morton-prosecutorial-misconduct-jail/
Jail Time May Be the Least of Ken Anderson’s Problems, Texas Monthly: https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/jail-time-may-be-the-least-of-ken-andersons-problems/
$28.1 Million Jury Award after Eighth Circuit Allows Conspiracy Claims in Nebraska Wrongful Conviction Suit, Prison Legal News: https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2017/jan/10/281-million-jury-award-after-eighth-circuit-allows-conspiracy-claims-nebraska-wrongful-conviction-suit/
Police Denied Qualified Immunity for Fabricated Evidence, Prison Legal News: https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2007/may/15/police-denied-qualified-immunity-for-fabricated-evidence/
