A Missouri man said he couldn’t sleep his first night free after spending more than 10 years behind bars for a murder he maintains he did not commit.
Ryan Ferguson, 29, was cut loose from a federal prison on Tuesday, a week after an appeals court overturned his 2005 conviction.
“It’s been a wild ride,” Ferguson told NBC’s "Today" show on Wednesday, adding that he stayed awake during his first night home.
“Seeing the light come out and the sun come up, it’s pretty incredible.”
Ferguson — who was serving 40 years for the 2001 murder and robbery of Kent Heitholt, an editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune — said he was still dealing with the shock of walking out of the clink.
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“When I finally realized it was actually over, it was incredible relief because I was afraid,” he told the news station. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. They don’t really tell you a whole lot. It was a sensation like no other, and seeing my family right there and hugging them, and knowing that we were going to go home together — it was amazing.”
A state appeals court vacated Ferguson’s conviction after the panel found he did not receive a fair trial.
The panel found that prosecutors withheld evidence from defense attorneys and managed to get a conviction from two witnesses who later recanted their testimony.
Ferguson was arrested after his friend, Chuck Erickson, told cops in 2003 that the pair attacked Heitholt during a night of drinking. A night janitor, Jerry Trump, also said during the trial that he saw the two teens near the parking lot where the editor was killed.
Erickson later admitted that he lied about what happened the night Heitholt was killed and Trump told a courtroom years later that he was coached by prosecutors before he testified. Trump could face perjury charges.
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Ferguson spoke to the Daily News the day before an appeals court announced its ruling and said he held no grudges against Erickson or Trump.
"These people are victims," he told The News. "These people were taken advantage of."
"When I think of Erickson, I think of the authorities and prosecutors — how they used this kid to destroy my life," he said.
Ferguson said both men deserve credit for confessing to false testimony.
"They had the courage to come forth ... to admit they lied," he said. "I have respect for them."
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The appeals court panel ordered that Ferguson be released if prosecutors did not file a notice for a new trial within 15 days.
On Tuesday, State Attorney General Chris Koster’s office said they “will not retry or pursue further action against Ryan Ferguson at this time.”
“It’s completely over,” his lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, told the news station. “The evidence against him was fabricated. We’ver proved that. And unless they want to fabricate more evidence, this is completely over.”
Ferguson said he plans to continue writing a book that he’s been working on for some time and will take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way.
“I’m just going to continue to work hard and take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way,” he said. “If there’s not a whole lot of opportunities, then I’m going to make a few.”
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