The Case for Ryan Ferguson
A lack of physical evidence and conflicting testimony from an alleged accomplice
has nonetheless resulted in the murder conviction of an innocent young man.

The only two witnesses that testified against Ryan during his 2005 trial were Charles Erickson and Jerry Trump. Both have recanted their testimony. In a written sworn affidavit they have stated they gave false testimony against Ryan. Further, both witnesses are saying that Kevin Crane, the prosecutor, aided and abetted in their false testimony that helped convict Ryan.

This is the current situation, but let's look back to the day of the arrest March 10, 2004. What information did the police and the prosecutor think they had that would help them convict Ryan and Charles?

First, police thought they had an eye witness who said he saw Charles and Ryan at an intersection just one block from the crime scene around 2:30am. The police are estimating the murder took place between 2:15 - 2:25am.

Charles told Detective Short the morning of his arrest that Dallas Mallory had been driving southbound on Providence with two girls and Charles encountered him stopped at a red light at the intersection of Ash and Providence. Charles said he ran over to the car and had a conversation with Dallas.

Second , the police thought they had was the assault weapon, i.e. the tire tool found in Ryan's trunk the evening of the arrest. Charles had told police they had taken a tire tool from Ryan's trunk and that he had used it to strike the victim.

Third, they thought Shawna Ornt would identify Ryan or Chuck as one of the two people she had seen standing up behind the car and then walked towards her before leaving the crime scene by walking up the alley east to 4th street.

Fourth, the police thought the fingerprints found at the crime scene would match Ryan and/or Charles.

Fifth, they thought they would find evidence from Ryan's car that would connect them to the victim.

Sixth, after spoon-feeding Charles information that the public did not know, he confessed to a crime that he knew nothing about, except for what he had read in the newspaper or was told by Detective Short. This can be seen on the police interrogation video tapes.