Inside the Ryan Ferguson case

Ryan Ferguson continues to fight to have his conviction overturned. — CBS News/48 Hours

Ryan Ferguson is in a Missouri state prison, serving 40 years for a murder he says he did not commit. He continues to fight to have his conviction overturned.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Kent Heitholt crime scene, Columbia, Mo. — Columbia Police Department

Kent Heitholt's body was found next to his car in the parking lot of the Columbia Daily Tribune. The newspaper's sports editor was last seen by his colleagues shortly after 2 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2001. He was severely beaten with a blunt object, but the cause of death was strangulation.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Kent Heitholt was the sports editor of the Columbia Tribune. Known by colleagues as a hard working and friendly man, he left behind a wife and two teenage children.

Colleague Rus Baer describes Kent Heitholt, shown, as a "big, bubbly, friendly bear of a man." At about 6'5" and 300 lbs., he was hardly an easy target for a mugging.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Kent Heitholt's belt buckle and a fragment of the belt at the crime scene — Columbia Police Department

Kent Heitholt was strangled with his own belt. The leather snapped, leaving the buckle and a fragment of the belt at the crime scene. The rest of the belt was never recovered. The crime scene left police stymied for more than two years before they arrested Charles Erickson and Ryan Ferguson.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Police discovered bloody shoe prints leading away from the crime scene. The prints could not be positively matched to either Charles Erickson or Ryan Ferguson.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Police discovered several unidentified fingerprints on Kent Heitholt's car. The prints could not be matched to either Charles Erickson or Ryan Ferguson. Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

At Ryan Ferguson's trial in 2005, Charles Erickson testified that he had repeatedly beat Kent Heitholt with a tire tool from Ferguson's car. "There was blood everywhere." Police did not find any blood in Ferguson's car and the weapon was never found.Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

A notepad with blood smear was on the driver's side seat of Kent Heitholt's car, along with his glasses. One of the lenses was broken during the brutal attack. It was found under his car. When police arrived, they found the car doors closed.Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

The crime scene: Several high school and college basketball programs and schedules were found around and under Kent Heitholt's car. — Columbia Police Department

Several high school and college basketball programs and schedules were found around and under Kent Heitholt's car.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Michael Boyd, seen at a hearing in April 2012, was the last known person to see his boss, Kent Heitholt, alive.

Michael Boyd was the last known person to see his boss, Kent Heitholt, alive. At a hearing in April 2012, Boyd testified that he spoke to Heitholt in the Tribune parking lot sometime after 2:10 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2001. They discussed a high school football game Boyd was going to cover.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Michael Boyd said he left the parking lot around 2:20 a.m. and drove straight home. Minutes later, co-workers found Kent Heitholt's body lying face down near his car, in a pool of blood. Boyd said he returned to the parking lot later that morning, after learning about the crime. This appears to be Boyd, far left, peering out onto the crime scene.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Columbia Police Department released a composite sketch of suspect — Columbia Police Department

The Columbia Police Department released a composite sketch based on interviews with Shawna Ornt, a janitor who saw two young men in the parking lot, one of whom she got a clear look at when he spoke to her before walking off.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Charles "Chuck" Erickson's 2004 booking photo — Columbia Police Department

Charles "Chuck" Erickson's booking photo taken at the Boone County Jail after his arrest on March 10, 2004. Erickson confessed to the crime immediately, but seemed confused about the details.

Video Erickson's 2004 police interrogation
Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Ryan Ferguson's 2004 booking photo — Columbia Police Department

Ryan Ferguson's booking photo taken at the Boone County Jail after his arrest on March 10, 2004. Ferguson maintained his innocence from the moment he was arrested.

Video: Ferguson's 2004 police interrogation
Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Ryan Ferguson reacts to the jury's decision on Oct. 21, 2005, to convict him of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Several weeks later, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Bill Ferguson with his son, Ryan, and daughter, Kelly. — Ferguson family

Ryan Ferguson, left, with his father, Bill, and sister Kelly, during happier times.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Ryan Ferguson and his father, Bill — Ferguson family

Ryan and Bill Ferguson in a photo taken before Ryan's arrest. Bill says, "We've always been close. Really, really close."

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Ryan Ferguson with his mother, Leslie, in a photo taken during a family visit at Jefferson City Correctional Center.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Ryan Ferguson with his father, Bill — Ferguson famil\y

Bill Ferguson says, "The day that Ryan walks out of prison I'm going to feel as a father that I have done my job." Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Former janitor Jerry Trump was a critical prosecution witness at Ryan Ferguson's trial. He identified Ferguson as one of the men he saw at the crime scene. Here, at a hearing in April 2012, Trump admits he lied and says he can't identify either man he saw in the parking lot that night.

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

At a hearing in April 2012, Charles Erickson testified that he lied at Ryan Ferguson's trial. The truth, he says, is that he really doesn't know what happened the night Kent Heitholt was murdered. "I said I remembered things I didn't remember ... I basically sold my soul to save myself."

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

In October 2012, Judge Daniel Green upheld Ryan Ferguson's conviction. There was never any physical evidence tying Ferguson to Kent Heitholt's murder. Now there are no witnesses connecting him to the crime. Though Ferguson remains in prison, he hasn't given up all hope. "I'm an innocent man, and the facts prove it."

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom

Ryan Ferguson's father, Bill, is determined to prove his son's innocence. He is offering a $10,000 reward for finding the man who was seen in the parking lot that night. He is the man who appears in this sketch.

To learn more: freeryanferguson.com

Ryan Ferguson's fight for freedom