By Emily Sullivan
Opinion and Associate editor
A lot can happen in 10 years.
In 10 years, I went from being an awkward, gangly seventh-grader to an awkward slightly less-gangly senior in college, about to embark on an even scarier journey into “the real world.” Looking back on it now, 10 years really did fly by, but as I lived them, they seemed to drag on for an eternity.
Ryan Ferguson, on the other hand, spent the past 10 years very differently. He spent them behind bars in a Missouri prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Ferguson walked out of a jail a free and officially innocent man, according to a Nov. 13 ABC News story. In 2001, Ferguson was convicted for killing Kent Heitholt, a Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor.
A friend, Chuck Erikson, told police he and Ferguson committed the crime, but couldn’t remember a lot of details when he was interrogated by police, according to a Nov. 13 CBS story. Another eyewitness claimed to have seen Ferguson at the scene, but both the eyewitness and Erikson recanted their testimonies. None of the hair, fingerprints or blood at the scene pointed to Ferguson.
Yet he remained in prison for 10 years of his life. 10 years of memories he missed out on because of a faulty conviction.
Throughout, Ferguson maintained that he was innocent and after some time, Erikson recanted his statement, according to the same story.
Even though Ferguson has every right to be furious after he was released, he attended a brief news conference before going out for a beer and steak dinner with his family.
He’s handling it a lot better than I would have.
When asked if he planned to take any action against the massive injustice against him, Ferguson was level-headed about it.
I’m going to let the attorneys handle that. I’ve had my whole twenties taken from me,” Ferguson said. “You know, right now I’m focused on spending time with my family… Really it’s just about getting on with life and getting back to some normalcy. That’s my main focus right now.”
It’s great that Ferguson left prison with an apparently bitter-free attitude. But just because Ferguson isn’t concerned with losing his twenties in prison doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be.
Ferguson’s situation is terrifying. Imagine being imprisoned for 10 years for a crime you didn’t commit and there being nothing you can do to change it.
A change needs to be made. If there is even a slight chance that someone may not be guilty, they shouldn’t be haphazardly thrown into prison. This happens far too often. Innocent people shouldn’t have to be put in prison just because the courts need to make a conviction.
Enjoy your freedom, Mr. Ferguson. You deserve it.
sullivec10@bonaventure.edu
