A Missouri man convicted for the murder of a Columbia newspaper editor may be released from prison soon, The New York Daily News reported.
On Tuesday, an appeals court overturned the conviction of Ryan Ferguson, 29, who has been serving a 40-year-prison sentence for the 2001 death of Columbia Daily Tribune editor Kent Heitholt.
Heitholt was discovered strangled to death and lying in a pool of blood after being attacked in his office's parking lot.
After a September hearing, a group of judges ruled that Ferguson must be released unless prosecutors file for a retrial within 15 days.
"The ruling is great," said his attorney Kathleen Zellner. "We've always had a lot of confidence in the court and that it would undo this travesty."
The Missouri Attorney General's office said it planned to review the judges' decision and work with Boone County prosecutors about the next step.
Zellner doesn't believe prosecutors will file for a retrial.
"I would find it amazing if they did," she said. "They have two witnesses who said they lied under oath. After everything we know, it would be a first in American jurisprudence."
Ferguson has always maintained his innocence and credited lies and overzealous prosecutors for his conviction.
A former friend, Chuck Erickson, said he killed Heitholt with Ferguson during a robbery attempt and ultimately led to his prison sentence. However, years later, he redacted his testimony and said he falsely identified Ferguson.
The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District said they did not believe Ferguson, who was 19-years-old at the time of the attack, ever received a fair trial.
"His verdict is not worthy of judicial or public confidence," Judge Cynthia Martin wrote, adding "undisclosed evidence" was never given to the defense team.
The ruling states that prosecutors withheld an interview with the wife of witness Jerry Trump -- who originally said he saw Ferguson at the scene but then recanted -- that would have been "favorable" for the defense.
"Every day I ask, 'Will I get my life back?'" Ferguson said in a phone interview.
