The Flawed Case of Charles Erickson

[Music] hey you and welcome my name is Mike and in this old video we're gonna have a look at these story of Charles Erickson and what happened in good ol Missouri this tale goes a little something like this never had a dreams that that um you add you'll do what you could you do you it you want you you could do so you you do you can you you want you want him to do this is my dreams people and the ability to separate fact from fiction and what happens if you place yourself somewhere you never wear and the police take your imaginings as proof let's get into it [Music] on Halloween night in the year 2001 in the city of Columbia Missouri friends Charles Erickson and Ryan Ferguson were out hey it's all we partying they were both 17 years old at the time I'm party and pretty darn hard rock on it's Halloween sure you gotta have a goth party at this house party there was alcohol and well more than just alcohol it eventually got to the point where the police had to come in and break up this underage shindig after the oh shoot it's the cops Charles hitched a ride with buddy Ryan Ferguson to downtown Columbia and they went to a bar called by George they knew the Ben sir and kept partying however just a couple of blocks away and I'm gonna sound really cliched and like overdramatic but something would happen that would change both their lives forever it's true this time when I say that cliche forty eight-year-old Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Haight Holt was leaving the office of the paper shortly after 2:00 a.m. on the first of November as he was in the parking lot on the way to his car he was struck from behind brutally beaten and strangled with his own belt the last person to speak to Kent before what happened was a fellow employee at the paper Michael Boyd who had talked to him minutes before he was killed in that parking lot minutes after Kent's attack a janitor who was out having a smoke break named Shawna Ornt so she described as shadowy figures near Kent's car thinking this was well weird it's Halloween it's the middle of the night they're probably up to no good and she was right she went and got her supervisor Jerry Trump he arrived and Jerry and Shawna saw two college aged men and one of them apparently said to Jerry and Shawna someone's heard over here they then walked away and Kent was fat what is your person we need someone here at the Connelly Daily Tribune tell me what's going on there the parking lot behind work Kentucky Fried Chicken used to be the sports editor Kent laying on the ground pool of blood there were two boys out there two young guys just a minute ago at the scene of the crime the police discovered unidentified fingerprints hair footprints and from the witnesses mamie Shauna they developed a sketch of one of the suspects but what happened to Kent and the case would remain cold for quite a long time [Music] the morning after the death of Kent titled Charles woke up a Jesus lads me head I'm dying Brooklyn last night can't remember huh that happened I don't know why he's from Dublin but although Charles couldn't remember anything had happened night before over time he thought that he might remember a few things two years later an article came out about the unsolved murder of Kent hi told by the Columbia Daily Tribune still unsolved by 2003 Charles Erickson read the article and started to become concerned he couldn't remember anything of that night he knew he was in the area he was around that area in the middle of downtown Columbia and when he saw this sketch he thought holy [ __ ] that looks like me did he black out and do something horrific that night he had been drinking but also taking adderall and cocaine mixing all that stuff it's about idea like real bad idea but more so for your own body but Charles was worried that you know blacking out and all those chemicals in his body might have caused him to do something bad again this was two years ago from this time so everything was pretty hazy but these things would cause Charles to obsess and get so paranoid that what happened to Kent and what Charles could possibly have done that night in January 2004 Charles spoke to the person he was with that night his friend Ryan Ferguson fearing that maybe they were both involved and that he might be repressing memories of what happened however Ryan was adamant that they had nothing to do with it see Ryan he remembered everything that happened tonight he was driving like pretty out of he drinks but he wasn't too bad and he also had proof of you know where he was and he knew they were both at home but that wouldn't matter when we get into what we're gonna get into Charles then had a dream a dream in which he and Ryan were involved unresponsible for the death of kent titled and he began telling friends about this dream which was a big mistake one of the people charles told this to would eventually call CrimeStoppers leading police to both charles and ryan police took their fingerprints as they had ones from the scene of the crime however they were both ruled out no match however Charles paranoia fears and how he discussed his dream with friends will lead him to an interrogation room and this is when the [ __ ] hits to find my friends on March 10 2004 dream becomes reality now in the police force like in most professions you got your good apples and your bad apples and the police you know the few bad apples tend to kind of spoil the reputation the lot you know and you know there's a lot of great police officers out there and a lot of ones who just want to help people want to make the world a better place when it helped their community you want to do the right thing this guy was not one of those people I wanted to start off by by just telling you a little bit about what what I've learned and that is that you know the officer says they've gone to Kansas City and they got in touch with Ryan and to make long story short Ryan is saying I don't know anything wasn't there I don't know what Chuck's talking about he's crazy if you know if it happened it went down the way he said he obviously did himself and pretty much that's what's that now I mean I I think detective short probably explained to you earlier when you visited with him that you know pretty much Ryan's story could come out in any form or fashion I don't know specifically what he told you but you know Ryan could say anything from that was his entire idea - I wasn't there have no idea what it's talking about man the guy must be flipped out you know mm-hmm - well hey I was there but you know I didn't know we were going to anything like that and first thing I know checks over there beating up on some guy so you never know what kind of what what form their stories want to take and certainly from what you've explained to us it's it's bottom line not true now with that here comes the importance of our conversation and that is to go back from the very beginning to the point that that it was even merely suggested that you guys leave I don't know I mean like I don't even read it's just so funny like I could just be sitting here advocating all I don't know I'd done now remember the only thing Charles knows about the case is what he read in the newspaper the facts that were publicly available and a dream he had well now let me go back one step further you don't know exactly who brought it up initially yeah I mean I because it's because now now like Detective short told you Ryan and I don't think you and I have even gone there there's specifics about this whole thing that you provided that there was no way for anyone including yourself even though bottom line there was would be no way if you hadn't have been involved and been there so my angle to you is I need to know as much information about what Ryan said to you that's what I did that's the best I can tell you like I don't okay well let's start you start you were at the club right and my understanding is and I'm just gonna try to briefly explain to you what March gaming is is that you guys needed money I this is this is all right this is after reading the newspaper article in October hmm and this is kind of what I put together with I mean I don't know if I'm just looking out or whatever but I mean this is kind of what I put the energy with what could have happened yeah I remember we're at the club we ran out of money like he'd been asking the sisters of online and then from there on I'm just kind of presuming what happened I'm making presumption based on what I read in the newspaper well you're making accurate presumptions that like I said that you would only know if you were there like what what the lady there cleaning lady that's one that was in the newspaper well no about what was specifically said whenever you know I mean no no you explained I'm not saying like I wouldn't be here but it's just I don't I can't recollect it's just a trip for me to have to sit here and try to look at something that happened in our reading Idol and try to face well I mean I remember your awful day you know it's but it's my lip lock let's let's just stop right here okay now mmm one thing I'm not going to do is I'm not going to sit here and listen to this kind of gibberish okay that's not I'm going to waste my time no no no no wait wait wait wait wait no listen I'm gonna start talking and you're gonna start listening okay all right I'm gonna be point-blank with you pal right now your hind end is the one that's hanging over the edge and Ryan could care less about it okay do you understand me yes okay now you better start thinking very clearly because it's you that is on this chopping block okay my clear to you yes now do we need to go by or go back and go through this step-by-step I think we do and that's what we're going to do and I don't want to hear Oh sudden I just think I'm a refabricated all this and uh huh oh no what I want to hear is exactly what Ryan told you because that's what's going to keep you in a position where you're not going to be the sole individual out here responsible for what happened to Kent okay can't be any more clear to you than that honestly and you need to understand it okay I need to know what your action I don't know what they were but I know it does I know Ryan's also okay well you have to ask me specifically okay well I'm sure there is then what did you see I saw him over I thought Ryan over the okay he was just like that when he describes the murder he's not even describing it the right way he was using his hands to show how Kent was strangled when Kent was strangled with his own belt so that night when you see Ryan children read do you think that Brian was chilling to make sure he was dead yeah yeah did he say that or is that just she thinking that that's what huh okay let's go back to her and you're talking about headaches all right strangle this guy now we know look the guy gets training with that's kind of a thing I've been holding back from all right is it possible that you know what he was trying to wasn't just Hitler tell you Simon I don't know well I got to get at this for something I know it wasn't it shaped like maybe a bungee cord or something from his collar I don't see why he'd have you're open to the cars well we know for a fact that his belt was ripped off of his past he was strangled with his belt you see belt arrives here something look like a rope Baylor a bungee cord okay you didn't do anything you're a new mom I mean oh okay I got you impressed this will plug you one more time and it's last time I would take this job okay I know Ryan's been at all don't live right into a store for you I don't know what else to do because I can't I don't know I mean Nick I don't know if he's gonna love me probably okay okay I mean I don't message you you know you're involved in you're ready to take that hit Mexico yes at one point the police have to take Charles to where it happened because he doesn't know where it happened now tell me exactly where this happened yes we're gonna go right up to the parking lot here's the parking lot now some things may have changed a little bit of course there's a lot of vehicles in the parking area but you see where this Jeep is at right up here just kind of a beige colored Jeep with a black rook that is the parking spot where Mr Hyde Holt had his car parked looking at this area does this look familiar to you and the door being right here Charles Erickson and Ryan Ferguson were then arrested for murder leading up to the trial this was no matter the facts a slam-dunk for prosecution because they manipulated the facts Jerry Trump one of the witnesses who on that night could not identify who the suspects we're was suddenly able to identify Ryan and Charles he said that while he was in prison on an unrelated charge after the death of Kent his wife sent him a newspaper article with pictures of both Ryan and Charles and he was able to identify them as the people he saw on that night his wife would later say she never sent him anything like this in prison Shawna Ornt the other witness was also never able to identify Ryan and Charles while Charles was in custody prosecutor Kevin crane lied to Charles saying Ryan Ferguson was going to take a plea deal and screw Charles over into a longer sentence or even possibly the death penalty feeling the heat and well after that shitty interrogation Charles took a plea bargain and was given a 25-year sentence for second-degree murder in return for his testimony implicating Ryan Ferguson Ryan was never going to testify against Charles as I said he knew exactly what happened that night and he knew what they didn't do but Charles well rehearsed by the time it came to take the stand crucified them both now they both couldn't have done it there's no need to go over that you have spoon-fed interrogation again but there's a many other things that point to their innocent Ness no DNA fingerprints any evidence suggests they were responsible Ryan's car was searched both their homes researched no blood no DNA after a violent crime no nothing a hair not belonging to Kent was found at the crime scene didn't match either Rhine or Charles the shoe prints found the size didn't much witnesses never saw them Ryan and Charles left the bar the by George shortly after 1:00 a.m. the bar closes at 1:30 a.m. Ryan called a sister from the parking lot of the by George and 1:18 a.m. this call has been verified through cell phone records he then drove Charles home which was about a 10-minute Drive from the bar after that Ryan drove himself home once he arrived home he made a few calls on his cell phone again these calls again verified started at 141 a.m. and ended with his last call at SU own I am rhein then went to bed Kent was killed at 2:20 a.m. the prosecution withheld a lot of information from the defense which are Brady violations but it didn't matter Ryan Ferguson was sentenced to 40 years in prison Charles 25 years in 2009 Kathleen Zellner who you might remember from the Steven Avery case if he followed it took over Ryan Ferguson's case in 2009 she interviewed Charles Erickson I'll let him speak for himself my name is Kathleen Zellner and I represent Ryan Ferguson Matt are you chuck mr. Eric okay mr. Erickson I'm gonna hand you what we marked as Exhibit one of your sworn statement ask you if you can identify this document oh yes this is some notes that I've written regarding of the murder robbery that I'm in prison for would you read slowly what you've written into the record sure I made a lot of assumptions and turn them into facts to satisfy the police when I did that I used the opportunity to move the blame onto Ryan and off of myself things happen much differently than I had previously stated when we left the club I cannot honest I cannot honestly remember if we had robbery on our minds I made up the statement about Ryan giving me the tire iron and saying that we might get my stuff without it I imagined that it might have occurred that way because I knew I had beaten the victim with a tire I could not accept in my conscious mind that I was a sole perpetrator an aggressor so I put a lot of the blame on Ryan I don't I don't think that much of much of it was even consciously gone it was just too hard to admit to myself and others that I had killed someone I could not even accept the possibility of it we had never done robbery before we never did them after we broke a lot of stuff which was probably what we had in mind when we left the club I believe that I flipped out committed the entire act alone and with little forethought I remember feeling psychotically giddy that's understandable I did not tell Ryan what I was going to do he had no idea that I would act in such an aggressive manner I don't remember how much it how much of it he was there for he could not stop he cannot stop me though he tried at the end if he had wanted to stop me before during much of the act I was armed with a tire tool I strangled Ken Idol to death I did not remember this until the police told me what he was strangled with when I said that's [ __ ] up after they told me what he was strangled with I just remembered doing it I then denied remembering it I lied right there that was the first blatant lie it was then that I knew I had done it he recounted the testimony against Ryan and placed the blame solely on his own shoulders however as you can see he still believes the police that he himself is guilty that's it take the mask you just a couple of follow-up questions so are you saying today that you are the sole murderer of Kent Haight hold that's correct yes in 2012 seven years since Ryan and Charles were sent away Jerry Trump key witness also recanted his testimony my testimony was false right he was Jerry Trump who testified today now he's the man in 2005 in that trial who has said he saw Ferguson actually at the scene of the crime now and hearings to determine whether Ferguson deserves a retrial he's changing his story and today he told the court a story that nobody's ever heard Jerry Trump's tears tell the story do you anticipate or want anything for doing this yes I'd like to have forgiveness yes family forgiveness for telling a jury in 2005 he recognized Ferguson from the murder scene because of pictures he'd seen in a newspaper a lie he says now it helps put Ferguson in prison for 40 years he says one man is responsible for the fake story about the newspaper pictures someone else did you killed him crane cranes the prosecutor from the 2005 trial but the attorney general's office isn't buying trump's recantation so both key witnesses Jerry and Charles took the stand and testified under oath that they had deliberately lied at trial in order to benefit the prosecution they both said what I said you know how many years ago untrue however Ryan Ferguson's request for a new trial was denied as the judge said both Jerry Trump and Charles Erickson's testimonies were not credible yes Kevin crane the prosecutor from you know when they were originally sent away had a lot of friends Kathleen Zellner appealed and on November 5th 2013 Ryan's conviction was overturned Ryan Ferguson became a free man [Applause] [Music] he later filed a civil suit against eleven individuals in the county and the city he won and was awarded 11 million dollars this helps people in the future people who are wrongfully incarcerated we believe that this ruling will help them get the money that they deserve when they get out of prison for crimes that they did not commit because this shouldn't happen to anyone but a million dollar basically baseline for the years that are stolen from them is necessary a lot better chance of getting that Charles Erickson remains in prison he now protests his innocence saying he had nothing to do with what happened to Kent height Holt shared that's right before what do you say happened like today what do you say happened I left the club and I you know I went home and I went to sleep I mean that's got to be I don't I don't remember going home my memory hasn't improved any since I've been in jail but and you can feel 100% confident in your innocence yeah yes I do and why is that because there is there are other people's bloody fingerprints there that to me was is the most like conclusive you can get yeah so in in in that round you said it was just me and 2009 I said that you said it and so then that was what was used as your test well I I said that basically because I still honestly thought we did it I didn't know these people would recanted I thought that that was really the only way I could help Ryan sort of given the fact that people put us at the scene and why did you feel the need to help Ryan because I lied Harley come here I lied you know I lied and I I lied and I put Reno Ryan prison and Brian in prison for the rest of his life basically for something that I lied about and I didn't you know I knew I didn't remember I still thought that I did it but it was really hard you know it was really it first it was hard it was hard not to lie because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in prison Wow was there anything in it for you Oh to recant no actually like I thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life in prison because according to my plea agreement you can look it up but if I ever acknowledged if I ever said oh I lied in court then they could take my plea agreement and take me a trial every sentence so why should people believe you now yeah I know yeah nobody should believe anything I said no I'm not I don't ask people leave anything I mean I really is redic it's reaiiy don't ask my family to believe it you know I just you know I say you don't look at the facts you know my case and I just sort of want my day in court Ryan Ferguson has vowed to free Charles he knows Charles is innocent which is pretty nice of Ryan seeing so it was because of Charles Ryan was sent away to prison for you know nearly a decade and if Ryan is innocent doesn't that mean also by association that Charles should be innocent too Furguson maintains that neither of them killed hi Holt and that his killer is still out there absolutely I believe we know who did it I think it's a matter of proving it and a matter of getting help from the authorities of this think the facts so clearly who did it you know I'm not gonna throw names out there but anyone who takes the time to look at the evidence I think it will become obvious to them who that individual is now like Ryan I'm not gonna name names but you'll see one in a minute when I show you something but maybe there was someone that night who wasn't properly investigated maybe it was the last person to see Kent height Holt alive maybe someone change their story a few times maybe they're worth looking into again not saying he did anything just you know maybe he's worth a closer look this is from Ryan Ferguson's civil suit after his release from prison quote the failure to investigate Michael Boyd disturbingly the defendant officers failed to investigate the prime suspect in the murder of Kent height Holt Michael Boyd at the time of height Holt's murder Boyd was a sports writer for the Tribune hi told was Boyd's supervisor Boyd is the last known person to see title and has consistently placed himself at the scene of the murder when it took place items found at the scene linked Boyd to the murder scene numerous papers were found around an under height old's car these papers include a Hickman High School girls basketball schedule and a number of Columbia college basketball programs on schedules Boyd covered high school basketball height Holt did not cover such events Boyd frequently took paperwork home including team schedules on the night of the murder hi told was only carrying his laptop bag and had no loose papers in his hands despite his obvious significance to the investigation Boyd was only interviewed twice by members of the Columbia Police Department Boyd gave defendants to police officers Ryan was suing short and Simon's conflicting information given that Boyd's papers were discovered at the crime scene given that he was the last known person to see Hyde Holt alive and given that he gave inconsistent information to the defendant officers about his actions that night the defendant officers should have conducted investigation into Boyd as a suspect they did not do so and as a result failed to obtain additional incriminating information the defendant officers never learned that Boyd had a dispute with titled shortly before the murder regarding a major mistake he had made on an assignment from height Holt Boyd also did not fill out a time sheet indicating when he left the Tribune the night of the murder even though he was required to do so so that's a lot on him but solved or unsolved well I'm leaning towards the unsolved direction I think after everything we've seen but I'd like to hear what you think in May 20 19 a petition of habeas corpus a legal right to determine whether detainment is lawful or not on behalf of Charles Erickson was denied this is a real tragic case of manipulation you know especially on Charles Erickson who was easy manipulated by the police and then you know you got Ryan Ferguson who was entirely innocent throughout and who lost almost a decade of his life and then Charles Erickson who's still in prison is losing even more if he is innocent which personally I'm leaning towards one thing's for certain there's a lot of frustrating things in this case but that interrogation is one of the most frustrating things I've ever seen where he was entirely railroaded into saying things that were blatantly untrue and incriminating himself well as always let me know your thoughts on this case in the usual place thank you so much for watching I really appreciate it I will see you as always real soon in the next one take care of yourselves Mike you [Music]

Channel: undefined

Views: 1,125,469

Rating: 4.9064813 out of 5

Keywords: that chapter, charles erickson, ryan ferguson, kent heitholt, kathleen zellner

Id: spjOhk1t1IU

Length: 32min 24sec (1944 seconds)

Published: Tue May 19 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/virtualtourism]

Yes Mike, let's do this

[u/psychic_egg]

This was a great one. and that cop in the interrogation was a jerk.

[u/sharkfest473]

This is one of the best vids he’s done

But please do more unsolved mysteries!!

[u/Meggygoesmeow]

That cop was so irritating, reminded me of the Brandon (?) Avery police interview.