Transcripts For KGO Nightline 20131113 : comparemela.com

Give me a shot at the night thats some kind of mysterious give me a shot at the night oh oh oh oh oh oh oh give me a shot at the nigh give me a moment thats some kind of mysterious give me a shot at the night give me a moment thats some kind of mysterious give me a shot at the night give me a moment thats some kind of mysterious give me a shot at the night tonight on nightline, face to face. It is a highstakes drama for alec baldwin testifying in court against his alleged stalker. Tonight the story behind celebrity stalkers and the terrified objects of their affection. A free man, a shocking new twist in the murder case that has had Ryan Ferguson locked up for nearly a decade. He was just a College Student when his own friend, accused him of a brutal murder. But today, things took a lifechanging turn. And, mean girl, Jennifer Lawrence is a style icon, but she says even she has faced body critics. She is targeting them. That is something that bothers me. Because i love to eat. The catching fire star because i love to eat. The catching fire star opening up about i want you to be kind. Ff i want you to be smart. Super smart. I want one thing in a doctor. I want you to be handsome. I want you to be awesome. I dont want you to look at the chart before you say hi. David. I want you to return my emails. I want you to keep me doing this for another sixty years. At kaiser permanente, we want you to choose the doctor thats right for you. Find your Perfect Match at kp. Org and thrive. And good evening. These days we have more access than ever to information about our favorite celebrities. Experts say in extreme cases this kind of intimacy can make a deranged fan feel like a star is talking directly to them and that can lead to stalking. Tonight we are going to take a look at this uniquely modern problem starting with a bizarre case of alleged stalking that is playing out today in a new york city courtroom. Here is abcs nick watt. Reporter alec baldwin for my money the best baldwin, actually cried in a new york city courtroom this morning as he described his living nightmare. Baldwin, the debonair star of 30 rock claims he was stalked by this woman, a twobit canadian actress. I say loud and clear that i am innocent since day one. Reporter baldwin claims she would bombard him with 30 Text Messages a night. Here is one, say i do to me. He says she showed up at his hamptons home, bombarded him with salacious emails. Here is a taster dished up in court. I want to feel you, taste you, and make one with you for eternity. I will nourish you with my energy, power, and magic. She offered all this and more, in exchange for a new house in new york and montreal, a new wardrobe, car, and jewels. In one email she states, i want to be your wife. Now. Last year, she was arrested outside baldwins manhattan home. She claims a misunderstanding she and baldwin were once lovers. You want to go for coffee with closure for your exlover. It is 4 00 in the afternoon. Not like i was there unannounced. You announce yourself to somebody you have a relationship with and romance, we have many friend in common. It is normal. Reporter alex baldwin denies any relationship and describes his brush with her like something out of a hitchcock movie. Stalking an occupational hazard for todays celebrities on line and in the flesh. Just watch this. Put your hand on the wall. Reporter 4 00 a. M. , those are the gates of Miley Cyrus Hollywood home. That man 40yearold jason rivera had a giant red heart around his neck and unhealthy obsession with the 19yearold singer. I have scissors. Reporter rivera found guilty of trespass slapped with a three year restraining order. He is not allowed within 1,000 yard of miley. For the protection celebrities get from the cops and courts they have this woman to thank, Rebecca Schaeffer rising star in the 80s played patty on the hit tv show my sister sam. Bran doidon is. Back in the days there were no stalking laws in california or anywhere else. Reporter rebecca had a stalker, robert bardo. [ indiscernible ] reporter bardo was enraged when he saw schaeffer getting into bed with a man scenes from a class struggle in Beverly Hills classic stalker behavior. How dare she. She is not remaining pure for me. They put the victim on the pedestal. But once theyre rejected it is anger, rage, rejection. Reporter bardo tracked her down and showed up at her apartment with a gun. [ indiscernible ] reporter he shot Rebecca Schaeffer dead on her front doorstep. She had to be victim of a homicide in order for us to get message that something need to be done by way of legislation. Reporter laws were passed the lapd stalker unit was born which protected the likes of Morgan Fairchild prey for multiple stalkers who ironically once played a stalking victim in seduction. Hello . I watched you today . What . Reporter once she says a female fan began writing innocent postings on her website. Then started sending card, gifts, and disturbing handwritten letters to her home address. I am going to show up on your doorstep. Fly across the country. You promised me you would pay our bills. You havent done it. Now i am angry. I was like, uh, it was getting threatening. Reporter the obsessed fan believed fairchild was her mother. With all the technology that is readily available to any weirdo on the street, you, do get a little concerned about, about your safety, your security. Thats where we come in. Part of our job is managing that fear. In addition to managing the case. Madonna suffered nightmares after being stalked by a man named robert hoskins. The thing that makes him dangerous. He is focuseded on madonna as a spirit. He believes the ma dospirit can h hab y habit. Reporter he was sentenced to 10 years. Dr. Reid malloy, studies stalking and believes modern celebrity culture may be fueling the problem. The more the magazines humanize the celebrity figure the more it can reduce the space between the stalker and celebrity figure. The internet makes it easier with youtube, twitter, because these stalkers believe that the celebrities are actually talking directly to them. Reporter this woman stalked brad pitt. Broke into his home. Fed his dogs and slept in his pajamas. These are people who dont have a lot going on in their lives. All of a sudden, they can pull strings and they can make some one afraid of them. Reporter this man was jailed in 1998 for 25 years after he was caught trying to break into Steven Spielbergs home armed with a box cult tter, handcuffsd duct tape. He told police he wanted to rape the director. Oftentimes theyre living alone. They have typically had unstable work histories. They have not done well. Often times thats because of the psychiatric disorder. Paradoxically they tend to be brighter than average. Reporter any way, back to alex baldwin and the woman who apparent leap first met in 2000, he was in canada, shooting a film. Ten years later they had dinner in new york. Baldwin now married to his then girlfriend, says she was asking for acting advice. She claims, they became intimate. Are you a stalker . Did you stalk him . No, i am not. You dont kid yourself a stalker . He maintained a relationship with me while he was with her. Now thats why he created it. Reporter in court, baldwin vehemently denied. There was ever a sexual relationship. At which point, she screamed really . She then shouted he is leagying you baldwin leaving court, clearly agitated telling a cameraman. I am nick watt for nightline. Always colorful alec baldwin. Our thanks to nick watt. Coming up next, the Popular College kid who went to prison for murder. The fresh lifechanging twist in this case today. And the always candid Jennifer Lawrence with tough word for hollywoods real mean girls. Mpg highway and comes with no charge scheduled maintenance. And right now you can drive one home for practically just your signature. Sign. Then drive. Get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first months payment on any new 2014 volkswagen. Hurry, this offer ends december 2nd. For details, visit vwdealer. Com today. [ female announcer ] can you heal a broken heart with a bundt cake . Of course you can even if that heart was broken by zack peterson. Bake the world a better place with nestle toll house. [ alarm sound for malfunctioning printer ] [ male announcer ] youve reached the age where youve learned a thing or two. [ metal clanks ] this is the age of knowing what youre made of. So why let erectile dysfunction get in your way . [ gears whirring ] talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. To avoid longterm injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. Stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. [ cellphone beeps ] this is the age of taking action. Viagra. Talk to your doctor. This is the age of taking action. Cheryl burke is chachaing in depend silhouette briefs for charity, to prove that with soft fabric and waistband, the best protection looks, fits, and feels just like underwear. Get a free sample and try for yourself. Could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Yep, Everybody Knows that. Well, did you know the ancient pyramids were actually a mistake . Uhoh. Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you. Well, you know. Colgate optic white dual action shines and whitens over 2 shades more than a leading whitening toothpaste. And whiten even more, with optic white mouthwash and the whole colgate optic white line. And whiten even more, with optic white mouthwash when ouwe goword. She said hert little girl no saw her first day of school. little girl bye bye made a best friend forever. The back seat of my subaru is where she grew what . announcer the subaru forester. girl what . announcer motor trends two thousand fourteen Sport Utility of the year. Love. Its what makes a subaru, a subaru. For many kids in their 20s it is a team to try different jobs, fall in love, maybe get married. Ryan ferguson has not had a chance to do an of these things. He spent the last eight years in jail convicted of a murder he says he had nothing to do with. But his family never gave up their fight for his freedom. Today is beat ging of tthe begi rest of his life. Here is dan a brahms. Reporter Ryan Ferguson is a free man after spending fearly a decade in prison for a brutal murder he always said he didnt commit. To get arrested and charged for a crime you didnt commit it is easy, you can lose your life very fast. But to get out of prison it takes an army as you can see. Reporter Ryan Fergusons parents rushed to the prison to pick him up. And celebrated his hardfought victory. I would look ike to absolute thank my parents. My father, my mother. Reporter ferguson spent all most all of his 20s in a maximum security prison yet not a shred of physical evidence linking him to the murder and as of last year not a single witness to implicate him. We sat done with ryan before he was released. You have got to be furious . Absolutely. I have suffered a lot. Worse i sffeel like my family h suffered far more than i have. Reporter his incredible saga started a decade ago. Former eagle scout. He was a popular kid, extremely close with his family growing up in columbia, missouri. Leaving class one day he was suddenly pulled over by police. I lived about a mile away from the school. There were these guys who were tailing me. Reporter he was stunned to hear they were accusing him of a vicious murder that occurred two years earlier on halloween night. The victim, beloved sports journalist and father of two, ken hitehold, bludgeoned and strangled in the parking lot of the Columbia Daily Tribune where he worked. Obviously, i had nothing to do with that. Questioned me for an hour. Ive go back. So it was a relief. I was not there. Reporter that relief fade the fast. Ferguson was questioned for hours. What the hell is going on . Reporter and never wavered in his insistence that he had nothing to do with the murder. I wasnt there. I dent do anything. Reporter why was he arrested at all . Because hours earlier in an Interrogation Room down the hall, this man, classmate of ryians, told police a very different story. Saying he and ryan were response bum for that unsolved crime. Whose idea was it . Ryans idea. Reporter Charles Ericson and ryan had been out drinking that halloween night when the man was killed. We had a few drinks, hung out. When the bar closed i took ericson home. And that was pretty much the night. Reporter years later, erics on who had a history of Substance Abuse started telling people including ryan that he had a dream he had been at the crime scene the night of the murder. Hes clearly inebriated. Asking me if i knew of anything about the murder of ken hitehold. I dont know anything. I took you home that night. You even saying that is incredibly strange. Kind of freaking me out. Reporter when interrogated by police, ericson seemed confused to say the least. He deidnt seem to know how the murder occurred. Is that right . Yeah. No. Reporter when brought to the scene, where it happened does this look familiar to you. I dont remember most of what happened. Reporter or what the murder weapon had been. [ indiscernible ] reporter the detectives got aggressive. Ericson claimed that he and Ryan Ferguson had run out of drinking money and decided to rob someone. You better start thinking very clearly. Okay. Because the it its you that is on chopping block. The state calls Charles Ericson. Reporter at the trial, ericson somehow knew all of those details that eluded him during the interrogation and was the star witness against eric ferguson. You were down here. He had his foot on the victims back. Pulling up on the belt. Like this. Reporter that detailed klt w account was supported by the janitor, jesse trump who identified ferguson as one of two men he saw in the parking lot immediately after the murder. Would you point to the individual or individuals, please. Yes. Reporter ericson and trump were the case against ferguson. Because after all, the dna found apt the scene, footprints. Fingerprints, none matched ferguson. But enough for a jury to convict. Does the jury find that defendant ryan William Ferguson guilty of murder in the second degree. Reporter but four years after that 2005 conviction, erics on who pled guilty in exchange for a 25year sentence reached out to ryan. Kathleen zelner, an attorney who won many Wrongful Conviction cases, agreed to take the case pro bono. Charles ericson wanted ryan ready attorneys to meet with him. Reporter with her camera rolling. Ericson read a statement admitting he had not been truthful in his testimony against ryan. Things happen much differently than i preachously stated. I regret i put an innocent man through that. Ryan got a new court hearing. In april 2012. Ericson testified that he lied about Ryan Ferguson during his trial. Man, i lied to everybody. Then the janitor, the only other eyewitness to implicate ryan took the stand and admitted that he too had lied at the trial. Convicted sex offend ter, jerry trump said, police pressured him to implicate two young men from a photo. I would like to have forgiveness from ryan. Judge daniel green didnt believe ericsons most reesen r account. Found there wasnt enough new reliable evidence to overturn the conviction. There is no case in the United States where a person remained incarcerated when the only two witnesses against them have recanted. It is frustrating. We found so much that helps prove my innocence. Last week an Appellate Court overturned the ruling, quote, newly discovered evidence, clearly, convincingly establish that he is actually innocent. Then today, the Missouri Attorney Generals Office announced that they will not retry or pursue further action against Ryan Ferguson at this time. Meaning, Ryan Ferguson is a free man. From day one i got arrested ehave been reading, wright, studying, working out, taking care of myself. I am ready for anything really. When we spoke with ryan over a month ago he kau sthusly predict heed would be out by thanksgiving. Just maintain positivity. Hope that one day i wake up and get a good phone call. Reporter now that phone call has come. Ryan ferguson is preparing for his new life. A huge day in a long, winding case. Our thanks to dan abrahams for that report. Next on nightline hunger games catching fire star ready for a battle, not the battle you may think. Introducing the 2014 sclass. The best or nothing. Introducing the 2014 sclass. Life with Crohns Disease ois a daily game of what ifs. What if my abdominal pain and cramps end our night before it even starts . What if i eat the wrong thing . What if . What if i suddenly have to go . What if . But what if the most important question is the one youre not asking . What if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation . For help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisadvocates. Com to connect with a patient advocate from abbvie for onetoone support and education. [ female announcer ] can you bridge a divide with a fresh baked brownie . Yes yes you can. Bake the world a better place with nestle toll house. Mom swaps one of my snacks for a yoplait. I dont mind, i mean its orange creme. And when mom said bobby was too edgy. sup girl. I just swapped him out for tyler. sup girl. Mom never questioned bobby again. Two can play at this game. [ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. And everybody wins. Yoplait. It is so good. This is the creamy chicken corn chowder. I mean, look at it. So indulgent. Did i tell you i am on the. [ both ] Ryan Ferguson<\/a> locked up for nearly a decade. He was just a College Student<\/a> when his own friend, accused him of a brutal murder. But today, things took a lifechanging turn. And, mean girl, Jennifer Lawrence<\/a> is a style icon, but she says even she has faced body critics. She is targeting them. That is something that bothers me. Because i love to eat. The catching fire star because i love to eat. The catching fire star opening up about i want you to be kind. Ff i want you to be smart. Super smart. I want one thing in a doctor. I want you to be handsome. I want you to be awesome. I dont want you to look at the chart before you say hi. David. I want you to return my emails. I want you to keep me doing this for another sixty years. At kaiser permanente, we want you to choose the doctor thats right for you. Find your Perfect Match<\/a> at kp. Org and thrive. And good evening. These days we have more access than ever to information about our favorite celebrities. Experts say in extreme cases this kind of intimacy can make a deranged fan feel like a star is talking directly to them and that can lead to stalking. Tonight we are going to take a look at this uniquely modern problem starting with a bizarre case of alleged stalking that is playing out today in a new york city courtroom. Here is abcs nick watt. Reporter alec baldwin for my money the best baldwin, actually cried in a new york city courtroom this morning as he described his living nightmare. Baldwin, the debonair star of 30 rock claims he was stalked by this woman, a twobit canadian actress. I say loud and clear that i am innocent since day one. Reporter baldwin claims she would bombard him with 30 Text Messages<\/a> a night. Here is one, say i do to me. He says she showed up at his hamptons home, bombarded him with salacious emails. Here is a taster dished up in court. I want to feel you, taste you, and make one with you for eternity. I will nourish you with my energy, power, and magic. She offered all this and more, in exchange for a new house in new york and montreal, a new wardrobe, car, and jewels. In one email she states, i want to be your wife. Now. Last year, she was arrested outside baldwins manhattan home. She claims a misunderstanding she and baldwin were once lovers. You want to go for coffee with closure for your exlover. It is 4 00 in the afternoon. Not like i was there unannounced. You announce yourself to somebody you have a relationship with and romance, we have many friend in common. It is normal. Reporter alex baldwin denies any relationship and describes his brush with her like something out of a hitchcock movie. Stalking an occupational hazard for todays celebrities on line and in the flesh. Just watch this. Put your hand on the wall. Reporter 4 00 a. M. , those are the gates of Miley Cyrus Hollywood<\/a> home. That man 40yearold jason rivera had a giant red heart around his neck and unhealthy obsession with the 19yearold singer. I have scissors. Reporter rivera found guilty of trespass slapped with a three year restraining order. He is not allowed within 1,000 yard of miley. For the protection celebrities get from the cops and courts they have this woman to thank, Rebecca Schaeffer<\/a> rising star in the 80s played patty on the hit tv show my sister sam. Bran doidon is. Back in the days there were no stalking laws in california or anywhere else. Reporter rebecca had a stalker, robert bardo. [ indiscernible ] reporter bardo was enraged when he saw schaeffer getting into bed with a man scenes from a class struggle in Beverly Hills<\/a> classic stalker behavior. How dare she. She is not remaining pure for me. They put the victim on the pedestal. But once theyre rejected it is anger, rage, rejection. Reporter bardo tracked her down and showed up at her apartment with a gun. [ indiscernible ] reporter he shot Rebecca Schaeffer<\/a> dead on her front doorstep. She had to be victim of a homicide in order for us to get message that something need to be done by way of legislation. Reporter laws were passed the lapd stalker unit was born which protected the likes of Morgan Fairchild<\/a> prey for multiple stalkers who ironically once played a stalking victim in seduction. Hello . I watched you today . What . Reporter once she says a female fan began writing innocent postings on her website. Then started sending card, gifts, and disturbing handwritten letters to her home address. I am going to show up on your doorstep. Fly across the country. You promised me you would pay our bills. You havent done it. Now i am angry. I was like, uh, it was getting threatening. Reporter the obsessed fan believed fairchild was her mother. With all the technology that is readily available to any weirdo on the street, you, do get a little concerned about, about your safety, your security. Thats where we come in. Part of our job is managing that fear. In addition to managing the case. Madonna suffered nightmares after being stalked by a man named robert hoskins. The thing that makes him dangerous. He is focuseded on madonna as a spirit. He believes the ma dospirit can h hab y habit. Reporter he was sentenced to 10 years. Dr. Reid malloy, studies stalking and believes modern celebrity culture may be fueling the problem. The more the magazines humanize the celebrity figure the more it can reduce the space between the stalker and celebrity figure. The internet makes it easier with youtube, twitter, because these stalkers believe that the celebrities are actually talking directly to them. Reporter this woman stalked brad pitt. Broke into his home. Fed his dogs and slept in his pajamas. These are people who dont have a lot going on in their lives. All of a sudden, they can pull strings and they can make some one afraid of them. Reporter this man was jailed in 1998 for 25 years after he was caught trying to break into Steven Spielbergs<\/a> home armed with a box cult tter, handcuffsd duct tape. He told police he wanted to rape the director. Oftentimes theyre living alone. They have typically had unstable work histories. They have not done well. Often times thats because of the psychiatric disorder. Paradoxically they tend to be brighter than average. Reporter any way, back to alex baldwin and the woman who apparent leap first met in 2000, he was in canada, shooting a film. Ten years later they had dinner in new york. Baldwin now married to his then girlfriend, says she was asking for acting advice. She claims, they became intimate. Are you a stalker . Did you stalk him . No, i am not. You dont kid yourself a stalker . He maintained a relationship with me while he was with her. Now thats why he created it. Reporter in court, baldwin vehemently denied. There was ever a sexual relationship. At which point, she screamed really . She then shouted he is leagying you baldwin leaving court, clearly agitated telling a cameraman. I am nick watt for nightline. Always colorful alec baldwin. Our thanks to nick watt. Coming up next, the Popular College<\/a> kid who went to prison for murder. The fresh lifechanging twist in this case today. And the always candid Jennifer Lawrence<\/a> with tough word for hollywoods real mean girls. Mpg highway and comes with no charge scheduled maintenance. And right now you can drive one home for practically just your signature. Sign. Then drive. Get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first months payment on any new 2014 volkswagen. Hurry, this offer ends december 2nd. For details, visit vwdealer. Com today. [ female announcer ] can you heal a broken heart with a bundt cake . Of course you can even if that heart was broken by zack peterson. Bake the world a better place with nestle toll house. [ alarm sound for malfunctioning printer ] [ male announcer ] youve reached the age where youve learned a thing or two. [ metal clanks ] this is the age of knowing what youre made of. So why let erectile dysfunction get in your way . [ gears whirring ] talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. To avoid longterm injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. Stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. [ cellphone beeps ] this is the age of taking action. Viagra. Talk to your doctor. This is the age of taking action. Cheryl burke is chachaing in depend silhouette briefs for charity, to prove that with soft fabric and waistband, the best protection looks, fits, and feels just like underwear. Get a free sample and try for yourself. Could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Yep, Everybody Knows<\/a> that. Well, did you know the ancient pyramids were actually a mistake . Uhoh. Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you. Well, you know. Colgate optic white dual action shines and whitens over 2 shades more than a leading whitening toothpaste. And whiten even more, with optic white mouthwash and the whole colgate optic white line. And whiten even more, with optic white mouthwash when ouwe goword. She said hert little girl no saw her first day of school. little girl bye bye made a best friend forever. The back seat of my subaru is where she grew what . announcer the subaru forester. girl what . announcer motor trends two thousand fourteen Sport Utility<\/a> of the year. Love. Its what makes a subaru, a subaru. For many kids in their 20s it is a team to try different jobs, fall in love, maybe get married. Ryan ferguson has not had a chance to do an of these things. He spent the last eight years in jail convicted of a murder he says he had nothing to do with. But his family never gave up their fight for his freedom. Today is beat ging of tthe begi rest of his life. Here is dan a brahms. Reporter Ryan Ferguson<\/a> is a free man after spending fearly a decade in prison for a brutal murder he always said he didnt commit. To get arrested and charged for a crime you didnt commit it is easy, you can lose your life very fast. But to get out of prison it takes an army as you can see. Reporter Ryan Ferguson<\/a>s parents rushed to the prison to pick him up. And celebrated his hardfought victory. I would look ike to absolute thank my parents. My father, my mother. Reporter ferguson spent all most all of his 20s in a maximum security prison yet not a shred of physical evidence linking him to the murder and as of last year not a single witness to implicate him. We sat done with ryan before he was released. You have got to be furious . Absolutely. I have suffered a lot. Worse i sffeel like my family h suffered far more than i have. Reporter his incredible saga started a decade ago. Former eagle scout. He was a popular kid, extremely close with his family growing up in columbia, missouri. Leaving class one day he was suddenly pulled over by police. I lived about a mile away from the school. There were these guys who were tailing me. Reporter he was stunned to hear they were accusing him of a vicious murder that occurred two years earlier on halloween night. The victim, beloved sports journalist and father of two, ken hitehold, bludgeoned and strangled in the parking lot of the Columbia Daily Tribune<\/a> where he worked. Obviously, i had nothing to do with that. Questioned me for an hour. Ive go back. So it was a relief. I was not there. Reporter that relief fade the fast. Ferguson was questioned for hours. What the hell is going on . Reporter and never wavered in his insistence that he had nothing to do with the murder. I wasnt there. I dent do anything. Reporter why was he arrested at all . Because hours earlier in an Interrogation Room<\/a> down the hall, this man, classmate of ryians, told police a very different story. Saying he and ryan were response bum for that unsolved crime. Whose idea was it . Ryans idea. Reporter Charles Ericson<\/a> and ryan had been out drinking that halloween night when the man was killed. We had a few drinks, hung out. When the bar closed i took ericson home. And that was pretty much the night. Reporter years later, erics on who had a history of Substance Abuse<\/a> started telling people including ryan that he had a dream he had been at the crime scene the night of the murder. Hes clearly inebriated. Asking me if i knew of anything about the murder of ken hitehold. I dont know anything. I took you home that night. You even saying that is incredibly strange. Kind of freaking me out. Reporter when interrogated by police, ericson seemed confused to say the least. He deidnt seem to know how the murder occurred. Is that right . Yeah. No. Reporter when brought to the scene, where it happened does this look familiar to you. I dont remember most of what happened. Reporter or what the murder weapon had been. [ indiscernible ] reporter the detectives got aggressive. Ericson claimed that he and Ryan Ferguson<\/a> had run out of drinking money and decided to rob someone. You better start thinking very clearly. Okay. Because the it its you that is on chopping block. The state calls Charles Ericson<\/a>. Reporter at the trial, ericson somehow knew all of those details that eluded him during the interrogation and was the star witness against eric ferguson. You were down here. He had his foot on the victims back. Pulling up on the belt. Like this. Reporter that detailed klt w account was supported by the janitor, jesse trump who identified ferguson as one of two men he saw in the parking lot immediately after the murder. Would you point to the individual or individuals, please. Yes. Reporter ericson and trump were the case against ferguson. Because after all, the dna found apt the scene, footprints. Fingerprints, none matched ferguson. But enough for a jury to convict. Does the jury find that defendant ryan William Ferguson<\/a> guilty of murder in the second degree. Reporter but four years after that 2005 conviction, erics on who pled guilty in exchange for a 25year sentence reached out to ryan. Kathleen zelner, an attorney who won many Wrongful Conviction<\/a> cases, agreed to take the case pro bono. Charles ericson wanted ryan ready attorneys to meet with him. Reporter with her camera rolling. Ericson read a statement admitting he had not been truthful in his testimony against ryan. Things happen much differently than i preachously stated. I regret i put an innocent man through that. Ryan got a new court hearing. In april 2012. Ericson testified that he lied about Ryan Ferguson<\/a> during his trial. Man, i lied to everybody. Then the janitor, the only other eyewitness to implicate ryan took the stand and admitted that he too had lied at the trial. Convicted sex offend ter, jerry trump said, police pressured him to implicate two young men from a photo. I would like to have forgiveness from ryan. Judge daniel green didnt believe ericsons most reesen r account. Found there wasnt enough new reliable evidence to overturn the conviction. There is no case in the United States<\/a> where a person remained incarcerated when the only two witnesses against them have recanted. It is frustrating. We found so much that helps prove my innocence. Last week an Appellate Court<\/a> overturned the ruling, quote, newly discovered evidence, clearly, convincingly establish that he is actually innocent. Then today, the Missouri Attorney<\/a> Generals Office<\/a> announced that they will not retry or pursue further action against Ryan Ferguson<\/a> at this time. Meaning, Ryan Ferguson<\/a> is a free man. From day one i got arrested ehave been reading, wright, studying, working out, taking care of myself. I am ready for anything really. When we spoke with ryan over a month ago he kau sthusly predict heed would be out by thanksgiving. Just maintain positivity. Hope that one day i wake up and get a good phone call. Reporter now that phone call has come. Ryan ferguson is preparing for his new life. A huge day in a long, winding case. Our thanks to dan abrahams for that report. Next on nightline hunger games catching fire star ready for a battle, not the battle you may think. Introducing the 2014 sclass. The best or nothing. Introducing the 2014 sclass. Life with Crohns Disease<\/a> ois a daily game of what ifs. What if my abdominal pain and cramps end our night before it even starts . What if i eat the wrong thing . What if . What if i suddenly have to go . What if . But what if the most important question is the one youre not asking . What if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation . For help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisadvocates. Com to connect with a patient advocate from abbvie for onetoone support and education. [ female announcer ] can you bridge a divide with a fresh baked brownie . Yes yes you can. Bake the world a better place with nestle toll house. Mom swaps one of my snacks for a yoplait. I dont mind, i mean its orange creme. And when mom said bobby was too edgy. sup girl. I just swapped him out for tyler. sup girl. Mom never questioned bobby again. Two can play at this game. [ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. And everybody wins. Yoplait. It is so good. This is the creamy chicken corn chowder. I mean, look at it. So indulgent. Did i tell you i am on the. [ both ] Chicken Pot Pie<\/a> diet me too [ male announcer ] so indulgent, youll never believe theyre light. 100calorie progresso light soups. [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. Some are giant. Some not so giant. When managing your weight, bigger is always better. Ho ho ho green giant Jennifer Lawrence<\/a> taking aim at the real mean girls of hollywood in to nights feed frenzy. The 23yearold oscar winner is shooting arrows at some real targets as she makes the round in support of her highly anticipated movie hunger games catching fire. First up, waifish models like kate moss. Lawrence says she turned done requests from movie directors to lose weight. She says it is important for catness to look strong and healthy. But for hollywood starlets it is a constant battle. 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