Ferguson's appeal rejected
Saturday, January 10, 2009 | 1:06 p.m. CST;
updated 10:03 a.m. CDT, Monday, June 15, 2009
BY
The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY — A Cole County judge has rejected an appeal by the Columbia man convicted in 2005 of killing a newspaper sports editor four years earlier.
Ryan Ferguson's public defender argued that a Lincoln County jury was chosen improperly because of an unusual program allowing some residents to avoid jury duty by performing six hours of community service.
MoreStory
Related Articles
In a ruling Friday, Judge Richard Callahan agreed that the exception "clearly violates" state law but said it didn't warrant overturning the conviction. The judge noted that only 13 potential jurors out of 848 in the jury pool took the community service exemption.
Ferguson and an accomplice were convicted of killing Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt in 2001. Colleagues said he was attacked in the newspaper's parking lot while feeding a stray cat during a late-night shift.
Report corrections or additions here. Leave comments below here.
Leave a comment
Speak up and join the conversation! Make sure to follow the guidelines
outlined below and register with our site.
You must be logged in to comment. (Our
full comment policy is here.)
- Don't use obscene, profane or vulgar language.
- Don't use language that makes personal attacks on fellow commenters or
discriminates based on race, religion, gender or ethnicity.
- Use your real first and last name when registering on the website. It will
be published with every comment.
(Read why we ask for that here.)
- Don’t solicit or promote businesses.
We are not able to monitor every comment that comes through. If you see
something objectionable, please click the "Report comment" link.
You must be logged in to comment.
E-mail
Print
Show Me the Errors 
Comments