© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Boone County plans to budget more money to Ryan Ferguson lawsuit defense

Ryan Ferguson hearing
August Kryker
/
Columbia Tribune
boone County to budget more funds to defend itself from a lawsuit filed by Ryan Ferguson

Boone County could spend nearly $450,000 by the end of the year to defend itself and county employees in a lawsuit filed by a man whose murder conviction was vacated.

The legal fees are the result of a lawsuit filed by Ryan Ferguson. Ferguson was convicted in 2005 of killing Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt. Last year, a state appeals court panel ruled prosecutors had withheld evidence from his attorneys and that he didn't get a fair trial

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that county commissioners are set to take action Tuesday on a proposed $240,000 budget revision. The lawsuit already has resulted in two other budget revisions that totaled $100,000 each.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content