Ryan Ferguson’s future still undecided

The fight to free Ryan Ferguson continues.

Missouri attorney general Chris Koster and Boone County prosecuting attorney Dan Knight have two weeks left to refile charges against Ferguson.

Ferguson was convicted of the murder of Columbia Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt in 2005 and has been in jail since.

While he waits for the state to possibly file charges, Ferguson has requested his bond be set.

Koster has four days to respond to the bond request. ABC 17 contacted his office Wednesday, and they said he is looking over the request but has not made a decision.

Meanwhile, Ferguson’s alleged accomplice who confessed to the murder of Heitholt, Chuck Erickson, may not ever be able to get out of prison.

Rodney Uphoff, a law professor at the University of Missouri, said Erickson will have an extremely hard time getting his plea vacated because he already pleaded guilty to the murder.

“Chuck Erickson will have to try and file a motion to claim his guilty plea was involuntary because it was based on poor advice from his defense lawyer,” Uphoff said. “He’s in a much different situation than Ryan Ferguson.”

Ferguson and Erickson both share the same lawyer, Kathleen Zellner.

If Erickson does not get his guilty plea vacated, he has 17 years left to serve behind bars.