Billboards placed in Boone County in hopes of finding sports editor’s killer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A series of billboards have gone up around Columbia, with the goal of helping solve a murder from over two decades ago. 

The billboards are paid for by a group called Justice For Kent, who are looking to help solve the 2001 murder of former Columbia Daily Tribune Sports Editor Kent Heitholt. 

The group said in an email it has two goals:

• It wants to give people a way to share what information they may have related to the case.
• It also wants to clear the name of Michael Boyd, who was a suspect in the case. 

Charles Erickson and Ryan Ferguson were convicted in 2005. The Ferguson conviction was thrown out in 2013 and Erikson was released from prison on probation earlier this year.

Along with two billboards on Providence Road in Columbia, there also a pair of billboards on Interstate 70 (at mile markers 134 and 120) and two more on Highway 63 (with one near Ashland). The billboards include the words "Ease his pain" along with offering a $25,000 reward.