20 years ago, Kent Heitholt was beaten and strangled. Here's what we know about his murder.

Nov. 1 will mark 20 years since the murder of Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt.

What has happened during the two decades since?

Charles Erickson and Ryan Ferguson, teenagers in 2001, were convicted of the crime.

Ferguson had his conviction overturned in 2013, while Erickson, who pleaded guilty to the crime in 2004, continues to seek his freedom. Erickson has tried to get his conviction overturned since at least 2016.

Who was Kent Heitholt?

To all who knew him, Heitholt, known as Heity, was a kind, easygoing man who supported and mentored his sports writing staff.

For those who were more skilled writers, he would have a hands-off approach. For those who needed a guide, he would be there.

From the archive: Memories of Heity

Memories of Heitholt are less about his writing and more about his personality. He was considered a gentle giant.

The sports staff of the Tribune was working late on a basketball tab the evening of Oct. 31, 2001, and into the early morning of Nov. 1 in preparation for the upcoming season. 

Heitholt left the office shortly after 2 a.m. and would be found a few minutes later by custodial staff members bludgeoned and strangled in the parking lot.

One custodial staff member — Shawna Ornt — would report seeing two white men near Heitholt who ran off.

What happened in the investigation?

Erickson, in multiple police interviews and in ride-alongs in the area around the scene of the crime, would eventually confess and implicate Ferguson in the crime.

Erickson pleaded guilty in 2004 and was sentenced in 2005 to 25 years in prison.

As part of his plea deal, Erickson had to provide details he remembered to the court during Ferguson's trial.

Ferguson maintained his innocence throughout. He would be convicted, however, despite no physical evidence tying him or Erickson to the scene.

The pair — 17 at the time of the crime — were at By George, a nightclub that closed in 2008. They were alleged to have left the club, robbed and killed Heitholt shortly after 2 a.m. in the parking lot of the then-Tribune location at 101 N. Fourth St. and then returned to the club, roughly 1,000 feet away from the Tribune. 

How did Ryan Ferguson's conviction get overturned? 

In the years after the Ferguson conviction, evidence that originally was not shared with his defense attorney revealed inconsistencies with witness statements. This led to Ferguson's release in 2013. 

He would go on to be awarded $11 million in a civil rights case against the City of Columbia, the police department and key officers. A settlement agreement was worked out where he received about $3 million from the city. He sued a former insurer for the city for the remainder but would be awarded $5.3 million.

Erickson has sought to use the same witness inconsistencies in his case seeking his exoneration, along with arguing the police interviews that led to his confession were coercive, and that he experienced memory issues associated with alcohol-related blackouts from the night of the murder.

What is the status of the Charles Erickson case?

The Pike County Circuit Court in 2018 denied Erickson's attempt for a sentence reduction or to have his guilty plea overturned because the clock had run out on when he could have filed his petition.

Erickson has a harder time of proving his innocence because of his 2004 guilty plea. 

More: Charles Erickson appeal to Missouri Supreme Court could take months, says lawyer

Erickson's attorney, Landon Magnusson, filed a petition with the Western District Court of Appeals in June 2020. That petition was denied, so Magnusson went to the Missouri Supreme Court this year, again in June. That petition was denied in August. 

There are two options that could free Erickson ahead of his parole date: a clemency petition from Gov. Mike Parson or new evidence that would not have been found at the outset of the case, Magnusson said.