Chalk one up for being in the right place at the right time.
“48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty was in Missouri Tuesday with the parents of Ryan Ferguson — just as they learned their son, found guilty of murder in 2005 and sentenced to 40 years in prison, had his conviction overturned in a case that’s been covered three times by “48 Hours.”
“I’ve been coming back for the last three weeks. We’ve been on the story too long and I wasn’t going to miss when the decision came down,” Moriarty told me. “I happened to be with Ryan’s parents, Bill and Leslie, when they were looking on the docket to see if a decision had come down.
“They were excited, but their reaction was measured. In this state it’s likely the attorney general’s office will appeal to the state Supreme Court.”
Ferguson and Charles Erickson were convicted of the 2001 murder of newspaper sports editor Kent Heitholt. Evidence found at the scene did not match Ferguson (hair, blood) and, two years later, Erickson told a friend that he and Ferguson might have killed Heitholt — though he was foggy on the details. The men were arrested in 2004, tried and found guilty — though Erickson and another witness have since recanted, clearing Ferguson of any role in the murder.
“At this moment Ryan is an innocent man,” Moriarty says. “The state has 15 days to decided whether to retry Ryan or set him free. But what I think they’ll do first is file an appeal to the state Supreme Court. But it does mean that Ryan could be home, on bond, for Thanksgiving.”
So will “48 Hours” do a follow-up?
“I’m hoping to do that when Ryan is released on bond, but we’re going to hang with this until it’s resolved one way or another,” Moriarty said.
“This isn’t over by a longshot.”
‘They’re barin’ their canines
Some in the animal-adoption community are barkin’ mad at NBC’s “Today” show for ending its six-year run of “Bow to Wow” segments, which featured adoptable homeless dogs and cats from New York City’s Animal Care & Control facility. The facility itself even posted a message on its Web site expressing its disappointment over the segment ending.
So . . . I reached out to “Today” show executive producer Don Nash to see what he had to say.
“The ‘Today’ show has dedicated many segments to pet adoption and animal rights issues, and we remain committed as ever to spotlighting these important stories,” Nash said. “After six great years of ‘Bow to Wow,’ we are currently creating new ways to showcase and support animal welfare.”
Last, but not least …
Wendy Williams emcees YAI’s annual gala (Nov. 13) at Guastavino’s (E. 59th) and will help CEO Stephen Freeman welcome guests . . . Daytime: “Bethenny” topped “Queen Latifah” in women 25-54 for the first time (week ending Oct. 27) . . . Olympic skating vet and upcoming NBC Sports (Winter Olympics) commentator Johnny Weir over at XL Nightclub . . . DVD: Fans of the late Edie Adams should check out “The Edie Adams Television Collection,” four discs (“Here’s Edie” and “The Edie Adams Show”) spanning the years 1962-1964.