Columbia is battling a lawsuit from a man whose conviction in a sports editor's death was overturned after he served nearly a decade in prison.
The city argued Wednesday before the federal appeals court in St. Louis that six Columbia police officers should be protected against the claims in Ryan Ferguson's $100 million civil lawsuit. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that judges will consider the city's immunity appeal before ruling.
Ferguson was sentenced to 40 years for the 2001 killing of Kent Heitholt, a Columbia sports editor. Ferguson denied any involvement and was released in 2013 after an appeals court panel ruled he didn't receive a fair trial because the prosecutor withheld evidence.
The lawsuit alleges that detectives fabricated evidence, coerced witnesses and failed to investigate other possible suspects.