Boone County could spend nearly $450,000 by the end of the year to defend itself and county employees in a lawsuit filed by a man whose murder conviction was vacated.
The legal fees are the result of a lawsuit filed by Ryan Ferguson. Ferguson was convicted in 2005 of killing Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt. Last year, a state appeals court panel ruled prosecutors had withheld evidence from his attorneys and that he didn't get a fair trial
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that county commissioners are set to take action Tuesday on a proposed $240,000 budget revision. The lawsuit already has resulted in two other budget revisions that totaled $100,000 each.