Transcript for Ryan Ferguson: 'Scary' That Officials 'Not Looking for the Truth'

Now, we have an abc news exclusive with ryan ferguson. Nine years in prison for murder, even though the only two witnesses against him recanted their testimony. Our chief league affairs anchor, dan abram, spoke to him. He may finally be getting his freedom. Reporter:28 years old. Spent almost all of his adult life in a maximum security prison, for a brutal murder, he and many others now insist, he didn't commit. It's hard to have much hope at this point, in the justice system, based on what they've done. Reporter: It all began nine years ago when he was a college student. I lived about a mile away from the school. And there were these guys who were tailing me. Reporter: Those guys were the police, preparing to arrest ryan for the halloween night murder of sports journalist and father of two, kent highholt. This man, charles erickson, told police that two years earlier, he and his classmate, ryan, had committed the crime after a night of drinking. Whose idea was it? It was ryan's idea. Ryan's idea. Reporter: Ryan has always maintained his innocence. We had a few drinks, hung out. And then, when the bar closed, you know, I took erickson home. That was pretty much the night. Any other halloween. Reporter: When he was first interrogated, erickson didn't seem to know how the murder occurred or even the weapon. I think it was a shirt. It wasn't a shirt. Maybe it was a bungee cord. We know his pants were ripped off of his belt and he was strangled with his belt. Reporter: But at the trial, erickson somehow knew all of the details that had eluded him. He was down here. And he had a belt. He had his foot on his back, on the victim's back. Reporter: Dna at the scene, the fingerprints, the footpri footprints. None of it matched ryan ferguson. We find ryan ferguson, guilty of murder. Reporter: And 5 years into a 25-year sentence, erickson suddenly reached out to ryan, to admit he lied. Things happened much differently than I had previously stated. I regret now that I put an innocent man through that. He didn't deserve it. Reporter: Ryan got a new hearing in april 2012, where erickson testified. You lied to your own mother? I lied to everybody. Reporter: And then, the prosecution's second and only other eyewitness, a convicted sex offender, admitted that he, too, had lied at the trial. I felt very intimidated because the only thing I wanted to do at that point was to do the right thing. Reporter: But judge daniel green didn't believe erickson's most recent account. And found there wasn't enough reliable new evidence to overturn the conviction. It's scary knowing they're not looking for the truth. They're looking for a conviction. I just maintain positivity. And hope that one day I wake up and I get a good phone call. Reporter: And that call could come any day now. In an argument last month, at least one of the three judges seemed very sympathetic to ryan's case. It's hard to imagine how that previous judge didn't take another look. He looked at it through a narrow legal prism. Basically saying, unless I think erickson's current version is totally credible, I can't overturn the conviction. What he didn't do is look at the totality of the evidence and say, wait a second. Forget about how credible the current account is, is there any evidence at all that ryan ferguson is guilty. And the answer of as of today, is, there's not a single piece of evidence that he is guilty. You look at everything and say, he didn't do it. I look at everything and say, I think it's very unlikely he did it. I'm certain he ought to be released. This appeals court has to look at this case and say to themselves, without a single piece of evidence stands. There was physical evidence found at the scene. But none of it matched ryan ferguson. The key to the case was these two eyewitnesses, both of whom have now recanted their testimony. And under oath. So, they're now facing the possibility of perjury because they lied at the trial. That's how committed they were to trying to right this wrong. It's amazing that ryan is as calm as he appears to be. Absolutely. I hope the appeals court does the right thing here. We'll see more of the interview tonight on

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.