An autopsy showed evidence that she had been shot and no sign that she had been stabbed, per The AP. In her 2020 ruling vacating Wards conviction, Judge Inge pointed to what she said were issues with the evidence in the case, and deemed that due to the passage of time, Ward would not be able to receive a fair trial. The Innocent Man, released by Netflix in 2018, looked at two murder cases having taken place in Ada in the 1980s, including the one which resulted in Wards conviction. The circumstances surrounding Ward and Fontenot's confessions were suspicious from the start, and in fact were later proved to be inconsistent with what had actually happened to Haraway: Her body was ultimately found years after she vanished, 30 miles away from where the duo said they had deposited it. Ward was featured in the Netflix documentary and John Grisham book An Innocent Man. Ward along with Karl Fontenot were convicted of killing Denice Haraway back in the 1980s. Fontenot, 57 and Tommy Ward, 61, were both twice convicted in Haraways murder. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Newly filed court documents reveal that a man who was one of the subjects of "The Innocent Man" is set to be released from prison. The. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. The investigators seem to have taken on the role of prosecutor, judge and jury, determining that the only relevant evidence was evidence that fit their theory of the case.. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and filming for Halloween Ends to release on October 14, 2022 with! The response filed by Fontenots lawyers this week said the vast majority of evidence that the state claims was available in the 1980s was actually being suppressed by the state. Haraway had been shot rather than stabbed, was 20 miles away from where the men said her body had been dumped, and she had been wearing different clothes than those Ward and Fontenot described. Both judges found the defendants constitutional rights were violated by police and prosecutors who until 2019 didnt turn over more than 300 pages of documents that would have helped the defendants. The ruling came down Friday from District Judge Paula Inge in Pontotoc County, who concluded in post-conviction finding that the case rested on circumstantial evidence in the form of conflicted witness statements and Wards inculpatory statements he gave to police. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the judges ruling last year, saying that, Almost no evidence connected him to the crime other than his own videotaped confession, a confession that rang false in almost every particular., The appeals court said Fontenot has brought forth new evidence that is sufficient to unlock the actual innocence gateway and to allow his substantive claims to be heard on the merits. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. The Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the conviction of one man in the 1984 murder of an Ada convienince store worker featured featured The Innocent Man. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. The state of Oklahoma engaged in an egregious, decades-long pattern of prosecutorial misconduct to ensure that the facts of Karl Fontenots innocence never came to light, Fontenots legal team told the court. Per The Associated Press, the convictions were based almost entirely on accounts they said they retrieved from dreams, and came after hours of interrogation by Ada police and state agents desperate to solve the disappearance of Haraway in 1984, just two years after the unsolved rape and murder of another young woman in the small central Oklahoma town.. It also accounts the false convictions of Ward and Karl Fontenot for themurder of Denice Haraway and the false conviction of Greg Wilhoit for the rape and murder of his estranged wife. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. Tuesday, July 6th 2021, 11:00 pm. Wr Hines Ward - NFL.com /a > attorneys representing Tommy Ward was one of two serving! Ward had told police Haraway, 24, was stabbed and buried, but her skull, found more than a year after her disappearance, showed evidence of a gunshot wound and no evidence of stabbing, according to an autopsy. The state court of criminal appeals voted unanimously to reinstate Tommy Ward's murder conviction. Barrett noted that the appeals court ordered the lower court to consider an additional claim regarding new evidence discovered in 2019. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. More to come. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. Ward was featured in the Netflix documentary and John Grisham book An Innocent Man. Ward along with Karl Fontenot were convicted of killing Denice Haraway back in the 1980s. ADVERTISEMENT Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his confession were inaccurate. In 2020, District Judge Paula Inge vacated his conviction, dismissed the charges against him, and ordered him set free. PublishedDecember 26, 2020 at 10:50 AM CST, KGOU | Ward's newly released EP "From This Moment On," (2022) produced by LeCoq Records, showcases his stunning vocal abilities . Since the age of 16, Ward has had the opportunity to work alongside industry veterans and legends. - BART TORRES, 99.7FM The Highway Vibe. A federal judge in Muskogee overturned Fontenot's conviction in late 2019. We promise to never spam you. Ward is a hardworking and dedicated artist who continues to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. The convictions of Ward and Fontenot have been the subject of numerous books, including John Grishams The Innocent Man, which he produced into a six-part documentary. Haraways body was located after the convictions. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) A man who has spent 35 years in prison in a murder case featured in the book and television series The Innocent Man must remain incarcerated even after a judge ordered his release, an appeals court ruled Thursday. Newson6.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. Evidence presented to exonerate Fontenot had been available since Fontenots trials in the 1980s, the state said, arguing that the high court should accept the caseto clarify that new evidence means newly discovered or newly available evidence as opposed to newly presented evidence. Critically acclaimed singer, musician, and entertainer. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. Forget Me Not EP available now on all major platforms. After Haraways remains were found in 1986 in rural Hughes County, forensic analysis showed that many of the details in Fontenots and Wards confessions were wrong. News 9 Team Holds Severe Weather Expo At Penn Square Mall, Sauced On The Paseo Re-Opens 2 Years After Fire, Read Across America Celebration Held At Belle Isle Library, OKC Thunder, Big Brothers & Big Sisters Host Clinic For Kids At Park, TCSO, 'Color Free America' Hold Dialogue Between Citizens And Law Enforcement, First Responders Host Recruitment Fair In Tulsa, Doctors Warn Dangers Of Cannabis Edibles For Children. He is 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. Ward is the subject of a Netflix docuseries and a book by John Grisham. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Wards and Fontenots convictions were featured in the John Grisham 2006 book The Innocent Man and a 2018 Netflix series of the same name, as well as the 1987 book Dreams of Ada by Robert Mayer. It was based on the 2006 true-crime book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham. At time of writing, he is still serving his life sentence without the possibility of parole, and is now 54 years old. But now, Wards release has been blocked by the state Attorney Generals Office. 19 talking about this. Tommy's legal team dedicated to freeing Tommy Ward from prison for a crime he did not commit.. Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Convicted murderer Tommy Ward has filed a brief in response to the Attorney General's motion to keep him locked up in prison. His conviction is the subject of the Netflix docu-series "The . The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has reinstated the murder conviction and life sentence of a man featured in the book and television series The Innocent Man.. @WardInnocentMan. Ada store clerk Denice Haraway was abducted and killed on April 28, 1984. . attempted to take on Fontenot's case in 2013, a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower court's ruling that he be released. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. Later that year, an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent interviewed Tommy Ward, who said he, Karl Fontenot, and another man robbed the store Haraway worked at, then stabbed and raped. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. Courtesy Netflix. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. This photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows Tommy Ward, who has spent 35 years in prison in a murder case featured in the book and television series The Innocent Man'. The convictions of Ward and Fontenot have come under intense scrutiny for years and have been the subject of numerous books, including John Grishams The Innocent Man, which he produced into a six-part documentary. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. When you read their briefs, they dont take issue with the fact that this information was withheld from him. Timmy Ward gamelogs for the 2022 season. Tommy Ward one of the subjects of Netflixs true-crime docuseries The Innocent Man, who was convicted of abduction, rape and the murder of an Oklahoma woman is to be released from prison (where he was sentenced to life) and all charges against him dismissed, Wards legal team announced Saturday. The court overturned a lower court decision that said because prosecutors and police withheld evidence that could exonerate Tommy Ward, 61, of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada. This contradicted the confessions, which stated that Haraway had been stabbed to death. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. Both Ward and . - STEVE WYNN, founder Wynn Resorts "I just saw Tommy in Las Vegas at a corporate event and I was BLOWN AWAY. The state Attorney Generals office appealed the order to overturn Fontenots conviction in federal court and has now announced its intent to appeal the order to release Ward. These dream confessions came after hours of interrogation by Ada police and state agents desperate to solve the disappearance of Haraway in 1984, just two years after the unsolved rape and murder of another young woman in the small central Oklahoma town. Courtesy. At 17, he and his band were one of the youngest opening acts in Las Vegas history, completing 90 shows for Billboard #1 artist and Las Vegas headliner of the year, Frankie Moreno. Read: Attorney General's Office Appeals Ruling That Would Vacate Sentence Of Tommy Ward, In Tuesdays filing, attorneys representing Ward argued the district judges ruling was fair and reasonable and echoed the judge that the withheld evidence creates a reasonable probability that the outcome would be different.. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The Pontotoc County District Attorneys office relied solely on investigators to provide it with the evidence needed to prosecute the case without questioning whether the investigators had turned over all exculpatory and/or impeachment evidence, Judge Paula Inge wrote in her December order. More:Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot. featured in the book and television series, Reports: 3 children dead, 2 wounded in attack at Texas home, Kellyanne Conway, George Conway To Divorce After Decadeslong Marriage: Report, School punished teen girl for working out in sports bra in 100-degree Texas heat, ACLU says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, 'Extremely dangerous': Spike in illegal crossings at Canada-Vermont border has feds sounding alarm. In June this year, the US Supreme Court refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal. Ive never been in jail or had a police record in my life and no one in my face telling me Id killed a pretty woman, that Im going to get the death penalty, so I told them the story hoping they would leave me alone. She said police and prosecutors withheld evidence that would have assisted Wards defense. a man whose murder conviction in Oklahoma was overturned, Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984, which became a Netflix documentary series, Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot, Human remains found, Oklahoma white supremacist leader might be connected, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Shot by Shot: Tracking Oklahoma police shootings in 2023, Listen Frontier: Sen. James Lankford speaks with The Frontier about abortion, immigration and more, Frontier content sharing and collaboration terms. Tommy Ward andKarl Fontenot were sentenced to death in 1985 for the murder of Denice Haraway, despite the fact that their confessions didn't match the crime they were accused of. She decided to vacate Wards conviction and life sentence, and ordered his release. Instead, she had died from a gunshot wound. "They have now been in prison for 31 years, serving hard time for a murder committed by someone else. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Justices should reject the states request to review the case because the evidence in this case qualifies as new evidence of actual innocence under any definition of new evidence, Fontenots lawyers argued. Ward and co-defendant Karl Fontenot's initial convictions and death sentences for Harways death were overturned, but both were again convicted on retrial with Fontenot again receiving a death sentence and Ward being sentenced to life in prison. However, she would never be seen alive again. remains wrongfully imprisoned . Which they did after I taped the statement," Fontenot said almost immediately after his interrogation, as described in Grisham's book. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, will also be filing an appeal for exoneration. The order is the latest in a string of decisions rebuking the convictions of Ward and Karl Fontenot for an infamous 1984 murder documented in two books and a recent Netflix documentary. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. Read: Attorney General's Office Appeals Ruling That Would Vacate Sentence Of Tommy Ward, In Tuesdays filing, attorneys representing Ward argued the district judges ruling was fair and reasonable and echoed the judge that the withheld evidence creates a reasonable probability that the outcome would be different.. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The judge found Tommy Ward didnt get a fair trial. John Grisham continues to correspond with both men. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. The ruling, dated Friday, said the withheld evidence, which included witness interviews and police reports, had been available to Ward's defense since 2003 and was not included in Ward's direct appeal after his 1999 conviction. A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. Fontenots lawyers at first waived the right to respond to the state, but the Supreme Court then requested a response. Lawyers for a man whose murder conviction in Oklahoma was overturned after he served more than three decades in prison urged the U.S. Supreme Court this week not to grant the states request to review the case. At only 25 years old, he has already made a name for himself in the entertainment industry, and his videos on social media have racked up millions of views. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. Please refer to our. In 2020, Fontenot's co-defendant in the case, Tommy Ward, also had his conviction overturned in state court, but prosecutors have appealed that decision to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. So where are the two men now, more than 30 years later? The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. Fontenot was released in December 2019 at the age of 55 after a federal judge ordered he be released or retried. However, court documents filed on Monday (29 August) show that on Friday (26 August), Oklahomas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the judges decision and reinstated Wards conviction. In a motion and brief filed Monday on behalf of Tommy Ward, one of two men convicted of Haraway's murder in Ada and who was featured in the John Grisham book the Innocent Man and 2018 Netflix. The judge said newly discovered evidence about Fontenots alibi and other suspects in the murder provided solid proof of his probable innocence. Tommy Ward. Hes very disappointed that hes still in prison for a murder he didn't commit, Wards attorney Mark Barrett told The Associated Press on Tuesday (30 August), adding that the legal team is pressing forward and exploring the possibility of going to federal court.. Ward's accurate description of the blouse was the only information that he gave that was correct in his confession, Barrett said. All rights reserved. Thomas Ward, known to the public as Tommy Ward, was convicted in 1999 of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada, Oklahoma. It was later upheld when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state's appeal. His previous EPs "Forget Me Not" and "Merry Christmas" both reached the Top 10 on iTunes jazz charts on the first day of their release. You can opt-out at any time. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. He reminds me of working with Frank Sinatra in some strange way." Fontenot, now 57,was tried twice and given the death penalty both times, though a retrial error led to a new sentence of life without parole. The conclusion of "The Innocent Man" docu-series notes that Ward's post-conviction filing has been opposed by the state, but that a judge will review the case in 2019. The young woman's disappearance sparked decades of controversy as police scrambled to solve the crime, leading to the convictions of two men: Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot. The courts exhaustively reviewed voluminous amounts of withheld exculpatory evidence and correctly concluded that this is the rare case in which a habeas petitioner has credibly demonstrated actual innocence, the lawyers said. FILE - This photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows Tommy Ward, who has spent 35 years in prison in a murder case featured in the book and television series 'The Innocent. The case was the subject of the book, The Dreams of Ada, by Robert Mayer, and was also described in John Grishams The Innocent Man, which became a Netflix documentary series. Mark Barrett and Greg Swygert , the attorneys representing Tommy Ward, spoke with The Frontier this week about the status of Ward's case to have his 1989 murder conviction and life sentence. In addition to his impressive performances, Ward has a true passion for music and the arts. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from the McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. The only evidence the state used in convicting Ward was a confession that he later claimed was spun wildly from a dream he reported, and only came out after intense pressure and hours of brutal interrogation. The appeals court did task the district court with handling a remaining claim from Wards team, according to which newly discovered evidence requires his conviction to be vacated. "Tommy is the epitome of great music. "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. Justices may determine before the courts term ends this summer whether to review the case. The organization has not offered an update on the status of their efforts. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Fight for his release from jail crime Netflix Series was released back in 2018, and temporary. The Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower court's ruling that he be released. She doesnt believe he could be given a fair trial after more than 30 years. Ward was convicted alongside Karl Fontenot for murdering Donna Harraway in Ada. . We cant do it without your support. The order is the latest in a string of decisions rebuking the convictions of Ward and Karl Fontenot for an infamous 1984 murder documented in two books and a recent Netflix documentary. He's very disappointed that he's still in prison for a murder he didn't commit, Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the conviction of one man in the 1984 murder of an Ada convienince store worker featured featured The Innocent Man. Tommy Ward one of the subjects of Netflix's true-crime docuseries "The Innocent Man," who was convicted of abduction, rape and the murder of an Oklahoma woman is to be released from . We promise to never spam you. To the extent that this could be the next Sinatra of our time." Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, A judge reversed the conviction of Thomas Ward, known to the public as Tommy Ward, in 2020, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, Tommy Ward in the 2018 Netflix docuseries The Innocent Man'. I received Christmas cards last week from both Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, so we keep in touch," Grisham said. The six-part docuseries series, based on John Grishams 2006 best-selling non-fiction book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, tells the story of Ronald Keith Williamson, a man wrongfully convicted of rape and murder who spent 11 years on death row before he was exonerated. An Oklahoma judge ruled that the case rested on circumstantial evidence. News9.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, Heres a link to the decision, Mark Barrett & The Center on Wrongful Convictions tweeted, with the legal documents confirming the move attached. Ward has also had a widely celebrated opening act run for comedy legend Louie Anderson during his tenure at the Plaza Hotel. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail.
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