But now, Wards release has been blocked by the state Attorney Generals Office. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. 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.. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. 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. Fontenot was released in December 2019 at the age of 55 after a federal judge ordered he be released or retried. The Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 that 60-year-old Tommy Ward remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower court's ruling. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. The organization has not offered an update on the status of their efforts. The state court of criminal appeals voted unanimously to reinstate Tommy Ward's murder conviction. John 3:16. More to come. and his videos on social media have racked up millions of views. 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.. Fontenots lawyers at first waived the right to respond to the state, but the Supreme Court then requested a response. 7726 5241 Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US Are allowed finish! But one day before Ward's release, a temporary stay,. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction in an infamous 1984 case out of Ada. 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. 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. Thomas Ward, known to the public as Tommy Ward, was convicted in 1999 of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada, Oklahoma. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. Along with co-defendant Tommy Ward, Karl Fontenot was convicted twice in the kidnapping and murder of Donna Denise Haraway from an Ada convenience store in 1984 and sentenced to life without parole. 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'. Newson6.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and filming for Halloween Ends to release on October 14, 2022 with! 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. The. Haraways body was located after the convictions. 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. Attorneys for a man convicted for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of an Ada woman say they plan to file a federal case to try and overturn his conviction after the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturned a lower court's order that would have made him a free man. The Oklahoma Innocence Project, an organization that helps to exonerate those wrongfully convicted, attempted to take on Fontenot's case in 2013, but itsappeals were denied in 2015. The two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. 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. Ward was featured in the Netflix. He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. 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. A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. Also Read: 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was freed pending an appeal by the state. Raising the same general categories on post-conviction that one raised on direct appeal, even if the basis is different, will result in a procedural bar," according to the state court's opinion. Local prosecutors again secured their convictions, based largely on their confessions. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. Ward's accurate description of the blouse was the only information that he gave that was correct in his confession, Barrett said. Fontenot is free on bond as the appeals process plays out. Tommy Ward, who was convicted twice for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Ada convenience store clerk Donna "Denise" Haraway, had his conviction and life sentence overturned and was ordered to. Ward is the subject of a Netflix docuseries and a book by John Grisham. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. 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. The judge said newly discovered evidence about Fontenot's alibi and other suspects in the murder provided "solid proof" of his probable innocence. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. That evidence includes previously undisclosed suspects and whether police provided Ward with information about the victim's blouse, which prosecutors said he had described. Subscribe and Follow on Facebook and YouTube for the latest music. 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. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. 2022 Reader's Choice Winners . Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! She was 24. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. Tommy Ward has been in prison for 35 years and was supposed to be released today after a judge dismissed Ward's murder conviction. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. mail "They have now been in prison for 31 years, serving hard time for a murder committed by someone else. 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. info@tommywardmusic.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. Tommy Ward has been in prison 35 years for a murder he swears he did not commit. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. 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. It was based on the 2006 true-crime book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham. 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. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS Karl Fontenot was 20 years old in 1984, when he was arrested for the rape and murder of Donna Denice Haraway along with Tommy Ward. The state of Oklahoma filed a petition in the U.S. Supreme Court in January arguing that a federal law placing strict time limits on appeals should have barred the claims made in 2016 by Fontenot. But the men quickly recanted and have claimed for decades that police coerced them to say they killed Haraway. The state also claims witnesses saw men matching Ward and Fontenots descriptions in the convenience store where Haraway worked before she disappeared. 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. Ward's case, and others, have been the. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. In 2020, District Judge Paula Inge vacated his conviction, dismissed the charges against him, and ordered him set free. 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. 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 . Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. The tribulations faced by the pair are depicted in Netflix's latest true crime docu-series, "The Innocent Man," based on the John Grisham book of the same name. 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. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? 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. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. "They said I had a choice to write it or tape it. 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'. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. 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. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. By: Dana Hertneky. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. 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. So where are the two men now, more than 30 years later? Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. [Warning: Spoilers for "The Innocent Man" ahead!]. Barrett noted that the appeals court ordered the lower court to consider an additional claim regarding new evidence discovered in 2019. Ward and Fontenot were sentenced to death on January 21, 1985 after being found guilty of murdering Haraway. At time of writing, he is still serving his life sentence without the possibility of parole, and is now 54 years old. "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. PublishedDecember 26, 2020 at 10:50 AM CST, KGOU | The convictions were based almost entirely on accounts they said they retrieved from dreams. Fontenot is currently awaiting the results of a federal appeal. Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, will also be filing an appeal for exoneration. 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. She said police and prosecutors withheld evidence that would have assisted Wards defense. 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. 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. 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.. 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. Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984. @WardInnocentMan. 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. All rights reserved. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Fight for his release from jail crime Netflix Series was released back in 2018, and temporary. 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.. 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. In both Ward and Fontenots cases, judges issued rulings excoriating investigators for withholding favorable evidence from defense attorneys. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. He's very disappointed that he's still in prison for a murder he didn't commit, Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He reminds me of working with Frank Sinatra in some strange way." The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from the McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. 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. 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. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. 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. 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..

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