Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. An autopsy showed evidence that she had been shot and no sign that she had been stabbed, per The AP. The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his confession were inaccurate. By, 'Deeply tainted': Oklahoma conservatives call for moratorium, abolition of the death penalty, Sheriff, jail health care provider seek public money to increase staff after two women died, AG Drummond orders independent counsel to review Glossip death penalty case, Oklahoma Attorney General requests more time in between executions. Timmy Ward gamelogs for the 2022 season. 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.. Fontenots and Wards attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. Advertisement On Friday, a judge vacated Ward's convictions and sentences, dismissed the charges and . Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Oklahomas Court of Criminal Appeals, however, argued that the district court had abused its discretion in that instance. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. Courtesy Netflix. John 3:16. Haraways body was located after the convictions. The judge said newly discovered evidence about Fontenot's alibi and other suspects in the murder provided "solid proof" of his probable innocence. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. Additional reporting by The Associated Press. You can opt-out at any time. So thats the reason I gave them an untrue statement so they would leave me alone.. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. So where are the two men now, more than 30 years later? Ward is the subject of a Netflix docuseries and a book by John Grisham. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019 by a federal judge in Muskogee, and that courts ruling was upheld last year by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. 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 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. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. 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." Yale University Honors 9-Year-Old Scientist, Water Main Break In Tulsa Forces Limited Road Closure, Metro Summer Youth Camp Hopes To Prevent Violence In The Community, 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. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. 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. Fight for his release from jail crime Netflix Series was released back in 2018, and temporary. 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. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Both are model prisoners. She doesnt believe he could be given a fair trial after more than 30 years. 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. Ward remains in prison as the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals weighs his case. 7726 5241 Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US Are allowed finish! When you read their briefs, they dont take issue with the fact that this information was withheld from him. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. 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. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. The two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. By: Dana Hertneky. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. 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.. The 10th U.S. Thomas Ward, known to the public as Tommy Ward, was convicted in 1999 of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada, Oklahoma. mail Oct 28, 2022. Share. "They have now been in prison for 31 years, serving hard time for a murder committed by someone else. 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. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Prisoner seen in Netflixs The Innocent Man has conviction reinstated, refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, 50 cash with friend referrals at Virgin Mobile, 15% off extra plans with this Vodafone promo, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. 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. 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. 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. He is 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. and his videos on social media have racked up millions of views. News9.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. Instead, she had died from a gunshot wound. A spokeswoman for Attorney General John OConnor declined to comment on the pending cases. 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.. Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward. Ward's most recent recording, "Home" with GRAMMY nominated country artist Mark Winston Kirk, is currently in the Top 100 on regional radio and is being played in more than 15 states across the United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. She decided to vacate Wards conviction and life sentence, and ordered his release. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. PublishedDecember 26, 2020 at 10:50 AM CST, KGOU | 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. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman. Newson6.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, We are pressing forward exploring the possibility of going to federal court with additional appeals, Barrett said. The Attorney Generals office claims in its filing that Fontenot and Ward attempted to minimize their involvement in Haraways death during their confessions by saying the primary aggressor was another man who was never charged with the crime. Though no physical evidence tied them to Haraways disappearance, Fontenot and Ward initially confessed to the crime after questioning by investigators. Karl Fontenot, Tommy Ward. Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . Tuesday 30 August 2022 23:08 Tommy Ward in the 2018 Netflix docuseries 'The Innocent Man' (Netflix) A prisoner featured in the Netflix documentary series The Innocent Man has had his murder. All rights reserved. Ward and Fontenot were sentenced to death on January 21, 1985 after being found guilty of murdering Haraway. A federal judge in Muskogee overturned Fontenot's conviction in late 2019. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal . Its clear as day.. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. have asked the court of appeals . The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. Tommy Ward, 61, and Karl Fontenot, 58, were . 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. More to come. 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. But now, Wards release has been blocked by the state Attorney Generals Office. John Grisham continues to correspond with both men. 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'. 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. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. She said police and prosecutors withheld evidence that would have assisted Wards defense. Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was freed pending an appeal by the state. At time of writing, he is still serving his life sentence without the possibility of parole, and is now 54 years old. Im still holding out hope that the attorney general of Oklahoma will change course here, take a close look at the case, said Greg Swygert, one of Wards attorneys. 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. Ward and a co-defendant, Karl Fontenot, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison in the 1984 kidnapping and killing of Donna Denice Haraway, a convenience store clerk in Ada, Oklahoma. Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984. Fontenot was released in December 2019 at the age of 55 after a federal judge ordered he be released or retried. 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. Ward's newly released EP From This Moment On, (2022) produced by LeCoq Records, showcases his stunning vocal abilities and features truly unique arrangements played by some of the world's most respected musicians, including Bill Cunliffe, John Pattitucci, Vinny Colaiuta, and others. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. Donate to The Frontier to support local independent investigative journalism. Forget Me Not EP available now on all major platforms. 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. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Tommy Ward to be set free . Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. 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 Ward was one of two men serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of Denice Haraway in Ada. 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. 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. I didnt even know what the word 'statement' or 'confessing' meant 'til they told me I confessed to it. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! After the details of both mens confessions were proven untrue Haraways body was discovered years later in a different location and had been shot to death not stabbed as the pair had said a state appeals court ordered new trials. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. In 2020, District Judge Paula Inge vacated his conviction, dismissed the charges against him, and ordered him set free. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. 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. He's very disappointed that he's still in prison for a murder he didn't commit, Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT - STEVE WYNN, founder Wynn Resorts "I just saw Tommy in Las Vegas at a corporate event and I was BLOWN AWAY. Please refer to our. Both Ward and . 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. And Mr. Fontenot has also established that evidence suppressed by the State prior to his new trial in 1988 led to a violation of his constitutional right to due process., More:Human remains found, Oklahoma white supremacist leader might be connected. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. 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.