Fontenot, 57 and Tommy Ward, 61, were both twice convicted in Haraways murder. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! That evidence includes previously undisclosed suspects and whether police provided Ward with information about the victim's blouse, which prosecutors said he had described. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Judge orders release or new trial for 'Innocent Man' defendant Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward. Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. Fontenot is free on bond as the appeals process plays out. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS 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 later upheld when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state's appeal. Additional reporting by The Associated Press. 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's newly released EP "From This Moment On," (2022) produced by LeCoq Records, showcases his stunning vocal abilities . 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. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. Donate to The Frontier to support local independent investigative journalism. We promise to never spam you. She said police and prosecutors withheld evidence that would have assisted Wards defense. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. - BART TORRES, 99.7FM The Highway Vibe. Subscribe and Follow on Facebook and YouTube for the latest music. 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. Tommy Ward. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. remains wrongfully imprisoned . A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. Appears the state will retry Karl Fontenot, who was released 2 years ago and subject of #netflix special. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. 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.. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Federal appeals court upholds overturned conviction in Ada 'Innocent Fontenots attorneys have argued that many of the inaccurate details of his confession were supplied by detectives from the Ada Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. The most recent exculpatory disclosure came in 2019, 31 years after Fontenots conviction.. He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. Ada store clerk Denice Haraway was abducted and killed on April 28, 1984. . The. 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. Tommy Ward- The Innocent Man's Legal Team's Page | Ada OK - Facebook "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! . 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. 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. "Tommy is the epitome of great music. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. 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. 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. Instead, she had died from a gunshot wound. Tommy Ward - Official Site Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was freed pending an appeal by the state. Fontenots and Wards attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. Judge vacates Tommy Ward's sentences in 'The Innocent Man' case Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. 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. In addition to his impressive performances, Ward has a true passion for music and the arts. 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. This contradicted the confessions, which stated that Haraway had been stabbed to death. Judge orders 'Innocent Man' defendant freed - Enidnews.com Both are model prisoners. In 2020, District Judge Paula Inge vacated his conviction, dismissed the charges against him, and ordered him set free. 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. 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. 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.. Ward is the subject of a Netflix docuseries and a book by John Grisham. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. 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. Ward remains in prison as the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals weighs his case. I didnt even know what the word 'statement' or 'confessing' meant 'til they told me I confessed to it. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction in an infamous 1984 case out of Ada. Barrett noted that the appeals court ordered the lower court to consider an additional claim regarding new evidence discovered in 2019. News 9s Barry Mangold will have more on the story on News 9 at 10 p.m. Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox! sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. 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. Its clear as day.. The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his confession were inaccurate. Tommy's legal team dedicated to freeing Tommy Ward from prison for a crime he did not commit.. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. More damningly, Haraway had not been been stabbed as the young men had described. U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear 'Innocent Man' case But now, Wards release has been blocked by the state Attorney Generals Office. Oct 28, 2022. 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. Prisoner seen in Netflix's The Innocent Man has murder conviction The organization has not offered an update on the status of their efforts. "They said I had a choice to write it or tape it. tommy ward released 2022 Tommy Ward to be set free . I received Christmas cards last week from both Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, so we keep in touch," Grisham said. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal . John 3:16. 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. To the extent that this could be the next Sinatra of our time." So where are the two men now, more than 30 years later? The judge found Tommy Ward didnt get a fair trial. 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. 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. Meanwhile, Fontenot, as explained in the Netflix series, had perhaps offered his testimony to the aggressive police because he both feared for his safety and wanted to escape from what was described as poverty and homelessness. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. 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.. Share. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna "Denice" Haraway. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. 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. Both Ward and Fontenot would go on to recant their confessions. Tweet Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His 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. 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. Advertisement On Friday, a judge vacated Ward's convictions and sentences, dismissed the charges and . His conviction is the subject of the Netflix docu-series "The . Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Haraways body was located after the convictions. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. Ward and Fontenot were sentenced to death on January 21, 1985 after being found guilty of murdering Haraway. Oklahoma Attorney General responds to innocence claims by 'Innocent Man Wr Hines Ward - NFL.com /a > attorneys representing Tommy Ward was one of two serving! 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 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. Ward's case, and others, have been the. State asks U.S. Supreme Court to uphold conviction in 'Innocent Man' He is currently serving time at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy in Oklahoma. A spokeswoman for Attorney General John OConnor declined to comment on the pending cases. 37 years since Ada murder, Ward still in custody - KTEN The state also claims witnesses saw men matching Ward and Fontenots descriptions in the convenience store where Haraway worked before she disappeared. 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 Oklahoma attorney generals office, which appealed Inges order, declined to comment on Thursdays ruling. 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. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Both have excellent teams of lawyers who continue to work for their release.. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. The 10th U.S. Heres a link to the decision https://t.co/21UQag7LEi, Tommy Ward: The Innocent Man (@WardInnocentMan) December 19, 2020. 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. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. Ward's case was the focus of the Netflix documentary "The Innocent Man, " which was released in 2018. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. 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. Though no physical evidence tied them to Haraways disappearance, Fontenot and Ward initially confessed to the crime after questioning by investigators. 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. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. Tommy Ward from Netflix documentary has murder conviction reinstated 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. 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. 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. 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. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. The state court of criminal appeals voted unanimously to reinstate Tommy Ward's murder conviction. We promise to never spam you. Timmy Ward 2022 Gamelogs | The Football Database Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984. 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. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. attempted to take on Fontenot's case in 2013, a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project. Tommy Ward, 61, and Karl Fontenot, 58, were . Please refer to our. 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. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. 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. 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.
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