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 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. 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. 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. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. 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 Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower court's ruling that he be released. More damningly, Haraway had not been been stabbed as the young men had described. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal . Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. Fontenot, 57 and Tommy Ward, 61, were both twice convicted in Haraways murder. 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. The two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. John 3:16. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. 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. She was 24. More:Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Tommy's legal team dedicated to freeing Tommy Ward from prison for a crime he did not commit.. So thats the reason I gave them an untrue statement so they would leave me alone.. A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. 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 has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. Ward's newly released EP "From This Moment On," (2022) produced by LeCoq Records, showcases his stunning vocal abilities . A spokeswoman for Attorney General John OConnor declined to comment on the pending cases. Both have excellent teams of lawyers who continue to work for their release." 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. 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. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. 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 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. I didnt even know what the word 'statement' or 'confessing' meant 'til they told me I confessed to it. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. 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. 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. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Courtesy Netflix. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. @WardInnocentMan. 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. The. Tweet 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. Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. 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. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS "They have now been in prison for 31 years, serving hard time for a murder committed by someone else. More to come. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his confession were inaccurate. 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'. 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. 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. 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. Courtesy. 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. 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. Ward's case was the focus of the Netflix documentary "The Innocent Man, " which was released in 2018. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! You can opt-out at any time. Its clear as day.. Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. 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. Appears the state will retry Karl Fontenot, who was released 2 years ago and subject of #netflix special. Tommy Ward has been in prison for 35 years and was supposed to be released today after a judge dismissed Ward's murder conviction. 2022 Reader's Choice Winners . Please refer to our. 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. Tommy Ward has been in prison 35 years for a murder he swears he did not commit. 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. info@tommywardmusic.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. Heres a link to the decision https://t.co/21UQag7LEi, Tommy Ward: The Innocent Man (@WardInnocentMan) December 19, 2020. 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. This contradicted the confessions, which stated that Haraway had been stabbed to death. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. We promise to never spam you. Both Ward and . 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. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. She decided to vacate Wards conviction and life sentence, and ordered his release. They cant. Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was freed pending an appeal by the state. Fontenots lawyers at first waived the right to respond to the state, but the Supreme Court then requested a response. It was later upheld when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state's appeal. Wr Hines Ward - NFL.com /a > attorneys representing Tommy Ward was one of two serving! 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. An autopsy showed evidence that she had been shot and no sign that she had been stabbed, per The AP. 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. 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. 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. Fontenot's case was picked up by The Innocence Project in 2011, but there's . 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. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. Additional reporting by The Associated Press. 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.
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