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. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. 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 Innocent Man - Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot now - Digital Spy 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 judge said newly discovered evidence about Fontenot's alibi and other suspects in the murder provided "solid proof" of his probable innocence. Oklahomas Court of Criminal Appeals, however, argued that the district court had abused its discretion in that instance. 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 has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Ward's accurate description of the blouse was the only information that he gave that was correct in his confession, Barrett said. Court Extends Temporary Stay 1 Day Before Tommy Ward's Expected Release The 10th U.S. 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. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. [Warning: Spoilers for "The Innocent Man" ahead!]. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. 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.. However, she would never be seen alive again. Oklahoma Attorney General responds to innocence claims by 'Innocent Man He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. Forget Me Not EP available now on all major platforms. Ward remains in prison as the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals weighs his case. More to come. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. You can opt-out at any time. Justices may determine before the courts term ends this summer whether to review the case. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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 was working as a clerk in a convenience store when she went missing in Ada in 1984. Newson6.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, All rights reserved. U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear 'Innocent Man' case Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, will also be filing an appeal for exoneration. Fontenots lawyers at first waived the right to respond to the state, but the Supreme Court then requested a response. remains wrongfully imprisoned . Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. We are pressing forward exploring the possibility of going to federal court with additional appeals, Barrett said. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. 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. 19 talking about this. 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. 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. Tommy Ward has been in prison 35 years for a murder he swears he did not commit. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from the McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. 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. Also Read: 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. Tommy Ward - Official Site Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . 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. Timmy Ward 2022 Gamelogs | The Football Database More damningly, Haraway had not been been stabbed as the young men had described. 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. 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. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and filming for Halloween Ends to release on October 14, 2022 with! Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. Share YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Ward's newly released EP "From This Moment On," (2022) produced by LeCoq Records, showcases his stunning vocal abilities . 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. Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. 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 are model prisoners. PublishedDecember 26, 2020 at 10:50 AM CST, KGOU | attempted to take on Fontenot's case in 2013, a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project. 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. 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. 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. - STEVE WYNN, founder Wynn Resorts "I just saw Tommy in Las Vegas at a corporate event and I was BLOWN AWAY. 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. Oklahoma court reinstates 'Innocent Man' murder conviction Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. ADVERTISEMENT Attorneys in Ada 'Innocent Man' murder case 'blown away' by content of Wr Hines Ward - NFL.com /a > attorneys representing Tommy Ward was one of two serving! Ward and Fontenot were sentenced to death on January 21, 1985 after being found guilty of murdering Haraway. 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. "The Innocent Man" Tommy Ward files another brief - KFOR.com John Grisham continues to correspond with both men. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Courtesy Netflix. 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 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. She said police and prosecutors withheld evidence that would have assisted Wards defense. 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. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS 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. Judge vacates Tommy Ward's sentences in 'The Innocent Man' case Donate to The Frontier to support local independent investigative journalism. I received Christmas cards last week from both Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, so we keep in touch," Grisham said. Heres a link to the decision https://t.co/21UQag7LEi, Tommy Ward: The Innocent Man (@WardInnocentMan) December 19, 2020. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward 37 years since Ada murder, Ward still in custody - KTEN Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. 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.. The Oklahoma attorney generals office, which appealed Inges order, declined to comment on Thursdays ruling. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Its clear as day.. 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. When you read their briefs, they dont take issue with the fact that this information was withheld from him. Court rules 'Innocent Man' defendant to remain imprisoned - AP NEWS 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. 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. Both Ward and Fontenot would go on to recant their confessions. The state also claims witnesses saw men matching Ward and Fontenots descriptions in the convenience store where Haraway worked before she disappeared. 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 from Netflix documentary has murder conviction reinstated and his videos on social media have racked up millions of views. 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. More to come. Attorneys in 'Innocent Man' case eye federal court after lower court's A prisoner featured in the Netflix documentary series The Innocent Man has had his murder conviction and life sentence reinstated after previously being granted relief. 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. 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. tommy ward released 2022 The state court of criminal appeals voted unanimously to reinstate Tommy Ward's murder conviction. Fontenot. 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.
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