Both have excellent teams of lawyers who continue to work for their release.. 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. PublishedDecember 26, 2020 at 10:50 AM CST, KGOU | 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. Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from the McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984.
Subscribe and Follow on Facebook and YouTube for the latest music. 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. Heres a link to the decision, Mark Barrett & The Center on Wrongful Convictions tweeted, with the legal documents confirming the move attached. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. 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.
Court upholds overturned conviction in 'Innocent Man' case 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. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot.
Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward 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. 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.. Both are model prisoners. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal . Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Though no physical evidence tied them to Haraways disappearance, Fontenot and Ward initially confessed to the crime after questioning by investigators. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV.
In both Ward and Fontenots cases, judges issued rulings excoriating investigators for withholding favorable evidence from defense attorneys. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. It was based on the 2006 true-crime book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham. 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. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The most recent exculpatory disclosure came in 2019, 31 years after Fontenots conviction.. 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 Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. 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. 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. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. 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! 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. Please refer to our. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. Tommy Ward to be set free . Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. Since the age of 16, Ward has had the opportunity to work alongside industry veterans and legends. Ward is a hardworking and dedicated artist who continues to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. The Oklahoma attorney generals office, which appealed Inges order, declined to comment on Thursdays ruling.
Attorneys in Ada 'Innocent Man' murder case 'blown away' by content of He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. 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.. Karl Fontenot, Tommy Ward. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. - BART TORRES, 99.7FM The Highway Vibe. He is currently serving time at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy in Oklahoma. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Local prosecutors again secured their convictions, based largely on their confessions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and filming for Halloween Ends to release on October 14, 2022 with!
Tommy Ward, Convicted Murderer and Subject of Netflix's 'The - TheWrap Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna "Denice" Haraway. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. The judge said newly discovered evidence about Fontenots alibi and other suspects in the murder provided solid proof of his probable innocence. "Tommy is the epitome of great music. Ada store clerk Denice Haraway was abducted and killed on April 28, 1984. . 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. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman.
What Happened To Tommy Ward And Karl Fontenot? 'The Innocent Man Fontenot was released in December 2019 at the age of 55 after a federal judge ordered he be released or retried. 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. 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. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. 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 was convicted alongside Karl Fontenot for murdering Donna Harraway in Ada. have asked the court of appeals . Tweet Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. 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. Ward's case was the focus of the Netflix documentary "The Innocent Man, " which was released in 2018.
Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. 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'.