Fontenot is currently awaiting the results of a federal appeal. 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'. 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 most recent exculpatory disclosure came in 2019, 31 years after Fontenots conviction.. Tommy Ward, 61, and Karl Fontenot, 58, were . 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. Fontenot's case was picked up by The Innocence Project in 2011, but there's . Forget Me Not EP available now on all major platforms. 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 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. More to come. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Also Read: 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. Please refer to our. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Tweet Since the age of 16, Ward has had the opportunity to work alongside industry veterans and legends. OK man arrested for. 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. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. 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. 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. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. Barrett noted that the appeals court ordered the lower court to consider an additional claim regarding new evidence discovered in 2019. More:Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot. 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. John Grisham continues to correspond with both men. Tommy's legal team dedicated to freeing Tommy Ward from prison for a crime he did not commit.. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction in an infamous 1984 case out of Ada. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. 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. Fontenot. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . Ward is a hardworking and dedicated artist who continues to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. The state court of criminal appeals voted unanimously to reinstate Tommy Ward's murder conviction. News9.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. 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. To the extent that this could be the next Sinatra of our time." Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Ward was convicted alongside Karl Fontenot for murdering Donna Harraway in Ada. Courtesy. It was based on the 2006 true-crime book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham. 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.. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. Ward remains in prison as the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals weighs his case. But a Pontotoc County district judge ruled last month that prosecutors withheld key evidence in the case, including witness interviews and police reports, and ordered Wards release. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. 7726 5241 Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US Are allowed finish! Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. 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. Fontenots and Wards attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. 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. 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. His conviction is the subject of the Netflix docu-series "The . Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. I didnt even know what the word 'statement' or 'confessing' meant 'til they told me I confessed to it. In addition to his impressive performances, Ward has a true passion for music and the arts. Ward's case was the focus of the Netflix documentary "The Innocent Man, " which was released in 2018. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman. 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.. "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. Haraway was working as a clerk in a convenience store when she went missing in Ada in 1984. That evidence includes previously undisclosed suspects and whether police provided Ward with information about the victim's blouse, which prosecutors said he had described. Evidence presented to exonerate Fontenot had been available since Fontenots trials in the 1980s, the state said, arguing that the high court should accept the caseto clarify that new evidence means newly discovered or newly available evidence as opposed to newly presented evidence. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "Tommy is the epitome of great music. Ward's accurate description of the blouse was the only information that he gave that was correct in his confession, Barrett said. Tommy Ward has been in prison 35 years for a murder he swears he did not commit. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. Both are model prisoners. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. A federal judge in Muskogee overturned Fontenot's conviction in late 2019. The only evidence the state used in convicting Ward was a confession that he later claimed was spun wildly from a dream he reported, and only came out after intense pressure and hours of brutal interrogation. The organization has not offered an update on the status of their efforts. This contradicted the confessions, which stated that Haraway had been stabbed to death. He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. 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. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS 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. Oklahomas Court of Criminal Appeals, however, argued that the district court had abused its discretion in that instance. - BART TORRES, 99.7FM The Highway Vibe. 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. 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! Oct 28, 2022. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was freed pending an appeal by the state. In both Ward and Fontenots cases, judges issued rulings excoriating investigators for withholding favorable evidence from defense attorneys. 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. [Warning: Spoilers for "The Innocent Man" ahead!]. Ward and Fontenot were sentenced to death on January 21, 1985 after being found guilty of murdering Haraway. Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. 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. 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. Timmy Ward gamelogs for the 2022 season. 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 on 6 delivered right to your inbox! The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his confession were inaccurate. 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. 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. Ward's case, and others, have been the. 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. 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. Fontenot is free on bond as the appeals process plays out. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. 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. 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. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. An Oklahoma judge ruled that the case rested on circumstantial evidence. He is currently serving time at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy in Oklahoma. By: Dana Hertneky. mail 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. Heres a link to the decision https://t.co/21UQag7LEi, Tommy Ward: The Innocent Man (@WardInnocentMan) December 19, 2020. Tommy Ward was one of two men serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of Denice Haraway in Ada. Mark Barrett and Greg Swygert , the attorneys representing Tommy Ward, spoke with The Frontier this week about the status of Ward's case to have his 1989 murder conviction and life sentence. He's very disappointed that he's still in prison for a murder he didn't commit, Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? "They have now been in prison for 31 years, serving hard time for a murder committed by someone else. attempted to take on Fontenot's case in 2013, a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project. Share Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. 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. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. The state also claims witnesses saw men matching Ward and Fontenots descriptions in the convenience store where Haraway worked before she disappeared. 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. 2022 Reader's Choice Winners . The judge found Tommy Ward didnt get a fair trial. 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. His previous EPs "Forget Me Not" and "Merry Christmas" both reached the Top 10 on iTunes jazz charts on the first day of their release. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. 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.. Critically acclaimed singer, musician, and entertainer. Wr Hines Ward - NFL.com /a > attorneys representing Tommy Ward was one of two serving! 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. 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. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. The circumstances surrounding Ward and Fontenot's confessions were suspicious from the start, and in fact were later proved to be inconsistent with what had actually happened to Haraway: Her body was ultimately found years after she vanished, 30 miles away from where the duo said they had deposited it. Tommy Ward. 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. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. 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. Additional reporting by The Associated Press. The Oklahoma attorney generals office, which appealed Inges order, declined to comment on Thursdays ruling. 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. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. Donate to The Frontier to support local independent investigative journalism. More damningly, Haraway had not been been stabbed as the young men had described. 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. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal . In 2020, District Judge Paula Inge vacated his conviction, dismissed the charges against him, and ordered him set free. Ward has also had a widely celebrated opening act run for comedy legend Louie Anderson during his tenure at the Plaza Hotel. Ada store clerk Denice Haraway was abducted and killed on April 28, 1984. . 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. have asked the court of appeals . . The judge said newly discovered evidence about Fontenot's alibi and other suspects in the murder provided "solid proof" of his probable innocence. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. Appears the state will retry Karl Fontenot, who was released 2 years ago and subject of #netflix special. Ward is the subject of a Netflix docuseries and a book by John Grisham. Advertisement On Friday, a judge vacated Ward's convictions and sentences, dismissed the charges and . 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.