Since the age of 16, Ward has had the opportunity to work alongside industry veterans and legends. 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 Man'. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. 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. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. Both Ward and Fontenot would go on to recant their confessions. The most recent exculpatory disclosure came in 2019, 31 years after Fontenots conviction.. She decided to vacate Wards conviction and life sentence, and ordered his release. Ward has also had a widely celebrated opening act run for comedy legend Louie Anderson during his tenure at the Plaza Hotel. 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. 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. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. The Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower courts ruling that he be released. Additional reporting by The Associated Press. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. Fontenot is currently awaiting the results of a federal appeal. His conviction is the subject of the Netflix docu-series "The . Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. 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. Ward's case was the focus of the Netflix documentary "The Innocent Man, " which was released in 2018. 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. All rights reserved. The judge found Tommy Ward didnt get a fair trial. 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. Tuesday, July 6th 2021, 11:00 pm. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. We are pressing forward exploring the possibility of going to federal court with additional appeals, Barrett said. The Oklahoma attorney generals office, which appealed Inges order, declined to comment on Thursdays ruling. 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. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. This contradicted the confessions, which stated that Haraway had been stabbed to death. Fontenot, 57 and Tommy Ward, 61, were both twice convicted in Haraways murder. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. But the men quickly recanted and have claimed for decades that police coerced them to say they killed Haraway. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. 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. 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. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? 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. Both are model prisoners. Both Ward and . 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. Advertisement On Friday, a judge vacated Ward's convictions and sentences, dismissed the charges and . Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. The. Ward remains in prison as the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals weighs his case. 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. In both Ward and Fontenots cases, judges issued rulings excoriating investigators for withholding favorable evidence from defense attorneys. He is 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. Ward is the subject of a Netflix docuseries and a book by John Grisham. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Please refer to our. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. At time of writing, he is still serving his life sentence without the possibility of parole, and is now 54 years old. In addition to his impressive performances, Ward has a true passion for music and the arts. Please refer to our. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. In June this year, the US Supreme Court refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman. 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. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. "Tommy is the epitome of great music. Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was freed pending an appeal by the state. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. 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! Fight for his release from jail crime Netflix Series was released back in 2018, and temporary. 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. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. Tommy Ward has been in prison 35 years for a murder he swears he did not commit. More:Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot. 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. Local prosecutors again secured their convictions, based largely on their confessions. And the prosecutorial misconduct did not end with the trial: over the next thirty years, the State continued to withhold evidence, releasing it piecemeal only when compelled to do so by multiple court orders, the lawyers told the court. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. Karl Fontenot, Tommy Ward. Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Though no physical evidence tied them to Haraways disappearance, Fontenot and Ward initially confessed to the crime after questioning by investigators. 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. Tommy Ward was one of two men serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of Denice Haraway in Ada. 2022 Reader's Choice Winners . info@tommywardmusic.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. More to come. It was later upheld when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state's appeal. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. 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. 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. The state also claims witnesses saw men matching Ward and Fontenots descriptions in the convenience store where Haraway worked before she disappeared. Ward's case, and others, have been the. An Oklahoma judge ruled that the case rested on circumstantial evidence. 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. 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 attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from the McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. - QUINCY JONES, 27 time GRAMMY-award-winning producer "A fine singer A lovely, silky voice." Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. 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. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. . Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. Tweet 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. They cant. 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. Oct 28, 2022. She was 24. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. 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'. Courtesy Netflix. To the extent that this could be the next Sinatra of our time." 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. 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! PublishedDecember 26, 2020 at 10:50 AM CST, KGOU | By: Dana Hertneky. However, she would never be seen alive again. 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. 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. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. 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. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. 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 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. - STEVE WYNN, founder Wynn Resorts "I just saw Tommy in Las Vegas at a corporate event and I was BLOWN AWAY. 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. mail We promise to never spam you. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and filming for Halloween Ends to release on October 14, 2022 with! I received Christmas cards last week from both Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, so we keep in touch," Grisham said. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. Tommy's legal team dedicated to freeing Tommy Ward from prison for a crime he did not commit.. 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 was convicted alongside Karl Fontenot for murdering Donna Harraway in Ada. Ward's accurate description of the blouse was the only information that he gave that was correct in his confession, Barrett said. Heres a link to the decision, Mark Barrett & The Center on Wrongful Convictions tweeted, with the legal documents confirming the move attached. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. 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. 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.. 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. 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. Tommy Ward, 61, and Karl Fontenot, 58, were . Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. 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. have asked the court of appeals . Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal . 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. 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. - BART TORRES, 99.7FM The Highway Vibe. 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. 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. 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. Barrett noted that the appeals court ordered the lower court to consider an additional claim regarding new evidence discovered in 2019. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. So thats the reason I gave them an untrue statement so they would leave me alone.. Tommy Ward. Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward. "They have now been in prison for 31 years, serving hard time for a murder committed by someone else. 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.
Ucla Transfer Acceptance Rate From Community College,
Articles T
