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! State asks U.S. Supreme Court to uphold conviction in 'Innocent Man' 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 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. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. She was 24. 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. 7726 5241 Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US Are allowed finish! Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. 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. Tommy Ward has been in prison 35 years for a murder he swears he did not commit. You can opt-out at any time. and his videos on social media have racked up millions of views. Thomas Ward, known to the public as Tommy Ward, was convicted in 1999 of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada, Oklahoma. The convictions of Ward and Fontenot have come under intense scrutiny for years and have been the subject of numerous books, including John Grishams The Innocent Man, which he produced into a six-part documentary. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. All rights reserved. Haraways body was located after the convictions. They cant. Tommy Ward - YouTube 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. The Official YouTube Channel 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. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Attorneys in Ada 'Innocent Man' case request judge vacate Ward's sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984. . 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. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) A man who has spent 35 years in prison in a murder case featured in the book and television series The Innocent Man must remain incarcerated even after a judge ordered his release, an appeals court ruled Thursday. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear 'Innocent Man' case Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. An Oklahoma judge ruled that the case rested on circumstantial evidence. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Tommy Ward was one of two men serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of Denice Haraway in Ada. Ward was convicted alongside Karl Fontenot for murdering Donna Harraway in Ada. In both Ward and Fontenots cases, judges issued rulings excoriating investigators for withholding favorable evidence from defense attorneys. 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. "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. At time of writing, he is still serving his life sentence without the possibility of parole, and is now 54 years old. Though no physical evidence tied them to Haraways disappearance, Fontenot and Ward initially confessed to the crime after questioning by investigators. 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. Ward remains in prison as the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals weighs his case. Court Extends Temporary Stay 1 Day Before Tommy Ward's Expected Release A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. Both are model prisoners. Appears the state will retry Karl Fontenot, who was released 2 years ago and subject of #netflix special. - QUINCY JONES, 27 time GRAMMY-award-winning producer "A fine singer A lovely, silky voice." 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. 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. Karl Fontenot, Tommy Ward. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS 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. Tommy Ward from Netflix documentary has murder conviction reinstated In June this year, the US Supreme Court refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. An autopsy showed evidence that she had been shot and no sign that she had been stabbed, per The AP. Please refer to our. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. Fontenot is currently awaiting the results of a federal appeal. Both Ward and . Ward is a hardworking and dedicated artist who continues to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. More to come. Newson6.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. It was later upheld when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state's appeal. Attorneys in Ada 'Innocent Man' murder case 'blown away' by content of (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. 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. The two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. 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. Oklahoma Attorney General responds to innocence claims by 'Innocent Man Freed man in 'Dreams of Ada' case slams state appeal to Supreme Court Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Donate to The Frontier to support local independent investigative journalism. PublishedDecember 26, 2020 at 10:50 AM CST, KGOU | - STEVE WYNN, founder Wynn Resorts "I just saw Tommy in Las Vegas at a corporate event and I was BLOWN AWAY. Tommy Ward- The Innocent Man's Legal Team's Page | Ada OK - Facebook Tommy Ward one of the subjects of Netflix's true-crime docuseries "The Innocent Man," who was convicted of abduction, rape and the murder of an Oklahoma woman is to be released from . Courtesy. Fontenots and Wards attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. 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. 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. 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. He is currently serving time at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy in Oklahoma. 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. 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. Oklahoma court reinstates murder conviction of Tommy Ward Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Please refer to our. Heres a link to the decision, Mark Barrett & The Center on Wrongful Convictions tweeted, with the legal documents confirming the move attached. So thats the reason I gave them an untrue statement so they would leave me alone.. The Innocent Man - Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot now - Digital Spy 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. 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'. Subscribe and Follow on Facebook and YouTube for the latest music. 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. 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. Tweet Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was freed pending an appeal by the state. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. 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. Tommy Ward - YouTube Which they did after I taped the statement," Fontenot said almost immediately after his interrogation, as described in Grisham's book. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction in an infamous 1984 case out of Ada. 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. He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. John Grisham continues to correspond with both men. He reminds me of working with Frank Sinatra in some strange way." 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. Judge vacates sentence; Tommy Ward to be set free Fontenots lawyers at first waived the right to respond to the state, but the Supreme Court then requested a response. Courtesy Netflix. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Federal appeals court upholds overturned conviction in Ada 'Innocent 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. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Fontenot was released in December 2019 at the age of 55 after a federal judge ordered he be released or retried. A spokeswoman for Attorney General John OConnor declined to comment on the pending cases. 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. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. 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. Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward Forget Me Not EP available now on all major platforms. 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. 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'. ADVERTISEMENT This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his confession were inaccurate. 19 talking about this. Judge orders 'Innocent Man' defendant freed - Enidnews.com Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His But now, Wards release has been blocked by the state Attorney Generals Office. You can opt-out at any time. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. 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. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. 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, 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. Fontenot's case was picked up by The Innocence Project in 2011, but there's . Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. 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. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. 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 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. 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. 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. Local prosecutors again secured their convictions, based largely on their confessions. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. That evidence includes previously undisclosed suspects and whether police provided Ward with information about the victim's blouse, which prosecutors said he had described. By: Dana Hertneky. [email protected] | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. 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 parole. His conviction is the subject of the Netflix docu-series "The . Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna "Denice" Haraway. 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. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. Judge vacates Tommy Ward's sentences in 'The Innocent Man' case 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. We are pressing forward exploring the possibility of going to federal court with additional appeals, Barrett said. So where are the two men now, more than 30 years later? 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. Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . 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. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. The Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower courts ruling that he be released. Court upholds overturned conviction in 'Innocent Man' case Oklahomas Court of Criminal Appeals, however, argued that the district court had abused its discretion in that instance. Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction.