Ward is a hardworking and dedicated artist who continues to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. But one day before Ward's release, a temporary stay,. 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. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. 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. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. 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. 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. But now, Wards release has been blocked by the state Attorney Generals Office. More damningly, Haraway had not been been stabbed as the young men had described. Timmy Ward gamelogs for the 2022 season. Oklahoma Attorney General responds to innocence claims by 'Innocent Man - BART TORRES, 99.7FM The Highway Vibe. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. 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. 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. Ward was featured in the Netflix. I didnt even know what the word 'statement' or 'confessing' meant 'til they told me I confessed to it. More to come. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. 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. Oct 28, 2022. We cant do it without your support. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. Court rules 'Innocent Man' defendant to remain imprisoned - AP NEWS Attorneys in Ada 'Innocent Man' case request judge vacate Ward's Lawyers for a man whose murder conviction in Oklahoma was overturned after he served more than three decades in prison urged the U.S. Supreme Court this week not to grant the states request to review the case. Fontenots and Wards attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. Court upholds overturned conviction in 'Innocent Man' case Tuesday, July 6th 2021, 11:00 pm. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. John Grisham continues to correspond with both men. 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 from Netflix documentary has murder conviction reinstated 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. 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. Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward The two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. Tommy Ward, 61, and Karl Fontenot, 58, were . In both Ward and Fontenots cases, judges issued rulings excoriating investigators for withholding favorable evidence from defense attorneys. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and filming for Halloween Ends to release on October 14, 2022 with! Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. attempted to take on Fontenot's case in 2013, a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project. Both have excellent teams of lawyers who continue to work for their release.. The most recent exculpatory disclosure came in 2019, 31 years after Fontenots conviction.. Additional reporting by The Associated Press. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in 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. Timmy Ward 2022 Gamelogs | The Football Database He's very disappointed that he's still in prison for a murder he didn't commit, Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Subscribe and Follow on Facebook and YouTube for the latest music. "Tommy is the epitome of great music. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, will also be filing an appeal for exoneration. We promise to never spam you. Fontenot's case was picked up by The Innocence Project in 2011, but there's . 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. 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. 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. Court Extends Temporary Stay 1 Day Before Tommy Ward's Expected Release However, she would never be seen alive again. 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. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. In 2020, District Judge Paula Inge vacated his conviction, dismissed the charges against him, and ordered him set free. 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. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! OK man arrested for. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. News9.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, 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.. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. 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. 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. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction in an infamous 1984 case out of Ada. Tommy Ward- The Innocent Man's Legal Team's Page | Ada OK - Facebook 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 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. We promise to never spam you. Heres a link to the decision https://t.co/21UQag7LEi, Tommy Ward: The Innocent Man (@WardInnocentMan) December 19, 2020. 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. 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. Judge vacates sentence; Tommy Ward to be set free Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. The 10th U.S. The case was the subject of the book, The Dreams of Ada, by Robert Mayer, and was also described in John Grishams The Innocent Man, which became a Netflix documentary series. Tommy's legal team dedicated to freeing Tommy Ward from prison for a crime he did not commit.. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from the McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. 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.. Attorneys in 'Innocent Man' case eye federal court after lower court's 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. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. He is 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. But the men quickly recanted and have claimed for decades that police coerced them to say they killed Haraway. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman. info@tommywardmusic.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. Please refer to our. The investigators seem to have taken on the role of prosecutor, judge and jury, determining that the only relevant evidence was evidence that fit their theory of the case.. Ward remains in prison as the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals weighs his case. John 3:16. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Federal appeals court upholds overturned conviction in Ada 'Innocent Its clear as day.. 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. 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. 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 convictions were based almost entirely on accounts they said they retrieved from dreams. Fontenot is currently awaiting the results of a federal appeal. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? In addition to his impressive performances, Ward has a true passion for music and the arts. The. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. By: Dana Hertneky. 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 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. Tweet 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. It was based on the 2006 true-crime book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham. They cant. 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. @WardInnocentMan. 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. Haraway was working as a clerk in a convenience store when she went missing in Ada in 1984. More to come. Fontenot was released in December 2019 at the age of 55 after a federal judge ordered he be released or retried. Critically acclaimed singer, musician, and entertainer. 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'. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. Courtesy Netflix. In June this year, the US Supreme Court refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal. have asked the court of appeals . Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. She said police and prosecutors withheld evidence that would have assisted Wards defense. 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. Advertisement On Friday, a judge vacated Ward's convictions and sentences, dismissed the charges and . She was 24. The judge said newly discovered evidence about Fontenot's alibi and other suspects in the murder provided "solid proof" of his probable innocence. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. and his videos on social media have racked up millions of views. 2022 Reader's Choice Winners . 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. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. More:Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot. 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! Ward's accurate description of the blouse was the only information that he gave that was correct in his confession, Barrett said. 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. mail Fight for his release from jail crime Netflix Series was released back in 2018, and temporary. Haraways body was located after the convictions. Fontenots conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was freed pending an appeal by the state. It was later upheld when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state's appeal. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. 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. Instead, she had died from a gunshot wound. Justices may determine before the courts term ends this summer whether to review the case. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. His conviction is the subject of the Netflix docu-series "The . He is currently serving time at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy in 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. She doesnt believe he could be given a fair trial after more than 30 years. 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. 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. The Innocent Man - Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot now - Digital Spy Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. Ada store clerk Denice Haraway was abducted and killed on April 28, 1984. . Oklahoma court reinstates 'Innocent Man' murder conviction She decided to vacate Wards conviction and life sentence, and ordered his release. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. He often uses his platform to raise awareness for various charitable causes and uses his talents to give back to his community. Share 19 talking about this. About Tommy Ward Ward was convicted alongside Karl Fontenot for murdering Donna Harraway in Ada. Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984. Both Ward and . Tommy Ward has been in prison for 35 years and was supposed to be released today after a judge dismissed Ward's murder conviction. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Share. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His 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. Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. Both Ward and Fontenot would go on to recant their confessions. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. Tommy Ward. State asks U.S. Supreme Court to uphold conviction in 'Innocent Man' 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. Fontenot. What Happened To Tommy Ward And Karl Fontenot? 'The Innocent Man Tommy Ward, Convicted Murderer and Subject of Netflix's 'The - TheWrap Attorneys in Ada 'Innocent Man' murder case 'blown away' by content of Which they did after I taped the statement," Fontenot said almost immediately after his interrogation, as described in Grisham's book. 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.