tommy ward released 2022
Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Ward's newly released EP "From This Moment On," (2022) produced by LeCoq Records, showcases his stunning vocal abilities . She doesnt believe he could be given a fair trial after more than 30 years. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman. 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. Ward's case, and others, have been the. Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. 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. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. 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 . Ward was convicted alongside Karl Fontenot for murdering Donna Harraway in Ada. Tommy Ward was one of two men serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of Denice Haraway in Ada. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction in an infamous 1984 case out of Ada. Karl Fontenot, Tommy Ward. Newson6.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. The 10th U.S. 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. Instead, she had died from a gunshot wound. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Fontenot's case was picked up by The Innocence Project in 2011, but there's . They cant. Tommy Ward. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? Barrett noted that the appeals court ordered the lower court to consider an additional claim regarding new evidence discovered in 2019. 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. 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. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. John Grisham continues to correspond with both men. Ward has also had a widely celebrated opening act run for comedy legend Louie Anderson during his tenure at the Plaza Hotel. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. He is 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. 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. The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his confession were inaccurate. So where are the two men now, more than 30 years later? @WardInnocentMan. 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. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. Additional reporting by The Associated Press. It was based on the 2006 true-crime book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. However, she would never be seen alive again. Courtesy Netflix. 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 two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. The state court of criminal appeals voted unanimously to reinstate Tommy Ward's murder conviction. I received Christmas cards last week from both Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, so we keep in touch," Grisham said. "Tommy is the epitome of great music. 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. Appears the state will retry Karl Fontenot, who was released 2 years ago and subject of #netflix special. 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. Please refer to our. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. Ward remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. 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. attempted to take on Fontenot's case in 2013, a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. In June this year, the US Supreme Court refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal. In addition to his impressive performances, Ward has a true passion for music and the arts. 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. 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! sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. Tommy Ward has been in prison 35 years for a murder he swears he did not commit. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Timmy Ward gamelogs for the 2022 season. 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. More damningly, Haraway had not been been stabbed as the young men had described. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. Tuesday, July 6th 2021, 11:00 pm. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. Forget Me Not EP available now on all major platforms. The Oklahoma Attorney Generals 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. [Warning: Spoilers for "The Innocent Man" ahead!]. Fontenot is free on bond as the appeals process plays out. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. 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. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. 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. Its clear as day.. He's very disappointed that he's still in prison for a murder he didn't commit, Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday. PublishedDecember 26, 2020 at 10:50 AM CST, KGOU | You can opt-out at any time. Thomas Ward, known to the public as Tommy Ward, was convicted in 1999 of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada, Oklahoma. 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 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.. Both are model prisoners. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. . Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Breaking news: Judge orders Tommy released and vacates his conviction. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. A spokeswoman for Attorney General John OConnor declined to comment on the pending cases. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. By: Dana Hertneky. Fontenots attorneys have argued that many of the inaccurate details of his confession were supplied by detectives from the Ada Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations. 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.. Fight for his release from jail crime Netflix Series was released back in 2018, and temporary. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. He is currently serving time at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy in Oklahoma. 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. 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.. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. 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. Ward was featured in the Netflix. have asked the court of appeals . The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. 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. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. 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. 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 state also claims witnesses saw men matching Ward and Fontenots descriptions in the convenience store where Haraway worked before she disappeared.