A spokeswoman for Attorney General John OConnor declined to comment on the pending cases. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. 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 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 attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. 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. John 3:16. Fontenot is currently awaiting the results of a federal appeal. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. 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 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. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. 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. 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. She decided to vacate Wards conviction and life sentence, and ordered his release. Court upholds overturned conviction in 'Innocent Man' case "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. In June this year, the US Supreme Court refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal. Barrett noted that the appeals court ordered the lower court to consider an additional claim regarding new evidence discovered in 2019. Judge orders release or new trial for 'Innocent Man' defendant Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. But one day before Ward's release, a temporary stay,. 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'. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. Among Fontenots legal team is Donald B. VerrilliJr., the U.S. solicitor general from 2011 to 2016. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Share. 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. That evidence includes previously undisclosed suspects and whether police provided Ward with information about the victim's blouse, which prosecutors said he had described. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. It was based on the 2006 true-crime book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Tommy Ward - Official Site 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. Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. 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. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? 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. 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. More to come. and his videos on social media have racked up millions of views. 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. Karl Fontenot: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. Ward was featured in the Netflix. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. Ward is the subject of a Netflix docuseries and a book by John Grisham. Prisoner seen in Netflix's The Innocent Man has murder conviction 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! 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. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. Heres a link to the decision https://t.co/21UQag7LEi, Tommy Ward: The Innocent Man (@WardInnocentMan) December 19, 2020. "Tommy is the epitome of great music. He's very disappointed that he's still in prison for a murder he didn't commit, Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday. The court overturned a lower court decision that said because prosecutors and police withheld evidence that could exonerate Tommy Ward, 61, of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada. Judge orders 'Innocent Man' defendant freed - Enidnews.com Courtesy. 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! Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. Fontenot's case was picked up by The Innocence Project in 2011, but there's . . This contradicted the confessions, which stated that Haraway had been stabbed to death. The 10th U.S. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Both Ward and Fontenot would go on to recant their confessions. mail 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 is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. Court Rules 'Innocent Man' Defendant to Remain Imprisoned Tommy Ward - YouTube 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 has been in prison for 35 years and was supposed to be released today after a judge dismissed Ward's murder conviction. 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 Ward - YouTube Advertisement On Friday, a judge vacated Ward's convictions and sentences, dismissed the charges and . More:Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot. Ward's accurate description of the blouse was the only information that he gave that was correct in his confession, Barrett said. 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.. Timmy Ward 2022 Gamelogs | The Football Database Oklahoma Attorney General responds to innocence claims by 'Innocent Man Fontenot, 57 and Tommy Ward, 61, were both twice convicted in Haraways murder. 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. 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. Justices may determine before the courts term ends this summer whether to review the case. 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. 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. Tommy Ward to be set free . 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. You can opt-out at any time. Court rules 'Innocent Man' defendant to remain imprisoned - AP NEWS Fontenot. Tommy Ward was one of two men serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of Denice Haraway in Ada. Oklahoma court reinstates 'Innocent Man' murder conviction Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 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. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. 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. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book. 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. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. 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.