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. Heres a link to the decision https://t.co/21UQag7LEi, Tommy Ward: The Innocent Man (@WardInnocentMan) December 19, 2020. 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'. info@tommywardmusic.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. attempted to take on Fontenot's case in 2013, a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction in an infamous 1984 case out of Ada. Karl Fontenot: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. To the extent that this could be the next Sinatra of our time." Courtesy. Court upholds overturned conviction in 'Innocent Man' case Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. 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 is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. 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. 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. 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. More:Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. 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. 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. Tweet 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 remained in prison while the state appealed the ruling, The Associated Press reported at the time. Timmy Ward 2022 Gamelogs | The Football Database We are pressing forward exploring the possibility of going to federal court with additional appeals, Barrett said. Tommy Ward: The Innocent Man (@WardInnocentMan) / Twitter 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. Fontenot has been released pending a decision from the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. 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.. 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. Oklahoma Attorney General's Office Appeals Release Of Tommy Ward. Though no physical evidence tied them to Haraways disappearance, Fontenot and Ward initially confessed to the crime after questioning by investigators. When you read their briefs, they dont take issue with the fact that this information was withheld from him. 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. Tommy Ward to be set free . 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 is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. The judge said newly discovered evidence about Fontenot's alibi and other suspects in the murder provided "solid proof" of his probable innocence. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. 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. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. 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. 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. Fontenot was released in December 2019 at the age of 55 after a federal judge ordered he be released or retried. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. 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. More to come. We promise to never spam you. 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. Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, will also be filing an appeal for exoneration. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and filming for Halloween Ends to release on October 14, 2022 with! Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Prisoner seen in Netflixs The Innocent Man has conviction reinstated, refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, 50 cash with friend referrals at Virgin Mobile, 15% off extra plans with this Vodafone promo, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. 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. - BART TORRES, 99.7FM The Highway Vibe. Tommy Ward has been in prison 35 years for a murder he swears he did not commit. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. Heres a link to the decision, Mark Barrett & The Center on Wrongful Convictions tweeted, with the legal documents confirming the move attached. In 2020, District Judge Paula Inge vacated his conviction, dismissed the charges against him, and ordered him set free. In June this year, the US Supreme Court refused to take up the case and to examine the states appeal. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. FILE - 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. Wr Hines Ward - NFL.com /a > attorneys representing Tommy Ward was one of two serving! Instead, she had died from a gunshot wound. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. Oklahoma Attorney General responds to innocence claims by 'Innocent Man Tommy Ward - YouTube A federal judge in Muskogee overturned Fontenot's conviction in late 2019. 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. Which they did after I taped the statement," Fontenot said almost immediately after his interrogation, as described in Grisham's book. Share. Both Ward and . Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. Court Extends Temporary Stay 1 Day Before Tommy Ward's Expected Release Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. Position: WR Height: 6-0 Weight: 190 College: Rutgers Hometown: Canton, PA High School: Canton HS 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. You can opt-out at any time. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. 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. 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. @WardInnocentMan. Tommy Ward from Netflix documentary has murder conviction reinstated The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his confession were inaccurate. Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life before his conviction was reversed by a federal appeals court. 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. So where are the two men now, more than 30 years later? 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. Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . Oct 28, 2022. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. He is currently serving time at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy in Oklahoma. The 10th U.S. Tommy Ward, 61, and Karl Fontenot, 58, were . Fight for his release from jail crime Netflix Series was released back in 2018, and temporary. 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. In addition to his impressive performances, Ward has a true passion for music and the arts. Attorneys in 'Innocent Man' case eye federal court after lower court's Ward is the subject of a Netflix docuseries and a book by John Grisham. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna Denice Haraway. 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 Ward - Official Site 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. But the men quickly recanted and have claimed for decades that police coerced them to say they killed Haraway. They cant. 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 . Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. 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.. 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's legal team dedicated to freeing Tommy Ward from prison for a crime he did not commit.. 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.