- STEVE WYNN, founder Wynn Resorts "I just saw Tommy in Las Vegas at a corporate event and I was BLOWN AWAY. Ward and Fontenot were sentenced to death on January 21, 1985 after being found guilty of murdering Haraway. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. John 3:16. Fontenot. 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. . Heres a link to the decision, Mark Barrett & The Center on Wrongful Convictions tweeted, with the legal documents confirming the move attached. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal . His conviction is the subject of the Netflix docu-series "The . Ward remains in prison as the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals weighs his case. Fontenots and Wards attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. Tommy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas who has a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and crooners. Fontenot was released from prison about one year ago after a federal judge found he also didnt receive a fair trial. Fight for his release from jail crime Netflix Series was released back in 2018, and temporary. 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 organization has not offered an update on the status of their efforts. Fontenot was released from prison after a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in 2019 that the state committed numerous constitutional violations. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. 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 Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction in an infamous 1984 case out of Ada. 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. She said police and prosecutors withheld evidence that would have assisted Wards defense. 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. An Oklahoma judge ruled that the case rested on circumstantial evidence. More:Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot. 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. 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. 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. In 2020, District Judge Paula Inge vacated his conviction, dismissed the charges against him, and ordered him set free. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. have asked the court of appeals . The Official YouTube Channel of Tommy Ward. Last week, a Pontotoc County District Court judge ordered Tommy Ward be released from prison. 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. 7726 5241 Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US Are allowed finish! 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 was one of two men serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of Denice Haraway in Ada. info@tommywardmusic.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. 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. @WardInnocentMan. I received Christmas cards last week from both Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, so we keep in touch," Grisham said. The 10th U.S. 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. 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. a man whose murder conviction in Oklahoma was overturned, Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984, which became a Netflix documentary series, Oklahoma Army veteran gets probation for role in Jan. 6 US Capitol riot, Human remains found, Oklahoma white supremacist leader might be connected, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. 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. Ward's accurate description of the blouse was the only information that he gave that was correct in his confession, Barrett said. It was later upheld when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state's appeal. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, will also be filing an appeal for exoneration. Tommy's legal team dedicated to freeing Tommy Ward from prison for a crime he did not commit.. 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. Share. 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. Justices may determine before the courts term ends this summer whether to review the case. 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. Fontenot's case was picked up by The Innocence Project in 2011, but there's . Ward was convicted in the case in 1989 along with a co-defendant named Karl Fontenot. This contradicted the confessions, which stated that Haraway had been stabbed to death. - QUINCY JONES, 27 time GRAMMY-award-winning producer "A fine singer A lovely, silky voice." 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. Ada store clerk Denice Haraway was abducted and killed on April 28, 1984. . "Tommy is the epitome of great music. 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. So thats the reason I gave them an untrue statement so they would leave me alone.. Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. 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. 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. 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. Fontenot and Thomas Ward were convicted of killing Ada convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway in 1984. 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 is currently awaiting the results of a federal appeal. 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. This is new info, and were trying to figure what this means right now. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. We are pressing forward exploring the possibility of going to federal court with additional appeals, Barrett said. 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. 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. The Oklahoma attorney generals office, which appealed Inges order, declined to comment on Thursdays ruling. Tommy Ward to be set free . 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. 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. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. 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.. Keep up-to-date with everything that happens in your world. 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. Fontenot was sentenced to death again but Ward was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Oklahoman. More damningly, Haraway had not been been stabbed as the young men had described. Fontenot is free on bond as the appeals process plays out. The. Tommy Ward has been in prison for 35 years and was supposed to be released today after a judge dismissed Ward's murder conviction. Tommy Ward, 61, and Karl Fontenot, 58, were . You can opt-out at any time. 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. 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. The Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower courts ruling that he be released. Advertisement On Friday, a judge vacated Ward's convictions and sentences, dismissed the charges and . Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. A state judge overturned Wards conviction in 2020, but the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has appealed the ruling. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. 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. 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. The attorneys claim a trove of hundreds of new documents uncovered in a police storage room back up Fontenots claims of innocence. 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. 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. Subscribe for the latest music videos, performances, and more!Tommy's new album "From This Moment On" available n. and his videos on social media have racked up millions of views. However, court documents filed on Monday (29 August) show that on Friday (26 August), Oklahomas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the judges decision and reinstated Wards conviction. Critically acclaimed singer, musician, and entertainer. Ward is a hardworking and dedicated artist who continues to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. 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'. Tommy Ward was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but . 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. Thomas Ward, known to the public as Tommy Ward, was convicted in 1999 of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada, Oklahoma. But the men quickly recanted and have claimed for decades that police coerced them to say they killed Haraway.