Email. 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 . He ordered that Fontenot be permanently released from custody or granted a new trial. We cant do it without your support. Some witnesses reported seeing two men in the store acting suspiciously before she disappeared, and later witnesses said they saw a man and woman leaving the store and getting into a pickup truck. Allowing Mr. Wards convictions and sentences to stand would perpetuate a gross and tragic miscarriage of justice that has robbed Mr. Ward of what should have been the prime years of his life. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. 11/9/2022 6:04 AM. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. Tommy Ward, also had his conviction overturned in state court, but . No specific date of release was mentioned, and, as of 1 p.m. Saturday, Ward remained at Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. Send Flowers. Its important to recognize this is now the second court saying this confession is not backed up by anything, its refuted at every turn.. Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love. Submit Your Message. It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that petitioner's amended application for post-conviction relief is granted. Correctional staff have communicated privately with visiting defense mental health experts about the distress they are experiencing due to th. Courtesy. Tommy Ward has been in prison for 35 years and was supposed to be released today after a judge dismissed Ward's murder conviction. He was found guilty in the 1984 Ada case. Fontenot was released from prison in 2019 pending the outcome of the states appeal to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ward, now 60, remains locked up while the appeal is pending. Several of the documents have been used in court to raise questions about potential misconduct by investigators, the fairness of the two mens trials and their guilt in Haraways murder. A federal judge vacated Fontenots conviction in 2019, months after The Innocent Man a Netflix series based on novelist John Grisham's only nonfiction book renewed national attention to the case. The judge ruled that Fontenot had legitimate claims of innocence and that investigators knew a confession he made but later recanted was of dubious validity. Fixed a bug where a Gem of True Sight stolen from the enemy . Winds light and variable. Last Update. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna "Denice" Haraway. The appeals court said in its opinion that the state had an extremely weak case against Mr. Fontenot.. During Wards re-trial, the prosecution stated that the missing blouse was the only material detail from Wards confession that was not disproven, uncorroborated or known by police beforehand, so that detail could not have been given to Ward to include in his confession. She had been shot in the head. "They said I had a choice to write it or tape it. This comes a year after his co-defendant. For more information or to donate, go to www.readfrontier.org. Announcements. In that testimony, Ward said he and another man, Marty Ashley, had been to the store and that witnesses who saw him there had been correct. MILE 4:14.90. After doing so, they described the blouse to detectives and said it was missing, according to the court filing. Updates. Im very happy, very relieved for Karl and his continuing quest for innocence to prove the fact that he had nothing to do with Donna Denice Haraways murder, Murphy said. But both men recanted their initial confessions and now. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.. February 11, 2022. Its clear as day.. Because the facts of the case and the proof against Ward and Fontenot havent changed. Once again, USA Wrestling will publish regular update on the 2022-23 state high school champions for both boys and girls. People say he confessed, that should be the end of it, Murphy said. Attorneys for one of the men convicted in the 1984 robbery, abduction and murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada are asking a judge to vacate his conviction and sentences after they say newly uncovered evidence shows investigators elicited a false confession and hid evidence showing details of the confession were fed to the defendant by police. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Back in December a Ponotoc County judge overturned Wards conviction saying prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. . Her remains . 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. He said they let him off at his house and that he never saw Haraway again. 25 Feb/23. His life will be celebrated at Lakewood Funeral Home on Saturday, July 27 at 12 Noon with visitation one hour prior. To plant trees in memory, please visit the, I remember leading Wayne to Christ in the early 1980s, I remember leading Wayne to Christ as Savior in the early 1980s, Faith Chapel Funeral Home and Crematory (North). It's surprising how much a musical selection can affect mourning. The state judge went a step further, vacating Wards conviction and ruling that he could not be retried. Fontenots death sentence was later reduced to life and Wards conviction has also been overturned, although he remains in prison while the state appeals. Most significantly, both confessed the clerk was stabbed to death and Fontenot told police the body had been buried near the Ada power plant. TEMPE, Ariz. Taylor Ward's breakout season in 2022 was like a three-act play. 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. Tommy Wayne Ward, age 74, of Molino, Florida met his Heavenly Father on October 22, 2022. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from the McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. News broke on Monday that Tampa Bay ace Tyler Glasnow -- who made only two starts last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery -- had sustained a left oblique injury during a live batting practice session. Sat, Dec 31, 2022 9:00 PM Sun, Jan 1, 2023 1:00 AM; Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead Google Calendar ICS; Ring in the New Year in Style at the Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead. Oklahoma City Police Department Enforces New Bricktown Curfew, Okla. The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his . Milton Glaser (1929-2020 . Instead, she had died from a gunshot wound. At his second trial, he claimed he was at a party. He ordered Fontenot to be permanently released from custody or granted a new trial. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled 2-1 that Karl Fontenot, 56, has shown actual innocence in the 1984 kidnapping and death of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma City, based on newly discovered evidence that the court said was withheld by prosecutors at the time. We ask the question why? the family said in its statement. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Im very happy, very relieved for Karl and his continuing quest for innocence to prove the fact that he had nothing to do with Donna Denice Haraways murder, Murphy said. 1. pietrodleone May 19, 2021 12:17 pm . They claimed their admissions came from a dream. Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. Jun 7, 2022; Karl Fontenot is seen in a police interview recording in the 1980s, left, and in a 2014 prison mugshot, right. 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. Increased health of Observer Ward from 8 to 100. Considerable cloudiness. Pallbearers are John Hassellbrock, Terry Hassellbrock, Gene Hassellbrock, Chuck Ward, Donel Thomas and Tommy McCrory. Subscribe and Follow on Facebook and YouTube for the latest music. In December, a state judge threw out Wards conviction. 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Court upholds overturned conviction in Innocent Man case, Train ride home turns unusual for county commis, School district to offer tornado assistance to families, OU women's basketball notebook: Sooners focused, Digging out: Tornado damages home, downs power lines; minor injuries reported, Judge sides with homebuilder in lawsuit against city, Maverick's brings dive bar feel to Campus Corner, HOME & AG: Invasive species attacking garden favorite, Cleveland County Sheriff's Office identifies inmate who hanged himself, Cleveland County Detention Center inmate hangs himself, Norman man arrested in connection with murder of woman found at Lake Thunderbird, Southern Baptists oust Saddleback Church over woman pastor, Lawsuit blames jail death on medical neglect by contractor. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. 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. 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. 0 have signed. They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel. Were reviewing the opinion and to determine what our next steps will be, said Alex Gerszweski, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Attorney Generals office. The State lacked a plausible motive and had no physical evidence linking Mr. Fontenot to the crime, it said. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. Ward, now 60, was convicted in 1985, along with Karl Fontenot, now 56, in connection with the disappearance and murder of Donna Denice Haraway. The ruling went through an in-depth examination of the case, its witnesses, the suspect descriptions from witnesses, obscene phone calls to Haraway that were never investigated. A federal appeals court has upheld a decision to overturn the conviction of one of two men in the 1985 kidnapping and murder of an Ada convenience store worker. The federal appeals court opinion noted that while Fontenot confessed to the crime, the details he provided were proven untrue. Gerszewski said the state hopes its appeal in the Fontenot case is successful and avoids a retrial. Ward and Fontenot were sentenced to death on January 21, 1985 after being found guilty of murdering Haraway. In response, Steve Haraway said he and his sister-in-law spoke to Ada police detectives the day after Donna Haraway went missing, and at the request of the detectives went through Donnas things to see what was missing. Thomas Jesse Ward has now spent 35 years in prison for crimes he did not commit, the brief states. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. The state could ask for a rehearing before the entire court, appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, allow the case to be retried or allow Fontenot, who was released from prison in 2019 following the federal judges ruling, to be permanently freed. t***@us.hctx.net. Contact. Her remains were found more than a year later in a field near Gerty, about 30 miles away. Of course, this testimony of Ward is never mentioned in the book or movie.. According to court records filed Dec. 18, a district judge wrote, " this court finds that the factual contentions made by the petitioner, Thomas Jesse Ward, in his amended application for post-conviction relief are sufficient as a matter of law to establish a prima facie showing the petitioner is entitled to post-conviction relief. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Also, they confessed another man, Odell Titsworth, had participated in the robbery, kidnapping, rape and murder with them. 29., is entrusted with arrangements. After not playing in 2020 and undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of '21, Ward made 13 starts across four Minor League levels while going 0-2 with an 2.28 ERA in 51 1/3 frames this past season. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Please refer to our. . Both have excellent teams of lawyers who continue to work for their release.. Jan 28, 2022 Karl Fontenot, Tommy Ward. The convictions were based almost entirely on accounts they said they retrieved from dreams. Wards and Fontenots confessions to Haraways kidnapping and murder that both men recanted days later, saying that police had fed them details they used in their confessions. Tommy Ward and Karl 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. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. He was born on July 9, 1948 to Tom and Winnie Miller Ward. Ward and the Angels agreed on a one-year, $2.75 million contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. You have funeral questions, we have answers. . Because the evidence was so strong against him, he was trying to convince the court that Denice left with him voluntarily, the family said. Investigators found that Titsworth had broken his arm during a confrontation with police on April 26, 1984, and could not have been involved. Both were also later convicted in second trials. Low around 45F. Tommy's wish was granted to die at home following a lengthy illness on July 23, 2019. 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