Karl Fontenot and Tommy Ward were charged and convicted of the murder of 24-year-old Donna Denice Haraway, who disappeared in spring of 1984. Wards attorneys said its far too late for Ward to receive a fair trial. Both are commercial enterprises designed to feed off of peoples desire to see and read about conspiracies, the family said. Due to the passage of time, the Court is of the opinion Ward will not be able to receive a fair trial, District Judge Paula Inge wrote. Local prosecutors again secured their convictions, based largely on their confessions. Were very happy, Karl is ecstatic, and were just waiting to see what happens next, Fontenots attorney, Tiffany Murphy told The Associated Press on Thursday. Which they did after I taped the statement," Fontenot said almost immediately after his interrogation, as described in Grisham's book. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Public interest in the case was reignited when the book was adapted into a 2018 Netflix documentary of the same name and that went into further details about the case. It has sickened us to see what has been done over the past few years to distort, mislead and outright lie about the facts of the case, the victim's family said Friday in a statement sent to the media. He is 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. Ward and Fontenots convictions were later overturned by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, since the two were tried together, but both were again found guilty after they received new trials in 1989. You have permission to edit this article. He was born on July 9, 1948 to Tom and Winnie Miller Ward. On Tuesday, a three-judge panel for the 10th Circuit upheld the lower courts ruling overturning Fontenots conviction by a 2-1 margin, and gave the state 120 days to refile charges against Fontenot, though it is unclear whether that will happen. The case gained national attention in 2006 after author John Grisham published The Innocent Man, a nonfiction book that touched on the case in addition to a number of other dubious murder convictions in Ada in the 1980s. The motion for Wards conviction and sentence to be vacated comes months after Karl Fontenot, who was convicted alongside Ward for the kidnapping, robbery and murder of Haraway and sentenced to life in prison,was ordered by a federal judgeto be given a new trial or set free because of numerous flaws in the investigation and prosecution of the case, including violations of Fontenots constitutional rights andfalse testimony knowingly usedby prosecutors. The Oklahoma attorney generals office, which appealed Inges order, declined to comment on Thursdays ruling. 10K (XC) 31:18.9. 800 1:54.66. Correctional staff have communicated privately with visiting defense mental health experts about the distress they are experiencing due to th. A federal judge in Muskogee overturned Fontenots conviction in late 2019. The blouse Ward said she was wearing was nowhere to be found. Free Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot. Miss Sheila and family, my sincere condolences on the loss of a great 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. 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. For more information on The Frontier, visit readfrontier.org. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. "Everything about their confession has been proven wrong by the discovery of the body," attorney Janet Davis noted in the documentary. Winning a state high school title is an amazing achievement for a high . 0 have signed. 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 family questioned whether the judges actually watched the videotapes of the confessions. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. A Dispatch and Driver Manager at Amory Transportation Tommy Ward is a Dispatch and Driver Manager at Amory Transportation based in Hampton, Virginia. Both were also later convicted in second trials. These dream confessions came after hours of interrogation by Ada police and state agents desperate to solve the disappearance of Haraway in 1984, just two years after the unsolved rape and murder of another young woman in the small central Oklahoma town. ADVERTISEMENT DIED. t***@us.hctx.net. 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. Winds light and variable. The federal appeals court opinion noted that while Fontenot confessed to the crime, the details he provided were proven untrue. Feb 2009 - Present14 years 1 month. Considerable cloudiness. But what is most important is that evidence previously withheld from the defense has so thoroughly undermined the States theory that the conviction can no longer stand, Wards attorneys wrote. He ordered Fontenot to be permanently released from custody or granted a new trial. Both are filled with distortion and are completely one-sided when it comes to the case against Ward and Fontenot. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! But, she does have her family, the Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma, friends and many good people that worked to find her killers and bring them to justice that will never forget her or who is responsible for her death.. Ward is currently still in prison while the appeals process continues. You have permission to edit this article. Corporation Commission Approves Measure To Examine Fuel Cost Recovery Charges From 2021 Winter Storm, OG&E Works To Restore Power To Norman Elementary Schools, Netflix's 'Stranger Things' Play To Debut In London This Year, Tulsa Police Shoot, Kill Man Accused Of Breaking Into Home & Firing At Officers, Okla. Senate Approves Bill To Raise Jury Duty Pay In State, Local Courts, Wednesday Afternoon Forecast With Stephen Nehrenz. Still takes 2 attacks to destroy from enemies. 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. 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. This comes a year after his co-defendant. Most significantly, both confessed the clerk was stabbed to death and Fontenot told police the body had been buried near the Ada power plant. . We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time. 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. Oklahoma. 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. 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. In December, a state judge threw out Ward's conviction. On Friday Shanahan told reporters Ward was diagnosed with a concussion after the game and is in concussion protocol. It's surprising how much a musical selection can affect mourning. Hoskins stopped short of calling . 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Faith Chapel Funeral Homes - North Chapel. 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 Man'. I didnt even know what the word 'statement' or 'confessing' meant 'til they told me I confessed to it. Because the evidence was so strong against him, he was trying to convince the court that Denice left with him voluntarily, the family said. 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During Wards second trial, prosecutors said the red and white shirt did not belong to Haraway, and pushed back against Wards assertion that he was fed information by police to include in his confession, according to Wards brief. Tommy has been recommended for parole at least twice, but turned down by the board in Oklahoma. The Angels outfielder began the season as one of the most surprising success stories in baseball, but then on . The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. prior to service. "They said I had a choice to write it or tape it. One of the biggest open-wards shake-ups of 2022 happened in the 15th ward (covering Fairmount and Francisville) where former At-Large Councilmember and long-time Darrell Clarke ally Bill Greenlee lost his re-election bid for ward leader. Fontenot was released from prison in 2019 pending the outcome of the states appeal to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. 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. Fixed a bug where a Gem of True Sight stolen from the enemy . Honorary pallbearers are James Gibson and Bennie Hassellbrock.Funeral services will held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 1:00 pm at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North. Tommy Wayne Ward, age 74, of Molino, Florida met his Heavenly Father on October 22, 2022. February 11, 2022. 400 51.80. At his first trial, he claimed he was at his mothers house on April 28, 1984. But one day before Ward's release, a temporary stay,. We promise to never spam you. Donna Denice Haraway was abducted from this Ada convenience store, where she worked as a clerk, in 1984. Murphy said one of the issues in the opinion that stood out was the courts findings that the confession offered by Fontenot one of the biggest pieces of evidence that led to his conviction was likely a false confession. By Eric Shorey Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. The organization has not offered an update on the status of their efforts. The attorney generals office now has 20 days to respond. Later, when Haraways body was discovered, details of that confession did not match the evidence, such as what Haraway was wearing, how she was killed and where her body was taken. Both Ward and Fontenot claimed their confessions were coerced and steadfastly maintained their innocence. He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. He was preceded in death by his parents; seven brot Both cases occurred around the same time period in Pontotoc County, were prosecuted by now former Pontotoc County District Attorney Bill Peterson, were based on investigations led by Ada Detective Captain Dennis Smith and OSBI Agent Gary Rogers, involved dream confessions that were used as the basis for conviction, relied on testimony from the same jailhouse informant who said she overheard defendants in each case confess, and undated interview reports, Wards attorneys wrote. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. Jackson Arnold now: 'I kind of wish OU won (Rose Bowl)', More than 800 Oklahoma medical marijuana farms linked to organized crime, drug agency says, Bill Haisten: A massive event NCAA wrestling in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma Watch: 'Nonstop executions' traumatized corrections staff, former DOC directors say, Millions at Risk of Slipping Into Poverty as COVID-Era SNAP Benefits Set to End, More than 300 words have been added to the English dictionary, Citizens travel to Peru's capitol Lima to protest against Boluarte, Russia accuses U.S. of intent to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.. Clear to partly cloudy. He is currently serving time at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy in Oklahoma. You can opt-out at any time. However, she would never be seen alive again. Williamson and Fritz were both later exonerated, and their story was also covered in Grishams 2006 bookThe Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Townand the 2018 Netflix series. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, March 3, 2022 at Reidlawn Cemetery with Rev. Hoskins played the final two months of the 2022 season with a meniscus injury in his right knee. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. The Love Island and YouTube stars have been feuding online . The case was the subject of the book, "The Dreams of Ada," by Robert Mayer, and was also described in John Grisham's "The Innocent Man," which became a Netflix documentary series. Fontenot, now 56, is free while the appeal is pending. There is no D.N.A. Low around 45F. Fontenot was retried in 1988 and again sentenced to death. Ward and Fontenot were both granted a retrial a few years later, and again found guilty of Haraway's death. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna "Denice" Haraway. 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. As we continue our commitment to supporting a healthy and thriving Warzone experience, we are pleased to share some new intel on key community-focused updates, present fixes, and the future vision for the game. Engage via Email. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Oklahoma court reinstates murder conviction of Tommy Ward by: Katelyn Ogle/KFOR Posted: Aug 30, 2022 / 06:12 PM CDT Updated: Aug 30, 2022 / 06:12 PM CDT OKLAHOMA CITY ( KFOR) - The. 2022 Platte River Rumble Oct 14, 2022 2021 26:35.3. Oral arguments have yet to take place in that case. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. The world is on fire and the flames just keep getting higher and hotter! Pallbearers are John Hassellbrock, Terry Hassellbrock, Gene Hassellbrock, Chuck Ward, Donel Thomas and Tommy McCrory. Get email updates for this page. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. No specific date of release was mentioned, and, as of 1 p.m. Saturday, Ward remained at Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. Denice doesnt have a famous, wealthy author/film producer or people seeking five minutes of fame to stand up for her, the family said. According to Grisham, their conviction was "all about winning," not about the truth, nabbing the real killer, or what was right. The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his . Both have excellent teams of lawyers who continue to work for their release.. Tommy DeWeese, Kevin Kasel, and James (Toodles) Ritchie ran in the primary for Mooresville Town Council Ward 3 on May 17, 2022. 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