He is now 58 years old and says he will not admit guilt even if it means improving his chances at parole. Food has always been a go-to for people in mourning. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Fontenot, now 56, is free while the appeal is pending. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). 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. Submit Your Message. Which they did after I taped the statement," Fontenot said almost immediately after his interrogation, as described in Grisham's book. He was found guilty in the 1984 Ada case. You can cancel at any time. 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. John Thomas "Tommy" Ward. Mel & Charlie together again for we the people. The Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower court's ruling . The state could still file charges again against Fontenot, request a rehearing from the 10th Circuits full panel of judges or appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Tommy Ward is a Manager, Public Safety Applications at Harris County, TX based in Houston, Texas. Tommy Ward has been in prison for 35 years and was supposed to be released today after a judge dismissed Ward's murder conviction. However, Haraways body was discovered the following year more than 20 miles from the location Ward said Haraway was killed at and was killed by a single gunshot wound rather than multiple stab wounds, according to court records. Send Flowers. TOMMY WARD. In this latest video, Charlie chats with Wendy and shares updates we all need to know. 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. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Mr. Ward asks this Court to vacate his convictions and sentence and order a new trial.. Join us throughout the evening as we bring all the latest news, updates and match action throughout the evening, both for Man United's clash with West Ham and the rest of the games around the . The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ordered separate new trials because of a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court opinion on defendants being tried together. Alex Gerszewski, spokesman for the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office, said Hunters office is currently examining the filing in Wards case and has yet to file its response. Tommy Ward's brother is speaking out, saying there is new evidence that proves the wrong men were convicted in the 1984 murder of Donna Haraway in Ada. Tommy Ward Former Ada resident Thomas Jesse Ward, convicted of a murder he insists he did not commit, was ordered on Dec. 18 to be set free. . The family of a murdered Ada woman is blaming Netflix now that both murder convictions in the infamous 1984 case have been thrown out. 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. "The investigators seem to have taken on the roles of prosecutor, judge and jury, determining that the only 'relevant' evidence was evidence which fit their theory of the case," Inge wrote. Donna Denice Haraway was abducted from this Ada convenience store, where she worked as a clerk, in 1984. Most significantly, both confessed the clerk was stabbed to death and Fontenot told police the body had been buried near the Ada power plant. Born in Montgomery, Alabama on October 11, 1964 to Doyce and Virgie Ward, Tommy was the youngest of three children. [Warning: Spoilers for "The Innocent Man" ahead!]. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, March 3, 2022 at Reidlawn Cemetery with Rev. Fury vs Paul is scheduled to take place Sunday, February 26th, at the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah (Saudi Arabia), in a 8-round cruiserweight (200 lbs, 90.7 kg) bout; it is the main event of the evening - billed as The Truth. Updates. 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. Karl Fontenot, Tommy Ward. The organization has not offered an update on the status of their efforts. 2022 Platte River Rumble Oct 14, 2022 2021 26:35.3. People say he confessed, that should be the end of it, Murphy said. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. Share The judge excoriated police and prosecutors for misconduct and declared that newly discovered evidence about Fontenots alibi and other suspects provides solid proof of his probable innocence.. Fontenot and co-defendant Tommy Wards 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. The two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. Both Fontenot and Ward were sentenced to death after being convicted in 1985 even though Haraways body had not yet been found. We promise to never spam you. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from a McAnallys convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. 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. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from a McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. Outside candidates. Oklahoma City Police Department Enforces New Bricktown Curfew, Okla. 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. These violations of Mr. Wards state and federal constitutional rights, along with newly discovered evidence of Mr. Wards innocence, require that Mr. Ward be granted relief. Tuesday, they filed a brief with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. 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! 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. Tommy Ward, also had his conviction overturned in state court, but . Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Feb 2009 - Present14 years 1 month. He said the clerk left with them after Ashley flirted with her. There is no D.N.A. 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. 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. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. High around 65F. Built the Engineering Compliance team at Google. Tommy DeWeese, Kevin Kasel, and James (Toodles) Ritchie ran in the primary for Mooresville Town Council Ward 3 on May 17, 2022. 1500 3:59.49. 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. 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. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. Low around 45F. The Oklahoma Court of Appeals reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction on Friday. 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. BROOKS, William Apr 12, 1937 - Feb 16, 2023, BORING, Johnnie Feb 10, 1923 - Feb 19, 2023, ARTHUR, Kenneth Feb 1, 1953 - Feb 19, 2023, Roff sophomore provides boost off the bench, Foul play helps Kiowa slip past Sasakwa in Class B, Byng bounces Sulphur for fourth time in 4A Regional, Roff boys bury No. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. A mix of clouds and sun. Tommy Ward Ward and co-defendant Karl Fontenot were convicted in the 1984 murder of Denice Haraway in Ada, Oklahoma. 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. Ward, now 60, remains locked up while the appeal is pending. Increased health of Observer Ward from 8 to 100. A federal judge in Muskogee overturned Fontenot's conviction in late 2019. At his first trial, he claimed he was at his mother's house on April 28, 1984. The state has 120 days from the date of Tuesdays ruling to decide whether to retry Fontenot, according to the ruling. It also seems highly probable the district attorneys office knew favorable evidence was being suppressed and turned a blind eye . Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. Among the issues in the case is that key details from the confessions, made before the victim's body was found, turned out to be wrong. After doing so, they described the blouse to detectives and said it was missing, according to the court filing. Oklahoma inmate records show that Ward is now serving out a life sentence, and Fontenot is serving life without the possibility of parole. Appears the state will retry Karl Fontenot, who was released 2 years ago and subject of #netflix special . Attorneys For Tommy Ward 'The Innocent Man' Continue Fight For His Release From Jail. Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. In early 2019, a trove of previously-unreleased case documents were uncovered at the Ada Police Department by Wards attorneys. 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. 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. 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