The appeals court opinion points out discrepancies in the states case and found that evidence favorable to Fontenot was withheld by the prosecution. Which they did after I taped the statement," Fontenot said almost immediately after his interrogation, as described in Grisham's book. Source: Briar Creek Township Police Department. You have permission to edit this article. Season Two. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.. Subscribe and Follow on Facebook and YouTube for the latest music. . Ada store clerk Denice Haraway was abducted and killed on April 28, 1984. Denice Haraway of Ada, Oklahoma went in for an ordinary day of work at her convenience store job on April 28, 1984. In early 2019, a trove of previously-unreleased case documents were uncovered at the Ada Police Department by Wards attorneys. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. He said the clerk left with them after Ashley flirted with her. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, March 3, 2022 at Reidlawn Cemetery with Rev. While Fontenot has been free on bond since late 2019, Ward remains incarcerated. Share. We ask the question why? the family said in its statement. Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. 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. "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. Hoskins stopped short of calling . The judge specifically found that Ward was prejudiced by the states failure to disclose to his defense suspects and leads considered dead ends. Fontenot was released from prison in 2019 pending the outcome of the states appeal to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Murphy said she was pleased with the outcome. In 1985, Ward and Fontenot were found guilty of Haraways murder and sentenced to death. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. The appeals court opinion points out discrepancies in the states case and found that evidence favorable to Fontenot was withheld by the prosecution. Overcast. 1942. 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, 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. Attorneys representing Tommy Ward continue to fight for his release from jail. 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. 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. 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. t***@us.hctx.net. A spokesman for the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office said the states attorneys were still reviewing the 178-page order by the 10th Circuit. The blouse Ward said she was wearing was nowhere to be found. Tommy's wish was granted to die at home following a lengthy illness on July 23, 2019. Contact. Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, will also be filing an appeal for exoneration. Karl Fontenot, one of the men who spent the last 34 years in prison in connection with a 1984 murder, is set to be released next month. In a 2017 interview with The Marshall Project, the author discussed their fates. Dave Gilbert officiating. Urquidy gives Houston a reliable fifth starter and there's . 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. 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. 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. 19 talking about this. MILE 4:14.90. Published: 12 Mar 2022, 08:00. Donnellan Funeral Home & Cremation | (773) 238-0075 O'Donnell-Bartz-Schultz Funeral Home Ltd. | (773) 233-0551 10525 S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60643 Read: Attorney General's Office Appeals Ruling That Would Vacate Sentence Of Tommy Ward, In Tuesdays filing, attorneys representing Ward argued the district judges ruling was fair and reasonable and echoed the judge that the withheld evidence creates a reasonable probability that the outcome would be different.. As it stands now, the state is set to review Ward's latest. Published by Faith Chapel Funeral Homes - North Chapel on Oct. 24, 2022. He was born on July 9, 1948 to Tom and Winnie Miller Ward. What is more, Mr. Fontenot fully recanted just two days later, accusing the police of feeding him a false narrative of his own involvementa narrative that matched the confession they had previously obtained from Mr. Ward, said the ruling written by Justice Carolyn McHugh. Dan Wieden (1945-2022), adman who created "Just Do It" for Nike. High around 65F. The States deliberate and successful efforts to hide the truth from Mr. Ward, the court, and the jury led to Mr. Wards convictions, Wards attorneys wrote. Ward was arrested after his video-taped confession on October 18, 1984, and has remained in custody for over thirty-five years. 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. He was preceded in death by his parents; seven brothers, Ebb, Bud, Junie, Willie, Ray, Lonnie and Bill. Email. He is 54 years old and is being held at the at the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre in Oklahoma. Fontenot, now 56, is free while the appeal is pending. 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 . Oklahoma City Police Department Enforces New Bricktown Curfew, Okla. The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. prior to service. Tommy Wayne Ward, age 74, of Molino, Florida met his Heavenly Father on October 22, 2022. 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. Ward was arrested after his video-taped confession on October 18, 1984, and has remained in custody for over thirty-five years. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. . Ward was featured in the Netflix. Only about 80k votes separated them, and that can have a huge impact on DC politics ahead of 2022 and 24. Submit Your Message. 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. Two Ada men Karl Fontenot and Tommy Ward were convicted in her death, but both have insisted for years that they were innocent despite their having confessed. Free Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot. 26 Feb 2020. During his confession, which occurred during the final 30 minutes of the interrogation and was the only videotaped portion of the questioning, Ward said Haraway was wearing a button-up blouse with blue flowers printed on it, according to court records. 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. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. The judge excoriated police and prosecutors for misconduct and declared newly discovered evidence about Fontenots alibi and other suspects provides solid proof of his probable innocence.. Oklahoma inmate records show that Ward is now serving out a life sentence, and Fontenot is serving life without the possibility of parole. On April 28, 1984, Haraway, a 24-year-old clerk at McAnallys convenience store in Ada, went 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. 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 . Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. Outside candidates. Tommy Ward andKarl 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. 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. * Led implementation of the first ISMS at Google . During closing arguments, the prosecutor told the jury That blouse is tied to this Defendant like an anchor to a boat and he cant shake it, according to court transcripts. 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. In 2006, the crime and subsequent investigation became the subject of part of novelist John Grishams only nonfiction work, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.. The two insisted they were innocent, but still ended up convicted of Haraway's murder. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. A mix of clouds and sun. The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the conviction of one man in the 1984 murder of an Ada convienince store worker featured featured The Innocent Man. In the statement Friday, the victims family pointed out that Ward made a second admission about being in the store after witnesses testified against him at his preliminary hearing. In December, a state judge threw out Wards conviction. 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. 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. 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