Denice doesnt have a famous, wealthy author/film producer or people seeking five minutes of fame to stand up for her, the family said. The inept handling of reports, evidence, and all other vital documentation from this case clearly falls within a known pattern of police misconduct that the lead detectives and agents working on this case were known to commit, Payne wrote in the opinion, filed in federal court in Muskogee. OKLAHOMA CITY The family of a murdered Ada woman is blaming Netflix now that both murder convictions in the infamous 1984 case have been thrown out. The Oklahoma attorney general is appealing the ruling. You have permission to edit this article. A mix of clouds and sun. Fontenot was released in December 2019 at the age of 55 after a federal judge ordered he be released or retried. John Grisham continues to correspond with both men. December 24, 2022 10:09 pm PT The 49ers left their Week 16 showdown against the Commanders with a 37-20 win and their health intact. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. For more information or to donate, go to www.readfrontier.org. 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. Oral arguments have yet to take place in that case. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, March 3, 2022 at Reidlawn Cemetery with Rev. Murphy said she was pleased with the outcome. 712 S Potomac St. Ward 1 - Tim Cochran. Get email updates for this page. Donate to The Frontier to support local independent investigative journalism. And a key part of that newly-uncovered evidence, the attorneys said, is a statement provided to Wards attorneys by Haraways husband. Partly cloudy skies. Investigators said, after Wards confession, they contacted Haraways mother inquiring about the blouse, and her mother contacted Weldon, who then gave the description to police. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Later, Fontenot would give a similar dream confession of Haraways demise to investigators. She was 24. The Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain imprisoned while the state appeals the lower court's ruling . 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. The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from a McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. I didnt even know what the word 'statement' or 'confessing' meant 'til they told me I confessed to it. Oral arguments have yet to take place in that case. Both Ward and Fontenot claimed their confessions were coerced and steadfastly maintained their innocence. Outside candidates. He said the clerk left with them after Ashley flirted with her. 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. Fontenot was retried in 1988 and again sentenced to death. Haraway's disappearance and subsequent death came. 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. He said they let him off at his house and he never saw Haraway again. According to Grisham, their conviction was "all about winning," not about the truth, nabbing the real killer, or what was right. 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'. Both Fontenot and Ward were sentenced to death after being convicted in 1985 even though Haraways body had not yet been found. Ward's attorney, Mark Barrett, will also be filing an appeal for exoneration. 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. Fontenot, Wards co-defendant, was ordered released by a federal judge in 2019, and the state is also appealing that order. 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. Frontier content is republished in The Transcript through a special content agreement. 6 Newcastle in overtime. Fontenot, now 56, is free while the appeal is pending. He was preceded in death by his parents; seven brot Many of the documents that the federal judge cited in his decision in Fontenots case wereuncovered for the first timeby Wards attorneys in early 2019 as they sought further evidence from investigators. The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. Contact Number (713) ***-**** Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Jan 28, 2022 Karl Fontenot, Tommy Ward. Its important to recognize this is now the second court saying this confession is not backed up by anything, its refuted at every turn.. Both are model prisoners. Because the evidence was so strong against him, he was trying to convince the court that Denice left with him voluntarily, the family said. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. Contact. Tommy Ward, also had his conviction overturned in state court, but . Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. Tommy Ward is still behind bars waiting for an appeal. Only about 80k votes separated them, and that can have a huge impact on DC politics ahead of 2022 and 24. Because of a retrial error, he later was resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Built the Engineering Compliance team at Google. The judge also called the evidence against Ward circumstantial and said nearly all of the details in his . The newlywed college student worked as a clerk there at night. She had been shot in the head. Tommy Ward, one of the subjects of Netflix 's true-crime doc series The Innocent Man, is a step closer to freedom after a judge vacated his conviction. The Oklahoma Court of Appeals reinstated Tommy Ward's murder conviction on Friday. Family of victim in infamous Ada murder lashes out at John Grisham, Netflix over 'The Innocent Man'. Her remains were found more than a year later in a field near Gerty, about 30 miles away. Oklahoma seeks to uphold the murder conviction of Karl Fontenot in the murder of Donna "Denice" Haraway. [Warning: Spoilers for "The Innocent Man" ahead!]. A federal judge vacated Fontenots conviction in 2019, months after The Innocent Man a Netflix series based on novelist John Grishams only nonfiction book renewed national attention to the case. Mr. Fontenot was released from prison in 2019 pending the outcome of the states appeal to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. "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. 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. All rights reserved. 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. After doing so, they described the blouse to detectives and said it was missing, according to the court filing. Hold on tight, things are about to really speed up! 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. A federal judge in Muskogee overturned Fontenots conviction in late 2019. 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! The victim, Donna Denice Haraway, disappeared from the McAnally's convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. We ask the question why? the family said in its statement. The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. prior to service. The appeals court said in its opinion that the state had an extremely weak case against Mr. Fontenot.. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Jim Inhofe looks back on his career: 'I really wanted to make a difference, and I did', State superintendent questions whether Oklahoma students should attend state colleges and universities, Bruce Springsteen adds to mythology with three-hour show at Tulsa's BOK Center, Last day for Utica Square store is Friday, 'They don't make them like her anymore': Historic 1914 bungalow in The Heights restored with love, Bed Bath & Beyond to close two stores in Tulsa, Gatesway Hot Air Balloon Festival returning after 6-year hiatus, Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years, Meet the 2023 Mr. Inside/Mr. Anyone that has could not believe Ward and Fontenot are innocent men, the family said. 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