Oklahoma court reinstates 'Innocent Man' murder conviction
The Washington Post, August 30, 2022: Oklahoma court reinstates 'Innocent Man' murder conviction
“The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has reinstated the murder conviction and life sentence of a man featured in the book and television series ‘The Innocent Man.’
“The court overturned a lower court decision that said because prosecutors and police withheld evidence that could exonerate Tommy Ward, 61, of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada.
“The ruling, dated Friday, said the withheld evidence, which included witness interviews and police reports, had been available to Ward’s defense since 2003 and was not included in Ward’s direct appeal after his 1999 conviction.
“‘Raising the same general categories on post-conviction that one raised on direct appeal, even if the basis is different, will result in a procedural bar,’ according to the state court’s opinion.
“‘He’s very disappointed that he’s still in prison for a murder he didn’t commit,’ Ward’s attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday.”
Additional reading:
Oklahoma Legal Group, June 28, 2022: The Confessions That Convicted Them May Set Two Oklahoma Men Free
Deadline, December 19, 2020: Tommy Ward, Subject Of Netflix True-Crime Series ‘The Innocent Man’, Set To Be Freed After Charges Dropped
AP, December 17, 2019: ‘Innocent Man’ inmate to walk free, but for how long?
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham on bookshop.org
