{"id":34214,"date":"2021-08-12T05:00:01","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T10:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=34214"},"modified":"2021-08-11T19:31:35","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T00:31:35","slug":"its-still-going-on-wrongful-convictions-leave-unhealed-wounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2021\/08\/12\/its-still-going-on-wrongful-convictions-leave-unhealed-wounds\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s still going on\u2019: Wrongful convictions leave unhealed wounds"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 10px; overflow: hidden;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.captivate.fm\/1be96165-2984-48aa-8efd-bd6ee740e093\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p>In 1982, the town of Ada was shocked to learn a young woman named Debbie Carter had been brutally assaulted and murdered.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Carter\u2019s murder has been recounted in the bestselling book &#8220;The Innocent Man&#8221; and a wildly successful Netflix documentary of the same name, but her cousin Christy Sheppard says those stories aren\u2019t about Carter. They retell the horrific details of her murder and the state\u2019s initial failure to bring her family justice.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Sheppard\u2019s cousin died almost 40 years ago but the case still isn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI&#8217;ve always said it seems like it cycles,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cWe&#8217;ll go to the fifth trial (in) the beginning of next year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The latest trial was triggered when Carter\u2019s killer decided to take advantage of the landmark\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tulsaworld.com\/news\/local\/history\/throwback-tulsa-one-year-ago-mcgirt-v-oklahoma-supreme-court-decision-rules-part-of-state\/collection_e1e7f154-cc72-11eb-af4c-5ff026113052.html#1\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/tulsaworld.com\/news\/local\/history\/throwback-tulsa-one-year-ago-mcgirt-v-oklahoma-supreme-court-decision-rules-part-of-state\/collection_e1e7f154-cc72-11eb-af4c-5ff026113052.html%231&source=gmail&ust=1628811244841000&usg=AFQjCNFSei2UKk6oXocU1FKVPz9-4KkCBQ\">McGirt v Oklahoma ruling from last year.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, before that question of tribal sovereignty was taken seriously, Carter\u2019s murder lived on for decades because it took the state more than 20 years to convict the man who was actually guilty.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, two innocent men were wrongfully convicted in her murder. Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz spent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/innocenceproject.org\/cases\/dennis-fritz\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/innocenceproject.org\/cases\/dennis-fritz\/&source=gmail&ust=1628811244841000&usg=AFQjCNHcpTWMALPT5mwbuEzNuno3vHuDVw\">11 years in prison.<\/a>\u00a0Wrongful convictions are devastating for condemned defendants, but they have a broader effect. They also do immeasurable harm to crime victims and their families.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sheppard is sorry to admit her family was \u201cglad when Ron got the death penalty and actually disappointed that Dennis didn&#8217;t get it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They believed the men were guilty. Nearly 20 years later they were shocked to learn it wasn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018Very humbling\u2019<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who are personally affected when justice is denied will never think about the state&#8217;s courts and law enforcement in the same way. Wrongful convictions can do long lasting harm and change how individual Oklahomans view the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 1993, at least 38 people convicted in Oklahoma courts have been exonerated, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ojp.gov\/pdffiles1\/nij\/grants\/244084.pdf\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.ojp.gov\/pdffiles1\/nij\/grants\/244084.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1628811244841000&usg=AFQjCNGOh-L1mPqMEqwspYD64JOMwSs5yA\">A 2013 study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice<\/a>\u00a0found crime victims often feel revictimized when they learn the people, they thought were guilty are getting their convictions overturned.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some, like Sheppard, feel responsible as if they played a role in convicting an innocent person.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt&#8217;s very humbling to have hoped and prayed that bad things happen to people; you want to see someone suffer that didn&#8217;t deserve that at all,\u201d Sheppard said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Justice Department study also reported crime victims often feel anger towards the criminal justice system and lose faith in its effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sheppard says when Williamson and Fritz were convicted her family had complete faith in the police, the prosecutors and the court.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For years, they believed Williamson and Fritz were guilty. Due to a judicial gag order, the family found out a DNA analysis proved the two men innocent at the same time as the rest of the world.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy family was very angry because they didn&#8217;t understand really what was happening,\u201d Sheppard recalled. \u201cWe weren&#8217;t really told anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Lost faith<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later in her journey to understand what happened in the case, Sheppard met other exonerated people. She learned that wrongful convictions are not isolated to Ada \u2013 they happen all over the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThat certainly \u2026 changed how I looked at things for sure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, surveys suggest the justice system is viewed with extreme skepticism by Americans in general. A July\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/352316\/americans-confidence-major-institutions-dips.aspx\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/352316\/americans-confidence-major-institutions-dips.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1628811244841000&usg=AFQjCNEDlL3QjfKC1lCy-KedxH25adBYjA\">Gallup poll<\/a>\u00a0indicated only 20% of participants reported high confidence in the system.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dawn Teal is a retired court reporter who served the Pontotoc County District Court for 35 years.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She recognizes the justice system is flawed but believes justice is done more often than not.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teal has a unique perspective on Debbie Carter\u2019s death and the later murder of Denice Haraway. It was her job to transcribe verbatim everything said in the courtroom during the trials of the men convicted in both killings.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_34216\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-34216\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/08\/Dawn-Teal-672x455.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/08\/Dawn-Teal-672x455.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/08\/Dawn-Teal-1920x1300.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/08\/Dawn-Teal-768x520.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/08\/Dawn-Teal-150x102.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/08\/Dawn-Teal-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/08\/Dawn-Teal-620x420.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/08\/Dawn-Teal-1595x1080.jpg 1595w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Retired court reporter Dawn Teal. It was her job to transcribe verbatim everything said in the courtroom during the trials of the men convicted in both killings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>\u2018A shock to the system\u2019<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another court reporter took over the Haraway case when Karl Fontenot and Tommy Ward were granted their second trials, but she was there for their initial conviction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She says, at the time, she believed the evidence presented in both cases.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI thought they were guilty,\u201d Teal said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teal changed her mind about Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz\u2019s guilt when DNA evidence proved them innocent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then information came out to suggest the two men convicted in Denice Haraway\u2019s murder did not receive fair trials. Judges have ordered the state to give each man another day in court. When these final pieces of information were revealed, Teal was caught off guard.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt was a shock to the system, and it was hard to believe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teal is less certain about Karl Fontenot and Tommy Ward\u2019s claims that they didn\u2019t kill Denice Haraway. She says it\u2019s hard to put herself in the shoes of a person who would admit to a crime they didn\u2019t commit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI just kept thinking there&#8217;s not DNA in that case. I don&#8217;t know how these gentlemen are going to have the same outcome that Williamson and Fritz did \u2013 turn their cases around and be exonerated,\u201d Teal said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teal isn\u2019t a crime victim and she\u2019s not an exoneree, but she still feels personally affected by these cases that have drawn national attention. Denice Haraway\u2019s murder was especially tough for her. It was the first murder trial she ever worked.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI went home every night and cried,\u201d Teal said. \u201cI was single at the time, probably about Denice Haraway\u2019s age \u2026 Even though there wasn&#8217;t a body, the things that they talked about \u2026 it was hard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teal believes she witnessed the four men\u2019s\u2019 cases in more detail than almost anybody else, and she has a strong understanding of what went wrong. However, she hasn\u2019t lost faith that justice can be served.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think there&#8217;s room for change and I&#8217;m thankful that there&#8217;s people fighting for it,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we have to believe in what we have until we do make a change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christy Sheppard looks forward to seeing that change. She has chosen to remember her cousin&#8217;s story in her own way. She\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defendingthelion.com\/christy-sheppard\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.defendingthelion.com\/christy-sheppard&source=gmail&ust=1628811244841000&usg=AFQjCNGuKRRJ_ukd2BIp3Hfzha-Rq0_gVQ\">released a podcast<\/a>\u00a0chronicling how Debbie Carter\u2019s family has coped with the state\u2019s mishandling of her murder.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere&#8217;s just so much more to the story and to what happened to Debbie and her family, and the fact that it&#8217;s still going on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1982, the town of Ada was shocked to learn a young woman named Debbie Carter had been brutally assaulted and murdered. Carter\u2019s murder has been recounted in the bestselling book &#8220;The Innocent Man&#8221; and a wildly successful Netflix documentary of the same name, but her cousin Christy Sheppard says those stories aren\u2019t about Carter. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":34215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34214"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34214"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34218,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34214\/revisions\/34218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}