Latest news with #Wilkens'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
April Wilkens' lawyers request release, call her incarceration 'unlawful'
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Lawyers for April Wilkens are asking a Tulsa County judge to let her out of prison. They call her incarceration 'unlawful' because of unreasonable court delays. CRIMINAL INJUSTICE: A domestic abuse survivor imprisoned for life for the murder of her abuser She was the first Oklahoma inmate to file for a re-sentencing hearing under the new Oklahoma Survivor's Act, which allows leniency in sentencing for survivors of domestic abuse. News 4's Ali Meyer has been reporting extensively on April Wilkens since last year. She is the Tulsa County woman who was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of of her ex-boyfriend back in 1999. Wilkens admitted to shooting the victim during a violent night where she was held hostage in his home, raped, and assaulted. The relationship was a tumultuous two years of victim protective orders, drugs and domestic violence. RELATED STORY: First applicant for Oklahoma Survivors' Act relief still waiting for hearing Wilkens was convicted of First Degree Murder in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, the most lenient sentence available to her under Oklahoma sentencing guidelines in 2000. Wilkens has been denied parole five times since she became eligible in 2013, despite exemplary behavior in prison. The Tulsa County Distsrict Attorney continues to oppose her parole. Last year, the Oklahoma Legislature passed the Oklahoma Survivors Act allowing for flexibility in sentencing for defendants who suffered from domestic abuse. Wilkens' re-sentencing hearing was approved under the Oklahoma Survivor's Act on November 4th, 2024, more than five months ago. However, the Tulsa County District Attorney's office continues to delay the hearing, asking the court for months and months to prepare. In a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus filed on Friday, Wilkens' defense team calls her incarceration 'unlawful;' an 'unreasonable over-detention' and a 'violation of Wilkens' Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Wilkens' legal team is asking the court to set a hearing for argument and decision under the Oklahoma Survivor's Act, the command the Department of Corrections to bring April Wilkens to Tulsa County to be present during her hearing, to issue a writ of habeas corpus directing Wilkens' release or to place her on supervised release until her resentencing hearing. Under current sentencing guidelines and the Oklahoma Suvivor's Act, defendants convicted of murder are eligible for a sentence of 25 years or less. April Wilkens has already spent 27 years behind bars. According to the court record, a Tulsa County District Judge granted Wilkens' request for a hearing on the writ of habeas corpus. Tulsa County District Attorney, Steve Kunzweiler issued a statement following the ruling: 'Just as Ms. Wilkens is entitled to a hearing, we are entitled to do our due diligence in examiningeverything which has taken place since she has been in prison. That takes time and resources for which this statute did not allocate. We also had to seek out and retain expert witnesses who could assist us with our case once this case is set for a formal hearing. We look forward to addressing all of the evidence in a courtroom which is where matters in dispute should be resolved and not in the media.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Ali Meyer and News 4 win 2025 Gracie Award with ‘The April Wilkens Story'
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Congratulations are in order for KFOR's Ali Meyer for winning a 2025 Gracie Award for 'Criminal Injustice: The April Wilkens Story' The in-depth story by News 4's Ali Meyer follows the case of April Wilkens, a domestic abuse survivor who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her abuser. CRIMINAL INJUSTICE: A domestic abuse survivor imprisoned for life for the murder of her abuser Wilkens' case was integral in sparking a criminal justice reform movement to lessen the severity of sentencing for domestic abuse survivors. This ultimately led to the passage of the Oklahoma Survivors Act (SB 1835) in 2024. As part of their story, Ali and the KFOR news team included a never-before-seen tape of Wilkens' interrogation. That tape had been sitting in a Tulsa warehouse for decades. The Gracie Awards recognize exemplary programming created by women, for women, and about women in all facets of media and entertainment. Ali and News 4 have been honored with six Gracie awards: 2004, Is DNA Enough?2005, Anaka2010, Triple Miracle2014, The Survival of Edith Morales2019, Baseline Breast Cancer (Grand Champion)2025, Criminal Injustice: The April Wilkens Story You can watch the in-depth investigation below. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
