Oswego Town Man Admits Guilt In Woman’s Death

OSWEGO, NY – An Oswego Town man admitted in county court today that he “recklessly” caused the death of his live-in girlfriend in November of last year.

Frank W. Ward, 45, of 171 Chapel Road, was arrested by Sheriff’s Department Investigators in November 2007 and charged with one count of first-degree assault, a class B felony, in connection with the ‘suspicious’ death of 54-year-old Irene Doviak, also of 171 Chapel Road in the Town of Oswego.

On Monday, Ward was charged with one count of first-degree manslaughter and one count of second-degree manslaughter.

On Wednesday, he appeared before Judge John Elliott and accepted a deal that allowed him to plead guilty to the second-degree manslaughter count in full satisfaction of any and all of the charges in the original indictment.

Ward accepted the deal instead of waiting for a grand jury to indict him on the manslaughter charges and then proceed to a trail.

The judge asked him if he understood his rights and was willing go ahead and enter a plea on Wednesday. Ward replied he was ready to do so.

“Is this the best thing for Frank Ward?” Judge Elliott asked him.

“Yes,” Ward replied.

“Do you want to go to trial?” the judge asked.

“No,” Ward replied.

Judge Elliott set June 30 as the sentencing date. He said he’d make no commitment on the sentence until after he had read the report from the probation department and any statement from Ward if the defendant wished to submit one.

He will also consider the possibility of restitution, he added.

Ward has always been “very remorseful, sad about this,” according to defense attorney Eben Norfleet. “But, in the end, I think this is a fair resolution. We still need to hear what the judge says regarding sentencing.”

“He has come in and pled guilty to recklessly causing the death of another,” Norfleet said. “I don’t know how that could affect an individual, I know it has affected (Ward), it has impacted him. He’s taken responsibility by his plea. I believe that he is very remorseful.”

Doviak and Ward weren’t married, but lived together at 171 Chapel Road. They had no children in common.

An altercation occurred at the residence and Doviak suffered injuries as a result, according to sheriff’s investigators.

Ward allegedly inflicting those injuries by striking and kicking victim, “causing serious physical injury,” investigators said.

However, he didn’t intend to kill her, Norfleet noted.

Ward entered a plea to the second-degree count (to recklessly cause) instead of the first-degree count (intended to cause) for that reason, he explained.

“In my conversations (with Ward) and from the evidence, it’s been clear to me that he never intended to kill her,” the attorney said. “The statements show he never intended to kill her. There were other people around, a number of other people, and the reason I believe the ‘recklessness’ was correct was there were a number of people there when the incident happened and at least most of them left. I don’t know if anybody understood at that time that she had possibly suffered some injuries that would end up being fatal.”

Those people didn’t perceive the injuries to be severe enough to seek medical attention.

“It was an unfortunate result that no one there could foresee,” he said.

The defense attorney and the District Attorney’s Office have been in negotiation regarding the case for several months.

The DA’s Office had agreed not to send the matter to the grand jury while negotiations were going on, Norfleet explained.

“It’s been a conversation that has taken place over the last six months. Some are a half-hour long and some are three minutes long,” he said.

Ward was being held at the Oswego County Correctional Facility on the first-degree assault charge (a class B violent felony).

Judge Elliott remanded him back to jail on the manslaughter charge (a class C non-violent felony).

Ward faces 5 to 15 years in state prison, missing or outdated ad config

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