She was one of the first women to use battered woman syndrome in an Oklahoma trial, and claimed to have acted in self defense,[1][2] but it did not work in her favor and she was still found guilty by a jury.
Local Tulsa news stations still to this day are hesitant to cover her case due to Carlton's family owning and operating dealerships which buy ad time from them.
[6] Wilkens is featured as starting head of the dog rehabilitation and adoption program in Mabel Basset in the 2015 student documentary Bassett Tails by Friends for Folks.
"[15] They are using Wilkens's story to lobby "Oklahoma lawmakers to draft and pass a bill that would let courts resentence certain survivors of abuse—specifically, ones whose crimes were related to the domestic violence they experienced.
[29] The Tulsa World reported that during a search of Carlton's residence that night, "five live grenades were found in the basement, which apparently was used as a 'music room'" and the bomb squad had to be called in.
[30] The Tulsa world also reported that the "case drew immediate attention" because Wilkens's defense, battered woman syndrome, was "fairly new and virtually untested in Oklahoma courts.
[41] April Wilkens also recorded Terry Carlton admitting to abusing and raping her,[42][22] but it was never played at trial, though the then-DA, Tim Harris should have had a copy since she gave one to the Tulsa Police.
[49][50] Wilkens "filed an application for Post-Conviction Relief in 2003 and 2009, stating her attorney failed to present key evidence on her behalf" and that then-DA Tim Harris "should have been disqualified from prosecuting her case due to this personal relationship with Don Carlton, who afterward contributed to his political campaigns and even held a public reception for him.
[58] Larry Morris has worked in the past with federal judge Clare Eagan,[59] who wrote a 2005 affidavit in support of April Wilkens.
"[66] On September 30, 2022, McCarty and Briggs filed Post Conviction Relief for April Wilkens, claiming that evidence was suppressed during trial, resulting in a brady violation.
[73] Verified News Network (VNN) Oklahoma began researching and reporting on the April Wilkens case in early 2021.
[75] In mid 2022, Leslie Briggs and Colleen McCarty started a podcast where April Wilkens was the subject, with the intent that "listeners should expect case details in upcoming episodes that the jury in the trial never got to hear.".
"[92] At least 156 women at Mabel Bassett wrote "letters claiming to have experienced intimate partner violence at the time their crime was committed.
[99][100] The committee members included Rande Worthen (chair), Collin Dule, John George, Jason Lowe, Stan May, Lonnie Sims, and Judd Strom.
After the bill passed committee, Wilkens was quoted as saying on a phone interview that “So many women in prison with me here have told me just chilling stories about the abuse they’ve suffered too before coming here.
"[101] Before and after the bill passed committee, advocates for Wilkens and other criminalized survivors visited the capitol to speak with legislators and conduct art projects.
[105] Hasenbeck noted specifically that "women can face many forms of coercion in a relationship, including everything from the loss of economic security to the threat of dissemination of non-consensual pornography.
"[106] Dr. David McLeod of Oklahoma University wrote an op-ed in support of adding retroactivity back in, saying "I encourage Oklahoma legislators to pass HB 1639 with full retroactivity, and to limit sentences to 10 years and allow courts to rehear cases and hand down shorter sentences to people who show a significant link between the domestic violence they experienced and their crime.
The state's "influential District Attorneys Council pushed for a watered-down version that would not have helped Wilkens or any other survivors currently in prison, simply giving judges discretion to impose lighter sentences for people convicted of crimes against abusive partners in the future.
"[109] Representative Cyndi Munson questioned why changes were made from the original bill and Hasenbeck replied it was due to needing to make concessions.
"[112] The Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice released a statement asking the Senate to add retroactivity back in and saying that often the prosecution of current criminalized survivors tries "to keep out the evidence of the abuse because it was prejudicial to their cases."
[115] Hasenbeck said "she plans to develop future legislation to expand the Act so that Oklahomans such as April Wilkens...can have a chance at freedom.
"[116] Hasenbeck has stated that, because of HB 1639, she has had District Attorneys in her office who dislike the bill "because they don't want to have lookbacks" on their past cases if retroactivity is retained in the language.
[121] Advocates of the coalition held a "press conference on the steps of the Capitol to plead with legislators to restore retroactivity and allow those domestic violence victims in prison to be included in the law change.