April Wilkens has served 27 years in prison for the 1998 shooting death of her former fiancé, Terry Carlton, in his midtown Tulsa home. Her application under the Oklahoma Survivors Act states she was "choked, raped, beaten, threatened, stalked, manipulated, and controlled" by Carlton during their relationship. The law, which took effect in 2024, allows judges to modify a sentence if domestic violence was a contributing factor in the crime, and was intended to recognize how prolonged domestic violence changes the way survivors respond to threats. However, a judge denied her relief in September 2025, citing concerns over credibility of a defense expert witness, making Wilkens' case emblematic of the gap between the law's promise and its implementation.