Norfolk Four: Virginia; Eric Wilson; Danial Williams; Joseph Dick; Derek Tice: The Virginian-Pilot asks why it took 20 years for justice to be done..."The four were judged guilty partially based on confessions they say were coerced by a Norfolk detective later found guilty of corruption in another case. It was one of the nation’s most infamous cases of wrongful convictions, and a textbook example of political and professional cowardice and misconduct. That the proper conclusion was reached only 20 years after the crime was committed raises unshakable questions about America’s justice system. It should also remind every American about the power of tenacious journalists and advocates — at this newspaper and all over the country — to correct egregious misdeeds, even if it takes time."

EDITORIAL: "After 20 years, justice for the Norfolk four,"  published by the Virginian-Pilot on March 22, 2017.

GIST: Four Norfolk men, all Navy veterans, served years in prison for a 1997 murder they didn’t commit. It’s a wrong Virginia can never fully right, but a pardon issued this week by Gov. Terry McAuliffe takes another step in the proper direction — one overdue from the commonwealth. The four were judged guilty partially based on confessions they say were coerced by a Norfolk detective later found guilty of corruption in another case. It was one of the nation’s most infamous cases of wrongful convictions, and a textbook example of political and professional cowardice and misconduct. That the proper conclusion was reached only 20 years after the crime was committed raises unshakable questions about America’s justice system. It should also remind every American about the power of tenacious journalists and advocates — at this newspaper and all over the country — to correct egregious misdeeds, even if it takes time. Here’s the story, drawn from a 2015 narrative by Pilot reporter Gary Harki on Hampton Roads’ 10 most infamous crimes, on the occasion of The Pilot’s 150th anniversary: “In 1997, 19-year-old Billy Bosko found his 18-year-old bride, Michelle Moore-Bosko, murdered in their Norfolk apartment. She had been raped, stabbed and strangled. “Police arrested eight men in the months that followed Moore-Bosko’s death. Charges against three were withdrawn. The other five were convicted — but four of them later maintained their innocence, insisting police had coerced their confessions. “The fifth man, Omar Ballard, later said he committed the crime alone; his DNA provided the only match to biological evidence. “Eric C. Wilson, a former Navy sailor, served nearly nine years in prison on a rape conviction. Danial Williams, Joseph Dick and Derek Tice were convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to life in prison.” The four “appealed their convictions, arguing that Norfolk police detective Robert Glenn Ford forced false confessions from them. In 2009, Gov. Tim Kaine granted partial pardons to Tice, Williams and Dick and released them from their life sentences. Wilson already was free.” As awful as it was that four men had spent their young adulthood suffering the horrors of prison for a crime they didn’t do, it’s worse to know it was the result of an unthinkable transgression. “In an unrelated case,” Harki wrote, “Ford was [sentenced] in February 2011 [for] taking money from drug dealers and other criminals in exchange for getting them favorable treatment in the court system. Ford told prosecutors and judges that those individuals had helped to solve murders, but several of them testified that they didn’t help Ford.” Ford was sentenced to 12½ years in prison, and his conduct while employed by the city has colored numerous convictions aside from those of the “Norfolk Four.” It is a stain, ugly and indelible, on the city’s criminal justice system. After “Kaine had stopped short of clearing their names,” The Washington Post reported Wednesday, “... the sailors continued to seek full pardons and freedom from being permanently classified as sex offenders. McAuliffe took that step Tuesday after a federal judge last year ruled that they were actually innocent.” That federal judge was involved because the Virginia Supreme Court had rejected appeals from three of the men. A fourth had his conviction erased in federal court. Mark that: It took the intervention of federal judges to ensure that justice was served in Virginia. That casts doubt about the quality of the commonwealth’s legal system and its willingness to correct itself. McAuliffe’s pardon was welcomed by the Norfolk Four in a statement released Tuesday. “I speak for all four of us in expressing our deepest thanks to Gov. McAuliffe, who has given us our lives back with these full pardons,” Wilson wrote, according to The Post."

The entire  editorial can be found at:

http://pilotonline.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-after-years-justice-for-the-norfolk-four/article_890f658f-2cc7-5939-9643-076bc5a7bc16.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;