The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
The PBS show "Frontline" examined the case of the Norfolk Four in a documentary called "The Confessions," which aired Tuesday.
The entire documentary can be viewed on the PBS Web site.
Former sailors Danial Williams, Joseph Dick and Derek Tice were convicted of the 1997 rape and murder in Norfolk of military spouse Michelle Moore-Bosko. A fourth man, Eric Wilson, was convicted of just the rape.
Last year, they were granted conditional pardons by then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine after evidence emerged that their confessions might have been coerced and that DNA evidence linked only one person, Omar Ballard, to the crime. Ballard also confessed that he acted alone.
The four are continuing to fight for their complete exoneration.
Frontline attempts to answer the question: Why would four innocent men confess to a crime they didn't commit?
Frontline producers also obtained, for the first time publicly, an interview with Ballard. He told Frontline that police pressured him to say the other men participated in the crime with him, a statement that he said was not true.
"It was made clear from the jump that unless I said somebody else was with me, that it wasn't going to be the truth," Ballard said. "The only truth they wanted to hear (was) that I did it with someone else."
The recent corruption conviction in federal court here of retired Norfolk Detective Robert Glenn Ford is also part of the show.
The Norfolk Four lawyers said the guilty verdict in the Ford case is directly relevant to the innocence claims the men have pending.
Federal authorities here have said they do not believe there is a link between Ford's corruption case and his history of obtaining a number of false confessions.
The Norfolk Four case has already been written about in a book called "The Wrong Guys." Popular author John Grisham is also working on a screenplay about the case.
Tim McGlone, (757) 446-2343, tim.mcglone@pilotonline.com
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Ford?
Norfolk PD is a shining example of competence... which is why Detective Ford, who obtained these confessions, was just found guilty. What a JOKE to think that there was no DNA evidence, no physical evidence and nothing except some police and prosecutor who were more interested in getting results that can ruin so many people's lives.
R.I. P. Michelle
All of these men participated to some extent in the rape and murder of this young woman. They all confessed and snitched on each other in an attempt to get the best deal,to get their version of events out before the other defendants and to secure a cooperative witness status in the courtroom. Having known several of these men before this rape and murder took place I can attest that the Banque Boys were trash then and are trash now. Why were some of these men thrown out of the Banque Bar and Grill in 1997? "Popular author John Grisham is also working on a screenplay about the case." Grisham was a large donor to Governor Tim Kaine's campaign and the DNC. Also, the article is wrong; Eric Wilson was never given a conditional pardon.
RAPISTS AND MURDERERS
These men are guilty of raping and murdering a young innocent woman. It is most unfortunate that the Va. Pilot continues its despicable agenda in attempting to depict these criminals as innocent. They all implicated themselves and each other in the crime, including Omar Ballard. All confessed and several of the defendants cried in the courtroom and apologized to the victim's family during sentencing. All of these men socialized together before and after the crime and were known as the Banque Boys. Multiple investigators investigated this case (not just Glenn Ford) and all came to the same conclusion... that these men are rapist murderers. Governor Kaine even indicated that the men were guilty in his CONDITIONAL PARDONS.
Frightening
to see that this miscarriage of justice could literally happen to anyone. The recent conviction of Detective ford make this case that much more disturbing.
This is a nightmare for all the victims involved, the original young woman's family to whom the crime was committed and all of these once young men. the case was botched from the investigation to the prosecution and the damage done is irreparable and inexcusable.
The justice system failed miserably in this case.
Shame
A situation like this is very shameful for the justice system. It would seem to me that the legal system would admit it's mistakes and accept responsibility. Doing that would give them credibility. However, when a situation like this occurs prosecutors become very adamant in supporting the convictions. The basic mantra of the commonwealth attorney is to vigorously prosecute those cases where they feel that the situation dictates that strategy. Their code also dictates that they pursue the truth. The truth here is very evident, and to continue to make life miserable for these four victims is unacceptable. I fail to understand how they can go home and not have a guilty conscience.
i want to see my attorney now
That has been my advice to my family for years, if they are even being interviewed by police. Their goal is to close cases and the lawyers are on board with "plea bargains". Just go sit in CIrcuit Court and watch how the system works. It will open your eyes. The sad part is that the police can overstep boundries without any recourse. They can lie about evidence, they can threaten you, they can charge you for crimes they know they can't prove, or pile on charges knowing they will be dismissed, but telling you how much more jail time you will be serving. Unfortunately most intelligent people do what they can to avoid jury duty.
So what do you think Ford's
So what do you think Ford's punishment should be, for the time he took from these people?
self justification
Glenn Ford still believes that he arrested the right suspects and that they are all guilty. D.J. Hanson still thinks that he tried the case successfully against the true murderers. The defendants' lawyers all say they did the best they could considering the circumstances. It was all the fault of the "system". They forget that they are part of the system. The "system" failed because they failed. They will place blame everywhere but where it belongs, squarely on their own shoulders. The Norfolk Four should seek civil redress from Glenn Ford, the state, the city, and their own ineffective lawyers for the ten year nightmare that they were put through. Their lives have been ruined by the "system".
I agree except
I watched Frontline last night and have followed this story in the papers. I agree with all you say except for Ford believing the Norfolk 4 (which was actually seven people at one time) are guilty. He can't possibly believe that. What he believes is that given a weak or even average personality, he can squeeze out a confession using time-tested methods. He even helped the men rehearse their responses before taping the "final version." Yep, you are so right about their lawyers. Absolutely pitiful.
Watched it last night. I
Watched it last night. I wonder when the huge lawsuit comes, making them all multi-millionaires?