Norfolk Four
Case Status
The Norfolk Four’s clemency petition has been pending since November 2005, and they are still waiting for a decision from Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine. Justice for these innocent men is long overdue.
A Miscarriage of Justice
Four innocent men, Danial Williams, Joseph Dick, Derek Tice, and Eric Wilson, all veterans of the U.S. Navy, were convicted of crimes they did not commit. Eric has been released from prison, but Danial, Joe, and Derek remain in Virginia prisons serving double-life sentences for a rape and murder committed by another man, Omar Ballard. An objective, comprehensive review of this case by the nation’s leading experts in the fields of forensic pathology, forensic DNA analysis, crime scene reconstruction, and false confessions leaves no doubt that Danial, Joe, Derek, and Eric were wrongly accused, falsely confessed, and are all innocent. In Virginia and around the nation, innocent people are being freed in cases where the exonerating physical evidence is much less compelling than here.
Click here to view a summary of the Norfolk Four innocence case.
Get Involved
Click here to learn more about how to get involved in the clemency effort, and view a sample letter you can send to Governor Kaine asking him to do the right thing by granting an absolute pardon to the Norfolk Four.
Proof of Innocence
The real murderer, Omar Ballard, is also serving—among other sentences—a double-life sentence for this crime. Ballard has admitted repeatedly, and confirms to this day (including in sworn testimony to a Virginia court), that he committed this crime alone. The physical evidence conclusively establishes Ballard’s guilt. Exacting DNA testing conducted by the Commonwealth has proven beyond doubt that Ballard—and only Ballard—was the source of semen and blood recovered from the crime scene. And there was no DNA or other physical evidence whatsoever linking the sailors or anyone other than Ballard to this crime. Nevertheless, four innocent men were convicted based on false confessions extracted by a detective who has a documented history of eliciting false confessions.
Nationally Renowned Experts and Prominent Bipartisan Supporters Agree: The Norfolk Four are Innocent
Four former Republican and Democratic Virginia Attorneys’ General, a Republican former President of The Virginia Bar Association, twelve former US Attorneys and Federal and State Judges, and over thirty former FBI Special Agents are among the many respected individuals who have carefully reviewed the facts and concluded that a grave injustice has occurred. They have all called on Governor Kaine to grant pardons to the Norfolk Four. View the letter from the former FBI Special Agents to Governor Kaine, and footage from the former FBI Special Agents’ press conference.
Danial, Joseph, and Derek have now spent nearly a dozen years behind bars for a crime that another man committed. Eric served eight-and-a-half years and is still fighting to clear his name. Governor Kaine should grant immediate pardons to these innocent young men.
Click here to view a documentary film about this injustice.
Click here to Read About a Recently-Published Book on The Norfolk Four entitled: "The Wrong Guys: Murder, False Confessions, and the Norfolk Four," by Tom Wells & Richard A. Leo.
