It is hardly possible to discuss the savage nature of the American justice system without mentioning the 1997 Norfolk Four murder and rape case. The story of the Norfolk Four is a typical example of a travesty of justice marked by extensive abuse of power, extreme police brutality, and unimaginable psychological exploitation that led four innocent men to confess to a crime they never committed.

At a time when sophisticated methods of solving crime like DNA analysis were already in use, it’s hard to imagine that the criminal investigators of this crime would make such a gruesome mistake in justice administration.

This article sheds light on the circumstances surrounding the rape and murder of Michelle Moore-Bosko based on the police investigation, forensic examination, and testimony of the key witness in the case.
On the day of the murder, Michelle’s husband, William Bosco, discovered her body in their bedroom on his return home from Navy duty. She was lying on the floor in the supine position with several stab wounds on her chest.

During the investigation, forensics noted very few signs of a struggle in the apartment. They noted that, based on the apartment’s neatness, the culprit was someone Michelle knew and had probably invited into her home. It, therefore, beats logic that this was a gang rape case.

Furthermore, only one person’s DNA was found on the victim’s body, while the twelve fingerprints obtained belonged to Michelle and the criminal. The autopsy report showed that only one person was involved in the rape and murder of the young woman. So why were four men incarcerated for a crime committed by one man?

The forensic analysis further indicated that the criminal had not carried a weapon. He took the knife he used to stab Michelle from the kitchen. No witnesses in the apartment saw or heard a group of men in the neighborhood before the crime occurred. So what led the police to believe that four men had assaulted Michelle?

Tamika Taylor was Michelle’s best friend and the main informant on the case. It is worth noting that among the men that Tamika mentioned to the police as suspects included the actual criminal, Omar Ballard.

Tamika told the police that Ballard had recently been arrested for battering a woman in the apartment building where they lived in. Tamika had introduced Michelle and William Bosco to Ballard a few weeks before the murder. Since Tamika spent a lot of time with Michelle in her house, Ballard would frequently visit Michelle to find Tamika.

It is possible that by the time of the murder, Michelle had built enough trust in Ballard as a friend to let him into the house. It is also possible that although the man did not initially intend to kill Michelle, he found an opportunity to rape Michelle that day and consequently murder her to prevent her from reporting him to the authorities.

During the investigation, the police ignored Tamika’s tip on Ballard and instead focused on the Norfolk four, although they did not have any concrete evidence against them. Were they trying to cover up his crime or was it a genuine oversight?…