On October 31, 2016, Judge John Gibney of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia vacated the convictions of two members of the Norfolk Four, Joseph Dick and Danial Williams, after finding them innocent of the rape and murder of Michelle Moore-Bosko in a September 26, 2016 Opinion, which stated: “By any measure, the evidence shows the defendants’ innocence – by a preponderance of the evidence, by clear and convincing evidence, by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, or even by conclusive evidence.” The September 26th Opinion can be accessed here; the October 31st Order can be accessed here; and the October 31st statement from the attorneys for Mr. Dick and Mr. Williams can be accessed here. Detective Ford Guilty of Extortion. Watch the entire Frontline story – The Confessions (ninety minutes) at PBS>> Read The New York Times Magazine story>> Read more about this case at The Norfolk Four… The “Norfolk Four,” four U.S. Navy sailors who were wrongly convicted for ... A detective named Robert Glenn Ford interrogated Williams, and eventually, the other three men. Detective Ford was found guilty in the mishandling of this case and indicted. We will take steps to block users who repeatedly violate our commenting rules, terms of use, or privacy policies. Lost, in large part, because of corrupt police detective Robert Glenn Ford. The city of Norfolk has reached a settlement agreement with the infamous 'Norfolk Four' former Navy sailors, who are said to receive a combined $8.4 million settlement after being wrongfully convicted of rape and murder in 1997. We have been haunted by these wrongful convictions for twenty years, which have created profound pain, hardships, and stress for each of us and our families. Documents say he forced illegal confessions from the Norfolk Four. Robert Glenn Ford was the lead detective in the Norfolk Four case of four Navy men wrongly convicted of the 1998 rape and murder of an 18-year-old woman in Norfolk, Virginia. Dick Jr., Tice and Williams were granted conditional pardons in 2009 by former Virginia Gov. “Ford is a very intimidating person,” Williams said in The Confessions. You are fully responsible for your comments. Rather, he jumped to the conclusion that the defendants were guilty without possessing a reasonable basis for this belief. On October 27, 2010, Detective Robert Glenn Ford, the lead detective in the Norfolk Four case who elicited the false confessions from the Navy men, was convicted by a U.S. District Court on two counts of extortion and one count of making false statements to the FBI. Danial Williams, Joe Dick Jr., Eric Wilson and Derek Tice have maintained for years that they falsely confessed to the crime following hours of intimidating police interrogations. Entries that are unsigned or are "signed" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. The “Norfolk Four,” four U.S. Navy sailors who were wrongly convicted for the 1997 rape and murder of Michelle Moore-Bosko, were fully pardoned on Tuesday by Virginia Gov. Norfolk 4. We reserve the right to not post comments that are more than 400 words. A week later, Detective Ford transports Tice to Norfolk for an interrogation. The detective who questioned them, Robert Glenn Ford, was convicted in 2011 of extortion and lying to the FBI in unrelated cases. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. “We have been haunted by these wrongful convictions for 20 years, which have created profound pain, hardships, and stress for each of us and our families,” Wilson said, according to a local CBS affiliate. Please click here for the Norfolk Four press release. One of the Norfolk Four Makes a Final Appeal to the Supreme Court, New Appeal in False Confession Case Focuses on Sex Offender Status, A Rare Look at the Police Tactics That Can Lead to False Confessions, Rural Health and Hospitals: A Focus on Texas, Fight for Healthcare Access in Rural East Texas Continues as Some of the State’s Hospitals Face Closures, County will provide testing for neighbors of Florida’s lead smelter, A Timeline of Domestic Extremism in the U.S., from Charlottesville to January 6. The Norfolk Four all later said a detective, Ford, forced false confessions out of them. Two Freedom of Information requests for police records on the Norfolk Four case were turned down by Norfolk’s assistant city attorney, Andrew R. Fox, who also represented Ford … In the Lafayette Grill case in 1990, he coerced confessions from three teenagers who later had the charges dropped against them when it was determined they could not possibly have been at the crime scene. In the opinion, Judge Williams finds that the state trial court’s grant of Mr. Tice’s habeas petition based on the violation of his constitutional rights was correct, and that the Virginia Supreme Court’s reversal of that decision was an “objectively unreasonable” application of federal law. Veteran FBI agent Larry Smith reviewed the case and realized that the conviction of the Norfolk Four was a miscarriage of justice. Tice was questioned for 11 hours before he broke down and confessed to Michelle’s murder. A detective named Robert Glenn Ford interrogated Williams, and eventually, the other three men. “We now look forward to rebuilding our reputations and our lives.”. The Norfolk Four count a growing list of supporters, including four former Virginia attorneys general, ... Police questioned him for eight hours before calling in Robert Glenn Ford, a detective known for his ability to extract confessions from reluctant suspects. The epic story of how people around the world lived through the first year of the pandemic, from lockdowns to funerals to protests. The city has agreed to pay $4.9 million to the four former U.S. Navy sailors, and the state of Virginia will pay $3.5 million, the Associated Press reported Monday. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count of extortion and up to five years in prison on the count of making false statements. Wilson and Tice went to trial and jurors found them guilty based on their confessions. Ford was the detective who questioned the Norfolk 4 who were unjustly imprisoned for twenty years for rape and murder. Once he gets his teeth into you, he doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants from you.”. Norfolk investigators then interrogated Dick, who initially professed his innocence. Ford was convicted in federal court in October 2010 of extortion and lying to the FBI regarding cases unrelated to the Norfolk Four case. The Norfolk Four, as they became known, claimed that detective Ford was a violently intimidating presence, and that over the course of their interrogations—each lasting between eight and 11 hours—they each became convinced their only hope of survival was to confess. The four Navy veterans who were wrongly convicted of the rape and murder of a woman in Norfolk in 1997 and served years in prison, were formally pardoned Tuesday by Virginia Gov. “It was just unimaginable to myself at that point, but I had confessed,” Williams told FRONTLINE in the 2010 investigation of the case, The Confessions. According to The New York Times, the men’s lawyers argued that absolute pardons had more power than court rulings and would help the four men move on with their lives. Despite lacking any evidence connecting Williams to the crime, the Norfolk police developed a theory that he was one of several men involved. To find out more about this important case update, please click here. A federal judge in Norfolk on Friday sentenced a retired homicide detective best known for his involvement in the "Norfolk 4" case to 12 years and 6 months in prison for taking bribes from criminals and lying to the FBI about it in other investigations.Judge Jerome B. Friedman gave Robert Glenn Ford, 57, almost the maximum prison time under federal sentencing guidelines. The move was prompted by a Tampa Bay Times investigation that found hundreds of workers at the smelter were exposed to high amounts of toxic chemicals. By submitting comments here, you are consenting to these rules: Readers' comments that include profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, harassment, or are defamatory, sexist, racist, violate a third party's right to privacy, or are otherwise inappropriate, will be removed. The case of the Norfolk Four underscores the ease with which the state can manufacture testimony if it so desires. Terry McAuliffe. On December 14, 2016, the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office announced in state court that they will no longer pursue prosecutions of Joseph Dick and Danial Williams, two of the four innocent Navy Veterans known as the “Norfolk Four.” The Commonwealth’s decision not to pursue the prosecutions is further evidence that Mr. Dick, Mr. Williams, Derek Tice and Eric Wilson are innocent and should now receive full pardons to clear their names once and for all. The homicide detective at the heart of the controversial "Norfolk 4" case -- four sailors who claimed they were coerced into falsely confessing to rape and murder -- has been arrested and charged in federal court in Norfolk with taking money from criminal suspects in exchange for lying on their behalf to prosecutors and even to a judge in court. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Soon Dick, Wilson and Tice would also be arrested and interrogated, resulting in more confessions they said were coerced under intense pressure. “After the nine hours, my thinking was my only options are to tell him a lie, tell him what he wants to hear and live, or keep telling the truth and die.”. Only a pardon from Governor McAuliffe can ensure that all four men are able to fully reclaim their lives. On August 6, 2009, three of the Norfolk Four received conditional pardons from Governor Tim Kaine. In 2020, the U.S. experienced the highest number of rural hospital closures in more than a decade. The Norfolk Four were wrongfully convicted of rape and murder in 1997; their case involved troubling issues of police misconduct, false confessions, and unconstitutionally suppressed evidence. He also had a record of taking money from criminal suspects in return for favorable treatment on more than one occasion. A timeline of significant incidents tracks how domestic extremism has evolved in recent years. We now look forward to rebuilding our reputations and our lives,” said Eric Wilson. Click here to read the opinion in its entirety. Thankfully the Norfolk Four detective Robert Glenn Ford was convicted in October 2010, on unrelated extortion charges of accepting payments from criminal suspects in return for favorable treatment. When asked why he would confess to a crime he had no part in, Tice recalled how Ford kept telling him he was going to die for lying. (Watch the men discuss their interrogations in the below clip from The Confessions, which was written, produced and directed by Ofra Bikel). Ford was later found guilty of two counts of extortion and one count of lying to the FBI in separate cases, and sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison. Terry McAuliffe (D). This resulted in lawyers asking for full exoneration for the Norfolk Four due to shady police work. He went to his neighbor Danial Williams's apartment for help, and they called the Norfolk City Police. “He’s not a big person, but he’s like a bulldog. June 30, 1998 Richard Pauley is arrested and charged with capital murder and rape. The Norfolk Four all later said a detective, Ford, forced false confessions out of them. Four honorable men volunteered to fight for their country, but ended up fighting for their own freedom. The man most responsible for putting the Norfolk Four behind bars, Detective Robert Glenn Ford, got into serious trouble with the law he swore to uphold. The pardon brings to a close a 20-year legal battle that brought national attention to the issue of false confessions. He was charged with rape and murder less than 24 hours after Moore-Bosko’s body was found. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. The men's lawyers said they had been intimidated into confessing by the police. NORFOLK FOUR GRANTED FULL PARDONS BY GOV. The Norfolk Four Isaiah Cofield from the four men there was evidence from Williams, Dick, Wilson, or Tice, there was evidence from someone else at the crime scene and that was Omar Ballard who even wrote and signed a confession and revealed it to the police and detective Ford. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2021 WGBH Educational Foundation. On February 25, The four men were all arrested within a year of 18-year-old Moore-Bosko’s murder, sentenced and kept in prison, despite DNA evidence linking another man to the crime. Williams was the first of the four to be arrested, after a friend of the victim indicated to police that they should take a closer look at him. Wilson thanked McAuliffe for the pardons on behalf of all four men. “These pardons close the final chapter on a grave injustice that has plagued these 4 men for nearly 20 years,” McAuliffe’s office said in a statement. Tim Kaine — they would be released from prison, but because they were not exonerated of the crimes, they were nonetheless required to register as sex offenders. From left to right, Eric Wilson, Joe Dick Jr., Derek Tice, and Danial Williams. Press Release from Norfolk Four legal team in response to conviction, New York Times, Nov 5, 2010, “Officer’s Extortion Conviction Prompts Calls For Full Exoneration of Norfolk Four", Virginian-Pilot, Oct 29, 2010, “EDITORIAL: Cop’s Conviction Taints Other Cases", Virginian-Pilot, Oct 29, 2010, “Ex-Detective’s Convictions Invite Scrutiny Of Old Cases", Virginian-Pilot, Oct 28, 2010, “Former Norfolk Detective Convicted Of Extortion", Virginian-Pilot, May 11, 2010, “Norfolk ex-detective accused of taking money from suspects", Associated Press, May 10, 2010, “Retired Va Detective Faces Corruption Charges", WAVY-TV, May 10, 2010, “Former detective charged with extortion", Washington Post Blog, May 12, 2010, “Norfolk 4 homicide detective indicted for extortion". Pauley is interrogated but doesn't confess. Ford is a perfect example of a bad seed. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the Ford Foundation. None of these men could provide a consistent story. 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