Pardon Me But...

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has issued pardons to three men convicted of the 1997 brutal rape and murder of Michelle Moore-Bosko, 18, which occurred in the Ocean View section of Norfolk. There were a total of five men convicted of the crime.The three men Derek Tice, Danial Williams and Joseph Dick Jr. were all in the U.S. Navy. The victim’s husband was also in the Navy and discovered his wife’s body upon his return from a deployment.

The three, now pardoned men, have been in prison since their convictions in 1997. No further evidence exonerating the three has come to light, and there is little public interest in the case, until now. So, why 12 years after the fact, has Gov. Kaine suddenly decided to grant pardons to these men convicted of such a heinous crime? The timing is indeed curious.

While Kaine cited "grave doubts about at least the level of their complicity in the crime,” Kaine’s pardon comes only a few weeks after John Grisham announced that he is writing a screenplay about the case. Grisham, has also voiced his belief that the men are innocent.