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. It may be a mere coincidence that Kaine issued the pardon a month after Grisham’s announcement, surely Gov. Kaine is not so star struck that he would release convicted murderers simply because a famous author wants them freed. However, the likelihood of a coincidence becomes greatly diminished, when you consider the fact that over the last few years, Grisham has given Tim Kaine $175,000. The Virginia Public Access Project has reported that since 2000, Grisham has given a total of $390,000 to Virginia Democrats. Did John Grisham buy undue influence over Gov. Kaine, and gain freedom for the convicted murderers, to make his screenplay more interesting? The family of the young woman who was raped and killed certainly think so. Shortly after the pardon was announced, Michelle Moore-Bosko’s family released the following statement to the press: “Our family is devastated to learn that Governor Kaine has chosen to ignore the facts and history of this case by granting a conditional pardon to these confessed and convicted rapists and murderers. There is absolutely zero new evidence or information to justify this decision. We do not believe it is a coincidence that Governor Kaine granted these pardons just a few weeks after the announcement that John Grisham intends to write a screenplay about this case. Stories about rapists and murderers who confess, then spend the rest of their lives in prison, do not make interesting movies. Obviously, Mr. Grisham’s wealth and influence are far more important to Governor Kaine’s political aspirations and public image than truth or justice. Anyone who has questions about this relationship should research Mr. Grisham’s history of political contributions, where they will find that Grisham has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars, to Governor Kaine, the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic candidates. Our family extends sincere thanks to the police officers, district attorneys, victim advocates, jurors and members of the judicial system who refused to give in to political pressure and the campaign of misinformation that we have endured for the past 12 years. They proved time, after time, after time that the Norfolk Four are guilty. It is truly shameful and a disservice to the citizens of Virginia and our family, that the decisions of the courts have been ignored, and confessed rapists and murderers are being set free.” Grisham has said filming on the project begins next year. *Reporter’s note: Once again, we are witness to this country’s two- tiered justice system. It would seem that money and power have negated the opinion of a jury, and reopened the wounds of a young woman’s still grieving family. If Gov. Kaine wants to dispense with any notion that John Grisham bribed him into issuing pardons to the convicted murderers, he could simply return his money. Otherwise, it looks as if the Governor is for sale. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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