Episode 465: The Norfolk Four
In July 1997, Michelle Moore-Bosko was murdered in the home she shared with her husband, US Navy sailor Billy Bosko. Investigators zeroed in on a suspect quickly, and despite coerced confessions and a lack of DNA evidence, four men were arrested and charged with the murder. Danial Williams, Joe Dick, Eric Wilson, and Derek Tice all recanted their “confessions”. Eventually, another suspect, Omar Ballard, who had a criminal history of very similar crimes also confessed, but that didn’t stop prosecutors from going after the Norfolk Four. This led to years of appeals, fighting in court, and no justice for Michelle.
Sources for this episode:
https://exonerate.org/victory/norfolk-four-derek-tice-danial-williams-joseph-dick-and-eric-wilson/
Forensic Files “Eight Men Out”
FRONTLINE PBS: The Confessions
https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-norfolk-four-a-miscarriage-of-justice/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/norfolk-four-pardoned-20-years-after-false-confessions/
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/conditional-pardons-granted-for-three-of-norfolk-four
https://time.com/archive/6913649/the-disturbing-case-of-the-norfolk-four/
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/us/11norfolk.html
