In 1998, DNA evidence from the rape kit in the murder of Michelle Moore-Bosko matched Omar Ballard, who confessed and stated he acted alone. Despite this, prosecutors continued pursuing convictions against four Navy sailors whose earlier confessions conflicted with each other and with the forensic evidence. The men were convicted or pled guilty to avoid the death penalty, and their appeals lasted more than a decade. Virginia governors later issued pardons acknowledging the confessions were unreliable and the forensic evidence did not support the convictions.

Sources: The Washington Post reporting; The Virginian-Pilot investigative coverage; Innocence Project case files; Virginia gubernatorial pardon records.

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