The formal pardon by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe of four Navy veterans who were wrongly convicted of the 1997 rape and murder of a Norfolk woman is the final chapter in the men's quest to clear their names as they try to rebuild their lives.
Any question about the men's wrongful convictions--and the guilty plea of a man whose DNA was found at the crime scene and who said he acted alone in killing the young woman--was answered last year when a federal judge concluded the men were innocent after exhaustive evidentiary proceedings.
Some of the hallmarks of wrongful convictions are apparent in this case: lengthy interrogations, coerced confessions, lack of physical evidence tying the defendants to the scene and questionable police tactics. That should prompt a reassessment of practices.
There is no way to give back to these men the lost years of their lives. Nor can there be comfort to the family and friends of the woman who was so brutally murdered. What authorities can do is take steps to prevent future cases in which the wrong people are jailed.
Editorial on 03/28/2017