Seventy years ago, 7 black men were put to death after an all-white jury convicted them of allegedly raping a white woman.
Now, they have been pardoned by Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia.
Relatives of the men said that they were made to confess under the threat of mob violence, duress, and questioning without a lawyer in attendance.
In 1949, the “Martinsville Seven,” were found guilty of raping 32 year-old Ruby Floyd, a Caucasian woman. She had gone in a mostly black community to retrieve money for clothes she had sold.
All the men were put to death in 1952.
Francis Grayson, Booker Millner, Frank Hariston, Howard Hariston, James Hairston, Joe Hampton, and John Taylor have been pardoned.
Forty-five people were put to death in Virginia for rape from 1908 to 1951. Before getting rid of the death punishment, Virginia had the highest rate of execution than any other state.
