Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam pardoned seven men who were executed for rape in 1951. Were the men innocent? That did not matter to Northam. They were pardoned because Northam believed they did not get a fair trial because they were black.

The case became known as the “Martinsville Seven” and drew international attention. The seven men were black and were accused of, and subsequently convicted of, raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman. At the time, rape was considered a capital offense. All seven men were executed by electric chair in 1951.