(AP) — Virginia's governor pardoned four former sailors who became known as the "Norfolk Four," ending a decades-long fight to clear the men of rape and murder convictions based on intimidating police interrogations. A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the governor has granted absolute pardons for the men in the 1997 rape and killing of Michelle Moore-Bosko. Wilson failed to get his conviction overturned in court because he had already completed his sentence when he brought the challenge. Because Wilson is a convicted rapist, he was forced to register as a sex offender and barred from adopting his stepson. Attorneys for the men argued absolute pardons from the governor carried greater weight than court rulings and were essential to helping the men rebuild their lives and reputations. Williams, who lived in the same apartment building as Moore-Bosko, has said he was told he would face a capital murder charge — punishable by death — if he didn't confess.