Citing new evidence, the NAACP has asked the North Carolina governor to pardon the so-called Wilmington Ten who were convicted of arson and conspiracy more than four decades ago in a case some say was tainted by racial discrimination and jury tampering.
The NAACP last week began circulating an online petition aimed at pressuring North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue (R) to pardon the 10, convicted of firebombing a white-owned grocery store and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 years to 34 years.
The petition comes as the NAACP on Tuesday revealed trial notes by prosecutor Jay Stroud that the civil rights group said show the assistant district attorney trying to select jurors who were KKK members and "uncle Tom" types. Stroud also wrote of weighing pros and cons of a mistrial, later granted based on his claim of illness. A second trial resulted in the convictions.
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