CHAPTER 472
An Act for the relief of Messiah Aladar Johnson, relating to claims; compensation for wrongful incarceration.
[H 1472]
Approved April 8, 2026
Whereas, Messiah Aladar Johnson (Mr. Johnson) was convicted in Circuit Court of the City of Norfolk on October 29, 1998, of numerous felonies, including five counts of robbery, 12 counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, six counts of abduction, attempted robbery, and shooting into an occupied building, resulting in a sentence of an active period of incarceration of 132 years; and
Whereas, Mr. Johnson always maintained his innocence of the crimes; and
Whereas, Mr. Johnson served more than 20 years in the Virginia Department of Corrections system; and
Whereas, Mr. Johnson, through the Innocence Project at University of Virginia School of Law, submitted a pardon petition based on the circumstances surrounding his innocence; and
Whereas, Mr. Johnson's pardon petition was based in part on the credible confession of an incarcerated individual who committed a string of similar robberies around the same time and in the same area; and
Whereas, on July 11, 2017, after a careful review of all known facts and circumstances, the Virginia Parole Board recommended a conditional pardon for Mr. Johnson; and
Whereas, on January 12, 2018, Governor Terence McAuliffe granted Mr. Johnson a conditional pardon; and