The Confessions

Synopsis

The Norfolk Four, four U.S. Navy sailors, were wrongfully convicted of the 1997 rape and murder of a woman in Norfolk, Virginia. FRONTLINE producer Ofra Bikel investigates the coercive police interrogation methods that led to their confessions, including threats of the death penalty, sleep deprivation, and intimidation. Despite the absence of physical evidence linking them to the crime, these high-pressure tactics resulted in false admissions of guilt, raising critical questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system.