Dear reader,

My name is James R. Boughton, Jr. I am petitioning the Governor of Virginia requesting a conditional pardon, and I am in need of your assistance. In 2006 I was arrested and charged with First Degree Murder, Malicious Wounding, Attempted Malicious Wounding, and three firearm charges. I was found guilty and sentenced to spend 38 years and six months confined within the Virginia Department of Corrections.

However, the judge's instructions to the jury were disregarded during their deliberations. The jury was told that they could only give a guilty vote if they believed the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. This instruction was not followed by my jury and I was found guilty even though they were not all convinced that I was the person who committed these crimes. This came to light after my trial when a remorseful juror contacted my attorney.

I have no other avenues available to get my case reviewed, and I've never had this issue reviewed by any court. If I could bring this claim before a court I would and I am confident that after reviewing the record they would agree that my conviction must be reversed. So without the Governor exercising his discretion to free me, the fact that my conviction resulted from a constitutional violation will continue to be ignored. Therefore, I am writing this hoping that you will sign this online petition and with your support we may be able to convince the Governor to reverse the miscarriage of justice that has occurred in my case. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,
James R. Boughton, Jr.