A Virginia judge has formally declared three Black men, lynched by mobs in the 19th and early 20th centuries, innocent of the charges that led to their deaths.
The men—Charles Allie Thompson, William Thompson, and William Grayson—were lynched in rural Culpeper County, approximately 75 miles (121 kilometers) from Washington, D.C, according to a report.
On Monday, Circuit Court Judge Dale B. Durrer ruled that the men “were and remain to this day innocent of their charges,” citing the complete denial of due process in their cases. The decision followed a request by prosecutor Russell L. Rabb III.
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As part of the ruling, Judge Durrer ordered that records detailing the men’s unjust treatment remain unsealed, ensuring future generations have access to the truth.
“The best history helps us recognize the mistakes we’ve made and the dark corners where humanity can sometimes dwell,” Durrer said. “This discomfort drives us to learn, grow, and harness our collective power as a community.”
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Zann Nelson, a 76-year-old historian, was instrumental in making the ruling possible, spending nearly two decades researching the cases and urging local officials to address the injustice.
“There are those who might say, ‘Why does it matter now—it happened so long ago?’” Nelson said. “It matters because it provides closure—not just for the families but for the entire community.”
Charles Allie Thompson was lynched in 1918 after being accused by a white woman of rape. He was held in jail for five days before being kidnapped and hanged by a mob.
In 1877, William Thompson was accused of raping an 11-year-old white girl. Just three days after his arrest, a group of 50 men dragged him from his jail cell and hanged him from a poplar tree. It remains unclear if he was related to Charles Allie Thompson.
William Grayson, a free Black man, was charged with the murder of a white man in 1849. Although Virginia’s Supreme Court overturned two of his convictions due to evidence proving he was elsewhere at the time of the crime, Grayson remained in jail awaiting a third trial. Before the legal process could conclude, a “lawless mob” overpowered the sheriff and lynched him.
