Introduction by Dr. Lory Dance, Bernard’s Niece
In this video, Dr. Lory Dance introduces the story of her uncle, Bernard Duse, who was wrongfully convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. The resources on this website are meant to spread awareness of this situation, which Bernard shares with far too many others.
Please consider donating to Uncle Bernard’s legal funds by clicking the button below.
Dr. Mark Warren’s Reflections on his Friendship with Bernard
The Story of Bernard Clark Duse, Jr.
Bernard Clark Duse, Jr., then a 76-year-old assistant manager of a CVS store, was in his pajamas working on the computer in his home office when his wife arrived home on the evening of July 26, 2017. He then went up to bed while his wife watched TV in the living room. The next day, he learned that his manager had been murdered in the store parking lot sometime after 10:00 p.m. on the 26th. A week later, the police arrested Bernard for the murder. A major eye-witness had described the murderer as a white guy who knelt down and moved the body. Bernard is gingerbread brown. He had recently had hip replacement and heart surgeries, and these medical procedures continue to restrict his movements. Bernard is not “white”, and he neither had the strength nor the mobility to move the body. In spite of these facts, Bernard was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to life. This is death in prison for someone his age.
With nothing but circumstantial evidence, the prosecution spuriously alleged that because Bernard had filed an age-discrimination civil suit against CVS for denying his promotion, he must have had a grudge against his store manager. Furthermore, inflammatory media facilitated the ambitions of aggressive prosecutors, who used peremptory challenges to seat an all-white jury. Playing on Virginians’ racial fear just one year after white supremacists rallied in Charlottesville, prosecutors won a guilty verdict from the white jurors in August of 2018.
Bernard’s family strained their financial resources defending him at trial. The appeal process exhausted their remaining funds, and Bernard is now in need of additional legal support. Given Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s newly-established Conviction Integrity Unit, there is renewed hope that Bernard’s wrongful conviction can be overturned.
A Discussion with Bernard’s Niece, Dr. Lory Dance
Dr. Lory Dance is a specialist in racial inequities. She earned her PhD from Harvard University in 1995 and is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Here, she discusses her uncle and his wrongful conviction with a colleague, Dr. Fran Kaye. Dr. Kaye is a Professor Emerita of English and Ethnic Studies at UNL and has done volunteer work within state prison systems since the 1990s.
Please note, the GoGetFunding account Professor Dance references in the video is no longer active. If you wish to support Bernard and his family, please use the donation button below Dr. Dance’s introduction video.
Statement from Bernard’s Wife, Nancy Duse
My husband, Bernard Clark Duse, Jr., is a loving and caring man. He is very approachable and understanding. He is always there for his family of birth (sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and -nephews) and all of his in-laws in the Philippines, whom he loves and who love him. Bernard is always there to help friends and family in need. In our 20 years of marriage, he has comforted me when I am sad. He always loves and supports me. We are truly happily married; like any couple, we have had disagreements, but we have had no fights at all. Bernard is one of the kindest, purest souls that I know. I love him with all my heart.