The only practice i´ve read of, which comes close to this was the right of the Vesta-Maidens (Shrine-Maidens of the Temple of Vesta) to step in they path of a convicted criminal and thus relieve him from his crimes, but since the Vesta Shrine was in Rome there is no way those Maidens would show up in Judea. But since this is a big thing you are talking about, the should be definitely some historical documentation about that.