Virginia judge vacates murder conviction of Justin Michael Wolfe after 25 years
The conviction was overturned after the sole witness recanted, and Wolfe accepted a plea on unrelated marijuana and robbery charges.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Virginia Judge Carl Weimer vacated the murder conviction of 45‑year‑old Justin Michael Wolfe, freeing him after 25 years in prison, including more than a decade on death row, according to the Associated Press and The Independent.
What happened
Wolfe was convicted for the 2001 shooting death of Daniel Petrole in Bristow, Virginia. The conviction was nullified on Monday after the only witness who had linked Wolfe to the crime recanted his testimony. Wolfe then entered a plea deal on separate marijuana and robbery charges, resulting in a sentence of time served.
What the reports add
- Both outlets reported that Wolfe spent his first few hours of freedom eating pizza, running errands with his mother, and planning a family dinner.
- The Associated Press supplied a smartphone photo showing Wolfe with his mother Terri Steinberg and uncle Joe Casamento at the Prince William County Jail shortly after his release.
- The Independent noted Wolfe’s comment that he looks forward to “getting to know my nieces and nephews.”
What was said
“The thing I relish most is getting to know my nieces and nephews,” Wolfe told The Independent.
“I did 25 years for a marijuana case, something that you can go buy at the store now. I feel like I handled it as well as I could.”
How it came about
- Prosecutors said Wolfe and other teens ran a drug operation in northern Virginia that may have generated as much as $10 million in marijuana and ecstasy sales, funding vacations to Hawaii and Atlantic City.
- According to both reports, prosecutors alleged Wolfe hired fellow dealer Owen Barber to murder Petrole, who was both a high‑school friend and drug supplier, because Wolfe owed Petrole more than $60,000.
- Barber pleaded guilty to the murder, received a 60‑year sentence, and later recanted his trial testimony, saying Wolfe was not involved and that law‑enforcement officials had repeatedly threatened him with the death penalty to secure his cooperation.
- Legal advocacy groups—including the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty and the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia School of Law—took up Wolfe’s case, leading to a series of incremental victories that eventually resulted in the vacating of his death sentence and, after further litigation, the vacating of his murder conviction.
Key facts
- Judge Carl Weimer vacated Justin Michael Wolfe's murder conviction. (winnipegfreepress.com)
- Wolfe spent 25 years in prison, including over a decade on death row. (winnipegfreepress.com)
- The conviction was overturned after the sole witness recanted his testimony. (winnipegfreepress.com)
- Wolfe accepted a plea deal on marijuana and robbery charges, resulting in time served. (independent.co.uk)
- Wolfe said he looks forward to seeing his nieces and nephews. (independent.co.uk)
