Entries tagged with “Justin Wolfe”
Oct 06, 2026
Justin Wolfe, Former Virginia Death Row Prisoner, Released on Plea Deal After Federal Court Found Significant Prosecutorial Misconduct
Justin Wolfe (pictured, center, with his mother and uncle) was released from prison on September 28, 2026 after pleading guilty to marijuana distribution and entering an Alford plea on charges of solicitation of robbery. He had been sentenced to death nearly 25 years ago for the murder-for-hire of Daniel Petrole, Jr., his marijuana supplier. Owen Barber IV, who admitted to shooting Mr. Petrole, had implicated Mr. Wolfe in order to avoid a death sentence himself. Mr. Barber later recanted his…
Jul 10, 2025
Federal Court Excoriates Prosecutors in Grant of Relief to Former Virginia Death-Sentenced Prisoner Who Has Always Maintained His Innocence
On July 7, 2025, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of former Virginia death-sentenced prisoner Justin Wolfe, vacating a lower court dismissal of his most recent habeas petition, and paving the way for a new hearing where Mr. Wolfe will have the opportunity to provide new evidence in support of his innocence. Mr. Wolfe was convicted and sentenced to death in 2002 for the 2001 murder-for-hire of his cannabis supplier in Northern Virginia. In his most recent petition, counsel for…