Virginia man released after murder conviction is vacated

Justin Michael Wolfe has been released from prison after serving 25 years, including 13 years on death row, following the vacation of his murder conviction in Virginia. The legal reversal stems from the recantation of testimony by Owen Barber, the shooter in the 2001 killing of Daniel Petrole Jr., who previously claimed Wolfe had orchestrated the murder-for-hire scheme due to a $60,000 debt.

The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals previously criticized the original handling of the case, describing prosecutorial misconduct, coerced testimony, and suppressed evidence as ‘abhorrent to the judicial process.’

As part of a resolution, Wolfe entered a plea deal involving a guilty plea to marijuana distribution and a no-contest plea to criminal solicitation. He was sentenced to time served, allowing for his immediate release.