Brian Dugan | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Brian James Dugan September 23, 1956 Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Criminal charge | Murder (3 counts) Aggravated criminal sexual assault (4 counts) Aggravated kidnapping Aggravated battery Arson Burglary (3 counts) |
| Penalty | Life in prison for first two; death commuted to life imprisonment for third murder |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3+ |
Span of crimes | February 25, 1983 – June 2, 1985 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Illinois |
Date apprehended | June 3, 1985 |
| Imprisoned at | Pontiac Correctional Center[1][2] |
Brian James Dugan (born September 23, 1956)[3] is an American convicted rapist and serial killer active between 1983 and 1985 in Chicago's western suburbs. He was known for having informally confessed in 1985 to the February 1983 abduction, rape and murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville, Illinois, which was a highly publicized case. He was already in custody for two other rapes and murders, one of a woman in July 1984 and the other a 7-year-old girl in May 1985. He was sentenced to life after pleading guilty to the latter two crimes.
Rolando Cruz and Anthony Hernandez, both from Aurora, Illinois, had earlier been indicted in the Nicarico case and were convicted of Nicarico's murder in 1987 and sentenced to death. After appeals and new trials, Hernandez was convicted a third time and sentenced to life in prison. Cruz was acquitted in 1995 after a witness recanted testimony, and new DNA evidence was introduced excluding him from that found at the crime scene. State charges against Hernandez were also dismissed that year and he was freed. In 2000, these two and Stephen Buckley received a settlement for wrongful prosecution from DuPage County.
In 2005, Dugan was indicted for Nicarico's murder based on DNA evidence; he pleaded guilty in 2009 and was sentenced to death. After Illinois governor Patrick Quinn signed a new bill to abolish capital punishment in 2011, Dugan's sentence was commuted to life in prison.[4]
- ^ "Dugan moved to death row in Pontiac prison". ABC7. December 17, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ "Illinois Department of Corrections Internet Inmate Status". Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ Christy, Gutowski (January 7, 2007). "Inside the FBI Files of Brian Dugan". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ Zorn, Eric (March 9, 2011). "Change of Subject: Passing Thought – Today Truly Marks the End of the Nicarico Murder Case". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 13, 2011.