As the Illinois State Police commander who led the 1985 investigation into Brian Dugan’s admission that he alone murdered Jeanine Nicarico, I am troubled by the remarks of DuPage County officials related to their recent $3.5 million settlement with Rolando Cruz, Alex Hernandez and Stephen Buckley.
DuPage State’s Atty. Joseph Birkett continues to suggest that these three former defendants in the Nicarico case were somehow involved in the crime.
This unsupported suggestion causes the Nicarico family continued suffering and overlooks some key points:
– All the 1983 crime-scene evidence pointed to a single perpetrator.
– After Dugan was arrested and offered his admission, my team of investigators and DuPage County authorities attempted to support a multiple-perpetrator theory by finding a personal connection between Dugan and any one of the initial three defendants. We found none. And, tellingly, in the 15 years since, no one who’s been arrested in the area has offered to make such a connection in negotiations with law enforcement.
– The DNA evidence implicates only Dugan.
Dugan has offered through his lawyer to supply more information regarding the crime in exchange for a plea bargain that would allow him to avoid the death penalty.
The state’s attorney should accept this offer and give the Nicarico family the justice they demand and deserve.
Brian Dugan alone committed this heinous crime.
