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Off death row, Dugan won’t appeal in Nicarico case

Brian Dugan won’t appeal his conviction in the 1983 murder of Jeanine Nicarico, his attorney said Friday.

After Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation abolishing the state death penalty and also commuted the sentences of Dugan and 14 other men on death row, Dugan decided to not pursue an appeal, a process that could have taken another year, said defense attorney Steven Greenberg.

“He doesn’t want to put the Nicaricos through it. He always wanted to plead guilty and get life. He did that and got life. The only thing he could win is the satisfaction to say, ‘You got it wrong,’” Greenberg said.

Greenberg said he thinks the case could’ve gotten reversed because of “an avalanche of errors” in the handling of the case, such as Dugan not being properly informed that he could legally withdraw his guilty plea at the time of the plea.

But Greenberg said Dugan didn’t want to put the Nicaricos through that process.

Dugan pled guilty in 2009 to the murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville. A jury sentenced him to death later that year.

Dugan was “certainly happy” with Quinn’s decision to commute his sentence to life in prison without parole, his attorney said.

“Brian’s a very introspective guy. He spends a lot of time trying to find out why he turned out the way he turned out,” Greenberg said. “I don’t think any of this gives him great joy. (But) the finality of it gives him a sense of great relief.”