48 Hours - The College Drug Ring Murder

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

The investigation of the March 2001 killing of Danny Petrole, the son of a retired Secret Service agent, revealed that Petrole was involved in a million-dollar drug ring, created and controlled by suburban college students. “48 Hours" Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 7/4/2003. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He's scared. He's 20 years old and he's facing the death penalty. They were college students in a quiet town. This is suburbia, rich kids. Then, one of them, the son of a retired Secret Service agent, was shot dead. That was really an execution. It opened a window to a dark world. None of these parents, they never would have known. And a secret network unraveled.

I sold drugs for five years and didn't get any kind of trouble whatsoever. Kids from the best of families. Everybody had a future. They were all real smart. Peter Vansant investigates, dealing drugs worth millions. What's the most amount of cash you ever had? Over a hundred some. For a hundred thousand dollars? Yeah.

It makes you a movie star and a small town. Did life in the fast lane drive Justin to murder? And that's what drives his kids. It's the money and it's a lifestyle that comes along with it. I can't even believe what's happened to me. A special 48 hours mystery. Isn't it time you confess to this crime? The Millionaire Boys Club.

I'm Leslie Stahl. Tonight we bring you a morality tale about the appearance of good and the reality of evil. We take you to a place where young people grow up with the best of everything and parents believe they can trust their children. Imagine their shock finding out that their kids are kids kids in college were selling millions of dollars in drugs right under their noses. As Peter Vansant reports, these kids had everyone fooled until one of them ended up dead. It was a really nice neighborhood.

Quiet, everybody knows everybody. Just a nice neighborhood. Growing up in the suburbs around Manassas, Virginia. All of these kids come from good homes, good families. They live in huge houses, parents have nice cars, great jobs. Was easy. I mean, all the kids here have money. And in these quiet, affluent communities, street crimes seemed a world away.

I mean, nothing like this ever happened before. Until late one night in the spring of 2001, when 21-year-old Danny Petroly, the son of a retired Secret Service agent, agent was brutally gunned down. This was really an execution. It was a bloody scene. It was a gruesome scene. The scene stunned even veteran prosecutors Paul Ebert.

I mean, that gun was fired at time and time again into that young man's body. And Rick Conway. This is a semi-automatic pistol. The bullet only comes out when you squeeze the trigger. Danny was shot nine times as he sat in his car. just outside his townhouse. You didn't hear about shootings and people get shot in our neighborhoods.

Justin Wolf was 19 at the time, a college student like Danny. He was a good guy. Everybody liked Danny. I don't think he had any enemies. I didn't know anybody didn't like him. I was shocked. It was sad.

I couldn't believe it. Jennifer Pascarillo. This is where Regina lived. And Regina Zuner. Everyone's lives have changed so, dramatically. Both went to high school with Justin and to middle school with Danny. Danny was an extraordinary person. He was a magnet. People were drawn to him. Within days of Danny's shooting, police traced the murder weapon to a suspect. We were

pretty sure that we had our man with Owen Barber. Owen Barber, a 21-year-old who, like Danny, grew up in a comfortable neighborhood near Manassas. It said, we because I can picture everything the way it used to be. Jennifer Pascorello was Owen's girlfriend. This is the very first day we met. They'd been dating since Jennifer was 14. He came to pick me up. I'd never even been on a date before, so he was my first ever.

Tell me about the home that Owen grew up in. His parents were real close. They were like a normal family, I guess. Mom and the dad, he's the only child. And he did the chores around the house for them whenever, and came home for dinner every night. That's Owen's house right there. I felt sorry for the kid.

Justin became friends with Owen in high school. Owen didn't do anything, because a lot of us play basketball and stuff like that, but he was just, I don't know. He just was one of those guys that hung around, I guess. He doesn't look like a person who could be a killer in any of these pictures. I never, ever, ever in my wildest dreams

would imagine that he was capable of something like this. But nearly a year after Danny's murder, Owen Barber is in court to confess he pulled the trigger. And what did you do then? I jumped out, went around the front of my car, and as I went towards his car, he reached across, and then I shot him through the passenger window. You see any sign of life after he shot him?

No. You can't listen to Owen Barber talk about committing this murder without just being overwhelmed by his callousness. But the defendant on trial isn't Owen Barber. Would you identify him for the record? He's right there. It's Justin Wolf. And Owen is here to testify against his former friend.

It was like, we've got to shoot him. Owen Barber would never have killed Danny Petroly unless Justin Wolf wanted him to. Prosecutors set out to prove that Justin Wolf, Wolf is a killer. Justin Wolf hired Owen Barber to murder Danny Petrol. Who deserves the death penalty? I think Wolf is so much more dangerous than Barber.

Barber was no more than a tool. Crazy. I don't know. It's crazy. Did you hire Owen Barber to kill Danny Petroly? No, I did not. I never heard anybody a day in my life. No.

and I feel like a little kid in there. He's frightened, he's scared, he's 20 years old, and he's facing the death penalty. Justin's mother, Terry Steinberg, insists her son is incapable of any violence. Justin did not do anything to hurt Danny Petroly, and I will go to my grave with that. This was a horrific crime, a heinous crime,

it was cruel, it was evil, but that was what I did. That's not what Justin did. It was Christmas Eve. For Danny Petroly's parents... Danny was the fun joy person in our life. He always was funny. He was always laughing. The trial is a reminder of their loss. There wasn't a conversation that didn't end with, you know, love you, dad, love you too, buddy. Danny's father worked on the presidential detail of the Secret Service.

Do you look at the Petroles in court? Sometimes. Is there anything you'd want to say to them? I didn't have anything to do with their son's death. He was my friend. They weren't friends, per se. They met with the sole purpose of dealing drugs. Each bag is approximately a pound.

Sergeant Greg Pass started work on the Petroly case the morning after Danny's murder. Inside the Danny's garage, she found 47 pounds of high-grade marijuana. And it wasn't long before police discovered. discovered. Justin was one of Danny's customers. That Danny Petroly and Justin Wolf were drug dealers. Unfortunately, Justin decided he wanted to get greedy and ended up having Danny killed. I made some mistakes of the drugs, you know, that involvement in the drugs, but not the murderer.

They say I am. But the investigation that brought Justin to trial... This was a case that involved more than just one drug dealer killing them. drug dealer killing another. Uncovered a secret life of drugs, sex, and greed. And that's what it drives these kids. It's the money. That even the most sheltered teenagers fell victim to.

You gotta get at the root of every problem. The root of the problem was the drugs with all of us. That's his letter for football. This was his security thing from the time he was a baby. And this was what he wore with his tux. According to his mother, Terry Steinberg, He's a good loving brother and a good loving son. 20-year-old Justin Wolf grew up,

a typical suburban teenager in Northern Virginia. He was your all-American kid. Very good basketball player, very good football player. He was always making friends, everybody loved him. When I was in high school, but I knew more than half the school. And Justin claims for many high school students here, smoking marijuana was no big deal.

It's not viewed as the other drugs are. You know, it's like drugs and marijuana. How old were you when you smoked your first joint? Uh, eighth grade. The first time I ever smoked marijuana, I was 15. Both Regina Zooner... Is that Regina's... And Jennifer Pascarillo...

Smoking weed, that's... A lot of people make friends in high school that way. ...became friends with Justin in high school. I want to be like everybody else, or haven't done it and want to try it, you know. You get sucked in. pressure. From your smartest jock to everyday average student, everyone smoked. But they weren't smoking the kind of pot their parents' generation did.

There's two different types of marijuana. You have low grade and high grade. Chronic's high grade marijuana. They were smoking chronic. Well, you can see you have a lot of buds. There's not too many stems. Shwag marijuana, there's a lot of stems and seeds. Sergeant Greg Pass worked in narcotics. Shwag is low grade marijuana. That's sort of That's pretty much what everybody's used to seeing on the streets. But the marijuana of choice for many kids today is chronic. Chronic tastes better. You get higher.

You're just mellow, relaxed. And it has a higher THC content. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana, so it's more potent. The problem is it's going to cost them a lot more for it. Chronic costs up to five times more than Shwe. It runs $350 an ounce. That's normally how it's sold on the street. But for the teenagers here,

That was basically all anybody was getting. Cost was never a problem. And this is suburbia. It's rich kids. And for Justin... You start off kind of supporting your habit. The high street value was a reason to start dealing chronic. So you can smoke for free and then you're like,

I can make money doing this. If you're selling it by the pound, then you're looking at anywhere between $3,300, the lowest you could get it up to $5,000. How old were you when you're doing it? when you first dealt it, when you first sold marijuana. My ninth grade. He started out selling a few ounces of swag. But by graduation...

The more money you make, the more you can get. Justin was dealing multiple pounds of chronic. That was kind of like a work thing, like a business thing for me. A business that boomed when he met 21-year-old Danny Petroly. Danny controlled all the chronic coming in the area. And Justin became one of his distributors. Tell me about the money you made. selling drugs.

I don't know. I made a lot of money. Only 19 and a part-time college student, Justin made up to $15,000 a month selling the chronic Danny supplied him. It makes you a superstar. It makes you a movie star in a small town. 28-year-old Jason Coleman hung out with Justin for years and managed this bar,

where all of Justin's friends part. Friends Party. You're nobody and then in the blink of an eye, you can have whatever you want. And that's what drives these kids. It's the money. It's a lifestyle that comes along with it. It was a never-ending party.

Everybody wanted to be Justin's friend. Because he had everything. He always knew it was going on. All the girls liked him. All the girls. There's lots of women around. We always had girls around. part of the lifestyle yes one of the benefits yes definitely one of the benefits the

benefits of having lots of cash I blew money basically I'd run through money like there's nothing how much money would be dropped on a typical weekend couple thousand dollars yeah we partied lavishly only the best vodka only the best anything that champagne bottles with Mouette and crystal and just The most expensive everything. The bartenders know you guys? Everywhere. And did they know you were underage?

Yes. If you have money, you can do whatever you want to. You gotta get at the root of every problem. The root of the problem was the drugs with all of us. As much as I tried, I didn't know that he was doing that. Terry, a nurse, raised Justin as a single mother. And I feel somewhat responsible for not having caught on to that. as his mom. She really didn't see like all the partying and all the money he was

spending. What was the most amount of cash you ever had? I don't know, over a hundred some. Over a hundred thousand dollars? Yeah. Where did you put it? Not in my room. I wouldn't keep anything in my room. I checked his room on a regular basis. I would go through his things. I would smell his clothes. But there was never any drugs. I suspected my mother would look through there, but I mean, I had spots. He was too careful to let her find out. None of these parents, they never would have imagined. They never would have known. And neither would police. I sold drugs for five years and didn't get any kind of trouble whatsoever. Until Danny Petrolling was murdered. We had to figure out

who was Danny Petrolling. And the investigation that followed... We were definitely taken back by it. Uncovered a drug ring worth millions and millions of dollars. Amazing. An enterprise created and controlled by... It goes down the line pretty far. Suburban college students. That's next. I think Owen's a good guy.

He never really got into a fight with anybody. Danny, he was a really nice guy. He was a lot of fun. Justin, he'll go out of his way to help someone that he barely knows. Everybody had a future. They were all real smart. We were not the typical drug dealers. dealers. We were selling weed between friends, you know.

No one here in Manassas, Virginia, ever expected that dealing pot, it was definitely harmless, I thought, would end in murder. And then I shot him through the passenger window. Until Danny Petroly was gunned down in the spring of 2001. On the day Danny Petroleum was murdered, Justin Wolf had set up a drug deal with Danny Petroly. And now, Justin Wolf is on trial for capital murder.

You know, I sold marijuana, which was wrong, but I had nothing to do with this murder. Key to the prosecution's case against Justin is his one-time friend, Owen Barber. He asked me if I wanted to get his chronic man. Get the chronic man? Yeah. It was like, we got to shoot him. Owen claims Justin hired him to kill Danny. Did the defendant tell you why he wanted you to shoot him?

So he wouldn't have to pay that money back. a drug debt that prosecutors Paul Ebert and Rick Conway argue gave Justin motive. He just did not like to pay his debts. He liked to have money coming in, not going out. Justin owed Danny almost $70,000 for the high-grade marijuana called Chronic that Danny was supplying him. This is all the high-grade marijuana that was found the morning after he was killed. Sergeant Greg Pass led the drug investigation after Danny's shooting.

These people aren't killing you because you're selling drugs. They're killing you because you have something they want, and that's money. Investigators discovered that Danny, the son of a retired Secret Service agent, had, at 21, become the head of one of the largest known drug rings in Northern Virginia. We're able to pin them down to about $4.5 million worth of drugs that he had sold. In what period of time? In the last couple of years. About the time of his death.

Where did the drugs come from? Seattle, maybe. What's that? Seattle. Paul Gunning was Danny's roommate at the time of the murder. He introduced Danny to a chronic supplier in Seattle, Washington nearly two years ago. And how much did he purchase on that occasion? 100 pounds.

A hundred pounds? Yes, sir. And what was the price for that? Like 360,000. Would it be fair to say that once a month he paid $360,000? Yes, sir. $360,000 worth of chronic that dad's Danny distributed each month to the dealers on this list.

This is an O-sheet. O-O-O-W-E, as in I owe you money. This is Danny's O-Sheet. What, if anything, on the O-Sheet was significant in relation to this case? The initials, JW. Okay. And how did you connect that? The suspect, Justin Wolf.

Justin was one of Danny's customers. At a minimum, Justin Wolf owed him $66,325. That O-Sheet was the most important piece of evidence to actually connect Justin Wolf to Danny Petroly. It was Justin Wolf who owed that money, not Owen Barber. But Owen had a drug debt of his own, $3,000 to Justin. Your final understanding between the two of you before you kill Danny Petroly again with what? A $3,000 oil debt I didn't have to pay for, half pound of chronic, though four pounds of regular swag, and then 10,000 more. So for a total of about $20,000, the deal was struck, Owen says, to kill Danny Petroles.

On March 15th, 2001, after a Danny to Justin drug buy, I followed him out of the neighborhood. Owen began tailing Danny. I followed him on to 66, and he eventually got off. And then down 54 second, the Fairfax exit. I followed him on 66, Norman West, and then he got off at the Gainesville exit. Gainesville exit. At trial, prosecutors introduce these cell phone records from the night of the murder. And you made a phone call at that area?

Yeah. Owen Barber testifies that he followed Danny for more than an hour. I called Justin and said that he went into some house in Fairfax City. Calling Justin to give him updates throughout the pursuit. At 1023, I thought I'd lost him. The next one was that I found him. The last call that you made to Justin Wolf, you highlight the time of that, sir. 1112.

Just minutes after Owen had shot Danny nine times. You've got just a flurry of telephone activity between the two of them, and particularly at the crucial moments immediately before and after the murder. Justin was the last person Owen called before he killed Danny, and the first after the shooting. And then you do not see any. more phone calls from Justin Wolf's phone to Owen Barber's phone. Within days of the murder,

so I was like, all right, you know, I was like, I'm getting out of here. Owen left town, ending up in San Diego. He never called me back, and he didn't keep a pissful into the bar. Justin, he says, never paid him for shooting death. I love him, I love him, and I'm sad for him. Jennifer Pascarillo, Owen's girlfriend, drove to San Diego to be with him.

And I was just at a little hotel on the beach and like my money was going lower and lower. I only had $700 left because he didn't have any money. Jennifer wrote a desperate letter to a friend of Justin's. Is this the beginning of the actual letter? Yeah. PSS, JW knows how important this money is. He'll know I promise. Justin knows that it wants his money basically or else we aren't going to make it, we aren't going to survive.

You wanted the $10,000 that had been promised for the money. murder. Yeah. But before Jennifer could mail that letter, authorities trace the murder weapon to Owen and tracked him down in San Diego. After his arrest, Owen confessed and implicated Justin. That's what you told us here today, the whole truth is nothing but the truth? Yes, sir. I don't see how they can believe Owen Barber. Why would Owen Barber be lying about you? Save his own life. Pointing fingers at me gets him off the death penalty. But if convicted, Justin faces the death penalty.

You're talking to your way. I'd like to call it Justin Wolf. And Justin's life... You're not sure to tell truth enough of the truth. Yes, I do. May now be in his own hands. I mean, I might have to do some time on this drugs, but I had nothing to do with this murder. Justin's story next.

...million selling pot. Keep in mind that we're talking about a marijuana known as chronic. It's many times more powerful than the drug smoked in the 60s and many times more expensive. Authorities say all the drugs smoked in the 60s and many times more expensive. say all that money led to greed and betrayal and eventually to murder, with one young drug lord ordering a hit on another. Here again is Peter Vance. I've never heard anybody in my life. Not one fight, not one altercation. I was not a violent man. For the last nine months... I can't even believe what's happened to me. I don't know

that. Justin Wolf has been locked up in this Manassas, Virginia jail. I was not a saint, but I was not evil at all. Waiting to prove that he's not an evil killer. What are you? No, 20-year-old. Justin Wolf is more a punk and a godfather's clothing. Where do you know those people from? But prosecutors Rick Conway and Paul Ebert are convinced.

Justin hired 21-year-old Owen Barber to murder Danny Petrolling. You know, I told him that I did it. and it was done. To avoid paying a drug debt to Danny of almost $70,000. That's not what happened. You didn't send Owen Barber over there to kill him? No. Why should I? I don't know why they may have killed him.

Thank you, Your Honor. I'd like to call it Justin Wolf. Despite the risks of going up against tough prosecutors, Justin insists on taking the stand. Yes, I do. To tell his side of the story. I didn't do this. I mean, I might have to do some time on his drugs, but I had nothing to do with this murder.

I made a lot of mistakes in the past, but... I ain't never hurt nobody in my life. Never. Why should this jury believe you as opposed to Owen Barber? I'm the only one that told the truth up there. He asked me if I wanted to get his chronic man. Owen's got a reason... Owen's got a big reason why.

It was like, we've got to shoot him. Pointing fingers at me gets him off the death penalty. And in fact, Barbara was sentenced to 38 years. Anybody that could privy to the conversation that you're aware of? No. Basically my word versus his. Who do they believe? You can come closer if you need to.

When confronted by the prosecution, didn't he say, hey, I'm behind him again? I'm riding, I'm right behind you at all. Justin has a hard time explaining the numerous cell phone calls he exchanged with Owen Barber on the night Danny was murdered. In fact, who is the last person he calls before he kills Danny Petroleum? And who is the first person he calls after he kills Danny Patrol? Me.

I imagine Owen said about right here or here and waited for Danny. Justin's friend, 28-year-old Jason Coleman, lived with Owen Barber. There's a lot of drug deals that went on back here. And he sold Owen the gun used to shoot Danny Petroly. Where'd you get to gunshot? Jason Coleman. A lot of people think Justin's guilty. A lot of people think he's innocent, but I just know that it was tragic.

It wouldn't make sense for Justin to have wanted Danny dead. Regina Zuner is one of Justin's strongest defenders. He owed Danny $66,000. He makes more than that off Danny. If Danny's gone, there's no more chronic in the area. I have no means of making money. Owing all of that money to Danny Petroleum, doesn't that provide a motive for murder? I mean, it sounds bad, but the thing is, that's what it always was.

As you see from the O-sheets, everybody owed something like that. The O-sheet that investigators found in Danny's wallet. If you look at that O-sheet, there are people that owe more than that to Danny. Like, they all owed each other money. You always just make payments, get something else, make payment, get something else. It would never be, very rarely would you have it that a zero. It's the way it worked and it gets paid back gradually. As for that letter written by Owen Barber's former girlfriend, Jennifer Pascarillo.

J.W. knows how important this money is. He'll know I promise. Justin insists it wasn't a threat, but simply a plea for money. If they say they were so mad about this money I allegedly owed the man, why does the letter say we need money? Why doesn't say that? I want my money. He was constantly giving people money. Anybody wanted anything, they went to Justin. Justin's mother now believes that's why Jen and Owen went to Justin. Owen Barber turned on her son because the bank of Justin shut down on Owen and when he needed it the most. Ladies and gentlemen, you've heard all the evidence that should be

after three weeks Justin's trial is about to end. He's been accused for a long time of murder. I know he's not capable of that. And in a surprising move during closing arguments, the defense tries to point the finger of guilt at Justin's friend, Jason Coleman. Who was Jason Coleman's? And what'd Jason do to it? He gave it to Owen Barber, he sold it to him. It seems a desperate move.

There's no evidence that he was actually directly involved in any way with that murder. But would the jury buy it? Sure. What's that? They have a verdict. We have a verdict. After little more than one hour, Paul, what does this tell you when a jury comes back this quickly?

You're not dead good. The jury is ready with a verdict. Your stomach's in a knot until you hear the words. That's next. Do you have a dark curiosity? Heart starts pounding, horrors, hauntings, and mysteries is a weekly podcast hosted by me and Kailen Moore. Each week I'll take you on a dark,

journey through terrifying true urban legends, bizarre true crime cases, chilling tales of backwoods horror and more. So if you're looking to join a passionate community of The Darkly Curious, check out Heart Starts pounding on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, stay curious. Start the courts back in session. Gotta be confident. Expect the worst hope for the best.

Justin Wolfe is bracing himself for a verdict. Honestly, you're a little scared right now? Well, I guess. A verdict which could mean life or death. I'm trying to be hopeful. I'm trying to think positively. But for Justin's mother, Terry Steinberg, it's not easy. Members of the jury, have you reached verdict on the case is set before you?

Yes, we have. After three long weeks of testimony... I can't tell. I couldn't read the jury. The jury deliberates for only one. One hour. We, the jury find the defendant, Justin Michael Wolfe, guilty of capital murder as charged in the indictment. Guilty as charged.

I didn't think I heard it right. I still think I need to wake up and go back and do it again. I just, it's not, it's not real. Shocking. It's not real. It floored me. They took one hour. That's all they gave to decide Justin's life, Justin's fate.

I wanted to see some ray of hope for this kid, but there wasn't any. Jurors Miles Gannley, Patricia Grisham, and Tim Lucarinen, say they believed Triggerman Owen Barber's testimony over Justin's. I mean, if it was just Justin against Owen, who could you believe? They're both thugs, they're both liars, involved with drugs, tied up in greed. But it was the other circumstantial evidence that just made. made his story fit. Evidence that included all those cell phone calls between Justin and Owen Barber on the night

of Danny Petroly's murder. Who is the last person he calls before he kills Danny Petroly, and who is the first person he calls after he kills Danny Petroly? Then there was the letter written by Jennifer Pascarello, Owen Barber's former girlfriend. It was another attempt of them trying to collect the money. was supposed to have been paid to kill Danny. For the jurors, the evidence led to one obvious conclusion. Guilty a sin, Your Honor.

Isn't it time you confessed to this crime? I did not. I didn't do this. You sent Owen Barber over there to kill him, didn't you? No, I did not. I did not tell that man to kill any human being. You sent him over there then to rob him. No.

And it went wrong, terribly wrong. No, I did not. Are you lying to me? No, sir. Hang in there. Justin still insists he's innocent. But it wasn't enough. We were looking for reasonable doubt.

To convince the jury. That key witness that was going to turn the tide, but he never showed up. One witness Justin believes may have helped prove his innocence. I think his testimony would help me. His friend Jason Coleman. Where did you get to gun, sir? Jason Coleman. A man often mentioned in court,

did you ever get cocaine from Jason? Sometimes. But never seen. We were all dying to hear from this guy. Justin contends, Jason Coleman told him the truth. He said he would approach to Owen and he said, look, I had nothing to do with this. And no one said, I know, I did this all my own.

He told Jason Coleman that he had done this on his own. Yes, that's what he told him. But prosecutors say they heard a very different story from Jason. He was one of the first ones that indicated that Barbara would never have done anything like this if it weren't the wishes of Justin Wolf. What he has to say, I think, may depend on who's asking and when you ask. Which is why no one called Jason to the stand. He's definitely mystery man. Justin's friend, Regina Zooner. Where is Jason Coleman? I don't know. And he's disappeared. After allowing 48 hours to follow him with a home video camera for a day,

Jason Coleman also disappeared on us. Was he gonna help the prosecution, hurt the defense? I guess we'll never know. He's the mystery man. And now the jury that convicted Justin Wolf of murder, guilty of capital murders, must decide his punishment. It's like I'm fleeing for my life here. Coming up. It's horrible. I know what they're going to do. I don't even know why we're bothering.

The jury has Justin's life in its hands. What do you think they're going to do? I think they're going to get ultimate. That's next. Now a convicted murderer, Justin Wolf, contemplates his fate. What are your options? Life or death? Life in prison without parole?

Or death. But even as Justin testifies at his sentencing hearing... I don't want to die. I don't want the death, no, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to die. He can't do more than stammer out the obvious. I never thought I'd be saying that, you know. It's like I'm pleading for my life here for, I don't know why. But prosecutor Rick Conway thinks he knows why. The cowardly, conniving, calculating way that he set in motion, a plan to snuff out the life of another human being, as if it were a bug on a windshield.

Danny Petroly was a drug dealer, but he was also loved. It's always hugging. It's just a void. His parents are overwhelmed with pain. He was such a special part of the family, and he adored his mother and his family. Now, the jury weighs whether Justin's parents

will lose their son. It's horrible. I know what they're going to do. I don't even know why we're bothering with any of this. What do you think they're going to do? I think they're going to give them the ultimate. The death penalty? I would think so.

Round two for the jury. First vote, 7-5 for the death penalty. It was starting to get very emotional in there. And then 11 and 1 for a very long time. Until one juror picks up a bullet. And I just put it down on the table so that we could all see what the bullet looked like. And it was difficult.

We, the jury on the issue joined, having found the defendant, Justin Michael Wolf, guilty of killing Daniel Robert Petroly, and having considered all the evidence in mitigation of the offense, unanimously fix his punishment at death. Now 21, Justin Wolf faces death by lethal injection. I had nothing to do with this murder. I just can't believe this is happening. Working toward an appeal... Are you guys getting letters in there? Is now a full-time job for Terry.

It's the last time we actually all went out together as a family. We all went out to dinner to celebrate his birthday. They want to do this to Justin, you know? They're going to have to take us kicking and screaming, because he didn't do this. Justin still insists he's innocent. But he finally understands that his choices are what led to so much grief. much grief.

Aren't you responsible for all that pain? Yes. You did that to your mother. You did that to your family. Yes. You caused all that. Yes. And what do you see when you look in the mirror?

I don't know what happened. I don't know what happened. I just don't know. Regina Zuner was charged with misdemeanor drug possession. Jennifer Pascarlla was charged as an accessory after the fact to murder. after the fact to murder. But the charges against both of them were dropped when they agreed to testify against their friend, Justin Wolf.

Living life in the fast lane, these kids thought they had it all under control. But tragically, they learned that everything can be lost in the blink of an eye. In 2016, Justin Wolf's sentence was reduced from death to 41 years in prison. Thank you.