JURY SEEKS DEATH FOR DRUG DEALER

Va. Judge To Decide Sentence In Killing

A Prince William County jury recommended yesterday that 20-year-old drug
dealer Justin Michael Wolfe be executed for hiring a high school friend to
assassinate his marijuana distributor, a verdict that prosecutors said
sends a message to young people that drugs destroy lives.

Now, Circuit Court Chief Judge Herman A. Whisenant Jr. must decide whether
to impose the death penalty or reduce Wolfe's sentence to life in prison
without the possibility of parole -- an issue the jury mulled for more than
five hours yesterday. Jurors also sentenced Wolfe to the maximum 30 years
in prison for conspiring to sell drugs.

Sighing loudly and jerking his arms after the sentence was read, Wolfe hung
his head and slowly turned to look at his crying family, saying softly: "Wow."

Wolfe was convicted of capital murder this week for his role in the death
of Daniel Robert Petrole Jr., 21, who was killed in a gangland-style
shooting on March 15. Although Wolfe did not pull the trigger, jurors
determined that he hired Owen Merton Barber IV, 22, to kill Petrole to
erase a debt of about $80,000.

Barber, who went to Chantilly High School with Wolfe, agreed to testify
against his friend when prosecutors said they would not seek a death
sentence against him. Barber agreed to plead guilty to murder and could be
sentenced to life in prison next month. He testified that Wolfe arranged
for him to follow Petrole after an exchange of drugs for money. Barber
tracked Petrole for more than 30 miles through Fairfax County and shot him
nine times in front of Petrole's Bristow town house.

Wolfe testified during both the guilt and sentencing phases of the trial,
each time speaking of his overindulgent lifestyle of partying, clubbing and
extensive drug use. He also told jurors of his participation in a vast
suburban network of young men who sold millions of dollars' worth of
high-grade marijuana to thousands of customers throughout Northern Virginia.

"I hope this case sends a message, because I think this case is a lot
bigger than Justin Wolfe," said Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert,
adding that it was difficult for him to seek the death penalty for such a
young, intelligent man. "The whole lifestyle he lived touched a lot of
Northern Virginia and probably a lot of suburban America. I hope this case
will make people realize what drugs can do, that drugs can destroy lives."

Wolfe's attorney, John H. Partridge, said that he was shocked by the
recommended sentence and that Wolfe's family was devastated. He also said
he was concerned about the jury's short deliberations earlier in the week,
when members came back with the capital murder verdict in a little more
than an hour.

"My client engaged in drug dealing, and that cast a shadow over
everything," Partridge said. "Justin Wolfe is a tragic figure. He's
somebody who got caught up in a web of drug dealing, but it snared him in a
murder-for-hire scheme. And that's tragic, because I believe he's in jail
for a crime he didn't commit."

Wolfe, who during the trial was called the "Top Gun" drug dealer in the
Chantilly area, was one of about a dozen dealers who bought expensive,
high-grade marijuana from Petrole, who had it shipped in from Seattle and
was selling it to friends. Wolfe, however, was at the top of a branch of
dealers known for its aggressiveness and greed.

"He is a person who is able to manipulate, a person who is able to direct
and drive those who are capable and willing to kill and rob," Ebert told
jurors yesterday morning. "He really is the triggerman. He pulls the
trigger that sends the triggerman out to do his ill deeds."

So far, Wolfe has shown no public remorse for Petrole's death. In arguing
for his life during the sentencing phase of the trial, he told jurors that
he "didn't want to die," then gave a quick chuckle. He later apologized to
the Petrole family, but only about the drug use. He has maintained his
innocence in the killing.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Richard A. Conway said yesterday that
Wolfe did not show any remorse because he is a smart, calculating person
who could hire someone to kill but wouldn't want to get his own hands dirty.

"In a cowardly, conniving, calculating way, he set in motion a plan,
ultimately successful, to snuff out another human being as if it were a bug
on a windshield," Conway said. "And for what? For greed."

Petrole's parents, who sat through the trial but were not in court for the
verdict or the sentencing recommendation, said last night that they felt
sorrow when they heard the jury's decision.

Daniel Petrole Sr., a retired Secret Service agent who guarded former
presidents Carter and Reagan, did not want the death penalty for Wolfe. He
said tears came to his eyes when he heard it had been recommended.

"Believe me, there's no joy in any of this for our family," Petrole said.
"We respect the decision of the jury. Our hearts and our prayers go out to
Justin Wolfe's family, and I will continue to pray for Justin Wolfe."

Petrole's girlfriend of eight years, Jenny Scott, 21, a senior at Virginia
Tech, left before the jury recommended a sentence but said the sentence
does not matter.

"Either way, Danny isn't going to come back," she said. "He's still dead.
And over what? Some money and some drugs. It's just so sad."