I know this story was shown on NBC and Lifetime as part of the "new" repackaged episode junk. Does anyone know if it was on Lifetime before this?

Some details: Nccarico was a 10 year old girl from Chicago who was abducted from her home and subsequently raped and murdered. The police charged two men, Alex Hernandez and Rolando Cruz, with the crime. Both were put on death row and later exonerated. Another man, Brian Duggan, confessed to the murder but was never charged.

Thanks,
Justin

I saw it once on NBC, and, more than likely, Lifetime didn't air it until 2002, when it was intermixed with a first-run episode.

There was additional footage and reporting from a Chicago station that was on the original broadcast that wasn't shown when it aired on Lifetime in one of the re-mixed episodes.

I have that segment on tape, I think I recorded it about 3 or 4 months ago. What a messed up case, one of the investigators that was working on the case quit because he was disgusted with how it was being handled. From what I got from the segment, the case was mishandled. May Janine rest in peace.

I was just fishing through some UM tapes I actually had recorded about 10 years ago can came across the Final Appeal of Rolando Cruz. Just watching it, I got the feeling the guy is innocent and I'm so glad to now hear that he and Alex Hernandez were released from prison! ps, sorry for bringing up an old post.

I found this recent article about Brian Dugan (the man who is about to stand trial for and has admitted to killing Jeanine). His own sister believes he should receive the death penalty.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/city/4_1_JO22_DUGAN_S1.htm

Actually I get the Chicago news on my cable and Rolando Cruz's name is mentioned on there sometimes. Apparently he has gotten in several scrapes with the law since he was freed and of course any thing involving him always makes the news.

So did Brian Dugan get convicted and receive the death penalty? That link doesn't work anymore, Heather.

So did Brian Dugan get convicted and receive the death penalty?

In response to your post, I googled "Brian Dugan" and have found a couple of recent articles mentioning the case. Dugan is currently awaiting trial for Jeanine's murder.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/927048,na01_dugan_web_s1.article

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=194942

Well Dugan, it is about time he is held accountable for this murder. I dont want him to get the DP though. But there is a moratorium in Illinois that doesnt look like it will be ending anytime soon so he will probably die of natural causes before he would be executed.

This case was botched so badly by DuPage County authorities both in the police and state's attorney's office and then on top of it when they actually had the guy that did it they didnt charge him until fairly recently? I mean, Dugan supposedly was a suspect in this case from the 1980's onward! Supposedly he was even looked at in 1983, but the cops dismissed him, afterall they had Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez, so they already had their 'suspects'.

Dugan had a very lengthy criminal record even before the Nccarico killing. His criminal records dates back to 1976 when he was 19 years old. He was convicted of arson and sentenced to 3 years in prison but was paroled after a few months. In 1977 at age 20 he was convicted of burglary and sentenced to 6 years but was paroled after less than two. In 1979 was convicted of burglary again and sentenced to 7 years in prison and he was released after 3 and a half years.

What amazes me most in this case though is how after Cruz and Hernandez were exonorated, how the cops and prosecutors that lied to put them in prison in the first place, all those former cops and prosecutors were all acquitted at their trials! Incredible! The jurors even walked up to them and exchanged high five's and hugs. It is just unbelievable. This even after one retired DuPage County cop admitted he lied but was acquitted anyway. Of course this is part of the highly corrupt system in Illinois but particularly in the Chicago metro area, DuPage and Cook County being the two most notorious ones.

The highlight of this story though is Cruz and Hernandez were exonorated and that is always good. It is better late than never. Cruz has been in a few minor scrapes with the law and because he was exonorated the slanted media feels the need to victimize him yet again. I dont think Cruz himself would claim he was an angel by any means.

But I'm glad Cruz and Hernandez were exonorated. The system worked its mistakes out this time and thankfully an innocent man wasnt executed because of it. Remember though, Cruz and Hernandez werent wrongfully convicted once but twice. Cruz got sentenced to death both times while after Hernandez's 2nd trial he was spared the death penalty but was sentenced to 80 years in prison.

When Cruz and Hernandez were released, the Nccarico's were angry, furious. It took years for them to accept it was Dugan that did it and not Cruz and Hernandez. It is just sad though that the DuPage County cops and prosecutors were acquitted largely because the Nccarico's supported them. They didnt even realize how brainwashed they had been by the people that were supposed to be helping them.

Anyway, sorry for the soapbox. I am glad Brian Dugan is finally getting held accountable for his actions and that the Nccarico's have finally accepted that he really is the killer of their daughter. It is just too bad the DuPage County authorities and the state of Illinois seemed to have learned virtually nothing from the wrongful convictions of Cruz and Hernandez.

I haven't seen this segment in years, since I was a little girl myself. I've been trying to find it on the forbidden site, but it seems kind of rare. This one always stuck with me and while I'm happy that the real killer is finally being tried, any sentence they give him is too good for him. He deserves to fry.

They showed this one on the "revamped" UM a couple of days ago and I watched it. Cruz and Hernandez were released, and Dugan was finally charged with the crime. One question (I'm not sure whether or not they showed additional details on the original NBC broadcast), what "evidence" did they have on Cruz and Hernandez? The shoeprints did not match either man and as far as I can tell (based off of the revamped UM segment) was that both men began to "brag" and implicate others involved in the crime to try and collect the reward. Was this the only thing they were convicted on or did the prosecution have other "evidence" against them? If they didn't have other "facts" on these men this is the biggest miscarriage of justice this country has ever seen.

They showed this one on the "revamped" UM a couple of days ago and I watched it. Cruz and Hernandez were released, and Dugan was finally charged with the crime. One question (I'm not sure whether or not they showed additional details on the original NBC broadcast), what "evidence" did they have on Cruz and Hernandez? The shoeprints did not match either man and as far as I can tell (based off of the revamped UM segment) was that both men began to "brag" and implicate others involved in the crime to try and collect the reward. Was this the only thing they were convicted on or did the prosecution have other "evidence" against them? If they didn't have other "facts" on these men this is the biggest miscarriage of justice this country has ever seen.

I watched the NBC version of this case last week. Even then, I sort of felt like some major pieces were missing. While I feel that Cruz and Hernandez were innocent, the presentation of the case was extremely slanted in their favor with UM not even attempting to tell the other side of the story. For example, no one who believed Cruz and Hernandez were guilty was interviewed.

Based on the segment alone, it seems the men were convicted primarily on the fact that they bragged about committing the crime. I think it was also mentioned that the boot print was the same shoe size of one of the three men who was charged - I think his name was Buckley(?). This man was acquitted - though I can't remember if he was initially convicted and acquitted on re-trial, or if he was acquitted the first time. Regardless, he didn't get a death sentence like Cruz and Hernandez.

The impression I got was that the police and prosecution screwed up, knew they screwed up, yet refused to admit it or even attempt to rectify the wrong. I remember reading somewhere (probably here) about how several police officials were charged and eventually acquitted of perjury pertaining to this case.

The whole thing was a mess and UM was probably out of their depth in taking the case.

I still don't see why a member of the prosecution wouldn't want to have appeared on camera stating all of the "evidence" that he/she had against the 3 men. This is definitely a case where the state does not want to admit when they've made a colossal boo boo.

Something I always wondered was how that POS Dugan knew that a little girl was in the home when he broke into it. Had he seen her in days or weeks prior and started scouting out the house and the area?

I saw another photo (different from UM segment) of Jeanine with her bicycle (probably the summer or fall before this happened) and she was such a cute little girl, reminded me of my niece. It makes me sad and angry. She did absolutely nothing to put herself in danger and this POS breaks into her home one afternoon and takes her.

Well Dugan, it is about time he is held accountable for this murder. I dont want him to get the DP though. But there is a moratorium in Illinois that doesnt look like it will be ending anytime soon so he will probably die of natural causes before he would be executed.

This case was botched so badly by DuPage County authorities both in the police and state's attorney's office and then on top of it when they actually had the guy that did it they didnt charge him until fairly recently? I mean, Dugan supposedly was a suspect in this case from the 1980's onward! Supposedly he was even looked at in 1983, but the cops dismissed him, afterall they had Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez, so they already had their 'suspects'.

Dugan had a very lengthy criminal record even before the Nccarico killing. His criminal records dates back to 1976 when he was 19 years old. He was convicted of arson and sentenced to 3 years in prison but was paroled after a few months. In 1977 at age 20 he was convicted of burglary and sentenced to 6 years but was paroled after less than two. In 1979 was convicted of burglary again and sentenced to 7 years in prison and he was released after 3 and a half years.

What amazes me most in this case though is how after Cruz and Hernandez were exonorated, how the cops and prosecutors that lied to put them in prison in the first place, all those former cops and prosecutors were all acquitted at their trials! Incredible! The jurors even walked up to them and exchanged high five's and hugs. It is just unbelievable. This even after one retired DuPage County cop admitted he lied but was acquitted anyway. Of course this is part of the highly corrupt system in Illinois but particularly in the Chicago metro area, DuPage and Cook County being the two most notorious ones.

The highlight of this story though is Cruz and Hernandez were exonorated and that is always good. It is better late than never. Cruz has been in a few minor scrapes with the law and because he was exonorated the slanted media feels the need to victimize him yet again. I dont think Cruz himself would claim he was an angel by any means.

But I'm glad Cruz and Hernandez were exonorated. The system worked its mistakes out this time and thankfully an innocent man wasnt executed because of it. Remember though, Cruz and Hernandez werent wrongfully convicted once but twice. Cruz got sentenced to death both times while after Hernandez's 2nd trial he was spared the death penalty but was sentenced to 80 years in prison.

When Cruz and Hernandez were released, the Nccarico's were angry, furious. It took years for them to accept it was Dugan that did it and not Cruz and Hernandez. It is just sad though that the DuPage County cops and prosecutors were acquitted largely because the Nccarico's supported them. They didnt even realize how brainwashed they had been by the people that were supposed to be helping them.

Anyway, sorry for the soapbox. I am glad Brian Dugan is finally getting held accountable for his actions and that the Nccarico's have finally accepted that he really is the killer of their daughter. It is just too bad the DuPage County authorities and the state of Illinois seemed to have learned virtually nothing from the wrongful convictions of Cruz and Hernandez.

Thanks for the info. Your post was a welcome one because upon reading through the thread, the first post i had misread that Cruz and Hernandez were *executed* on death row which was not the case. I had this sinking feeling of how tragic about Jeanine and these 2 gentlemen until your thread spelled out the situation for me again since apparently I am blind. :crazy:

The fact that the guilty prosecutors and cops were acquitted just means this kind of thing will keep happening. People not guilty of the crimes they have been charged with are incarcerated and left to rot even when new evidence proves their innocence. Good for Cruz and Hernandez that they are out now, but something needs to be done about these corrupt officials who want nothing more than fake good reputations and powerful positions when they are the scourge of society.

Edited to add:

Poor little Jeanine. Apparently the only reason Dugan finally admitted he killed her was because he had already been caught killing another little girl and wanted to keep from getting the death penalty. He also confessed to 2 other murders. Filthy creep!

Something I always wondered was how that POS Dugan knew that a little girl was in the home when he broke into it. Had he seen her in days or weeks prior and started scouting out the house and the area?

I saw another photo (different from UM segment) of Jeanine with her bicycle (probably the summer or fall before this happened) and she was such a cute little girl, reminded me of my niece. It makes me sad and angry. She did absolutely nothing to put herself in danger and this POS breaks into her home one afternoon and takes her.

It's a horrendous case. I don't know too much about it other than what I've read today, but a retired Chicago cop that had been on the case says he thinks Dugan approached the house for a burglary. The cop said Dugan told him he saw Jeanine through the window in the front door and asked her a series of questions to try to get her to open the door. Apparently he could tell she was alone then. This was just something I saw on a documentary of the case online, called Dump Jim Ryan. Part 2 is where the cop talks about this. Jim Ryan was running for Governor and didn't investigate the case properly which enabled Dugan to kill again and again.

I'm pretty sure Dugan did get the death penalty, didn't he? Don't tell me they overturned it! There's no such thing as justice if they did.

I still don't see why a member of the prosecution wouldn't want to have appeared on camera stating all of the "evidence" that he/she had against the 3 men. This is definitely a case where the state does not want to admit when they've made a colossal boo boo.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the first time UM has presented a Final Appeal with no dissenting opinion. Johnny Lee Wilson, Dan Montecalvo,Thomas Drake, Luis Diaz and Paul Freshour are other examples. I believe in a couple of these instances Stack mentioned that the prosecution declined to participate because the case to be presented was too controversial. Really makes you wonder what they were thinking, or how badly these cases were screwed up legally/technically that some deputy prosecutor couldn't take an hour out of their schedule to refute some of the defense claims on camera.

Not to mention many of the "was it murder or suicide?" type stories where the cops aren't interviewed, or if they are, they only get two seconds of screen time and aren't given a chance to properly refute the evidence.

I find it frustrating when UM does this. It only feels like we're getting half the story.

I'm pretty sure Dugan did get the death penalty, didn't he? Don't tell me they overturned it! There's no such thing as justice if they did.

Yes, you are right about that. Apparently the deal didn't stick. There as some footage of a press conference about it where it was said that Dugan was "the worst of the worst". Maybe so, but the prosecutors and cops who planted evidence and conspired to assassinate Cruz in prison, well they should be right in that cell with Dugan.

Did anyone else notice that in the re-enactment that when the cops were listening in the hallway to the two men boasting about their crimes at the police station that the detective was standing right next to a missing poster for Jaycee Dugard?! I just thought that was an interesting tidbit....

I find it frustrating when UM does this. It only feels like we're getting half the story.

Sorry to bump an old thread. But this one was on yesterday, and I had always wondered exactly what evidence was used to convict Cruz and Hernandez. And UM did leave out details, several of which were beneficial to Cruz, Hernandez, and Buckley.

Link (http://articles.latimes.com/1992-11-01/magazine/tm-1597_1_murder-case) to a lengthy article about the case.

Apparently, Buckley's boot print was ruled out by 3 different agencies before the police found an impression "expert" in Kansas who said that Buckley's print was similar to the one left at the crime scene. Also, Hernandez was described as borderline ********, and had bragged about several things over the years. He wanted to become a cop one day, so he was doing all of this "confessing" trying to impress the cops. He never gave a correct detail, never could show where Jeanine Nicarico lived, where she was dumped, how she was killed, etc. Cruz was the one who was interested in the reward, and had called and lied in an attempt to collect it. There's more in the article, but once you're done reading it you'll see just how much these guys were railroaded, especially Cruz.

I got access to a set of UM segments online and was just watching this one about Jeanine Nicarico. I started reading about Brian Dugan and found out he also killed another young girl named Melissa Ackerman. He grabbed her friend and threw her in the car while chasing Melissa, but the friend managed to escape.. Two weeks later they found Melissa dead.

How sick is this? Her story: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-10-22/news/chi-dugan-victim-talks-22-oct22_1_opal-horton-mike-ackerman-hugs-normal-hug

I got access to a set of UM segments online and was just watching this one about Jeanine Nicarico. I started reading about Brian Dugan and found out he also killed another young girl named Melissa Ackerman. He grabbed her friend and threw her in the car while chasing Melissa, but the friend managed to escape.. Two weeks later they found Melissa dead.

How sick is this? Her story: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-10-22/news/chi-dugan-victim-talks-22-oct22_1_opal-horton-mike-ackerman-hugs-normal-hug

And if the investigation didn't focus solely on Cruz, Buckley, and Hernandez, Melissa Ackerman might still be alive.

And if the investigation didn't focus solely on Cruz, Buckley, and Hernandez, Melissa Ackerman might still be alive.
So true.

A lot of people in the law enforcement are guilty of these girls' death..

He never gave a correct detail, never could show where Jeanine Nicarico lived, where she was dumped, how she was killed, etc.

I still remember one of the detectives who was interviewed on the segment talking about how they went driving with Hernandez in a attempt to get him to point out the location of the house. The detective said something along the lines of if they had an infinite amount of gas, they would still be driving.

I still remember one of the detectives who was interviewed on the segment talking about how they went driving with Hernandez in a attempt to get him to point out the location of the house. The detective said something along the lines of if they had an infinite amount of gas, they would still be driving.

He initially thought the three could be guilty, but then when he separated the 3 men and interviewed them and tried tricking them into implicating each other, none of them would, and that's when he knew they were innocent. He actually wound up quitting over it.

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and even though I was born a year after Jeanine's murder I remember hearing about this case off and on throughout the years.

A lot of people assumed racism was behind the wrongful conviction, but the real issue, in my opinion, was and is the EXTREME corruption of Illinois public officials. It's well-known for residents of the Chicago area that authorities here are notoriously corrupt, from the city to the suburbs. I know corruption can happen anywhere, but it's always been an issue in the Chicago area and miscarriages of justice are sadly not uncommon...remember the Dowaliby case? Her dad was guilty because someone recognized his big nose or something? Geez....

On another note, I'm glad this thread is active! This is a fascinating case and one of many "cautionary tales" for children growing up in the 80s.

On another note, I'm glad this thread is active! This is a fascinating case and one of many "cautionary tales" for children growing up in the 80s.
I first watched this segment when I was about the same age as Jeannine. I would often be home alone if home sick and this case terrified me. What were the odds that a serial killer who preyed on children would happen to pick the house with the child home alone?

I made up my mind to never answer the door if home alone. I think I even kept a baseball bat and hammer nearby just in case something like this were to happen.

As an adult, this case continues to turn my stomach. In court, Dugan admitted that after sexually assaulting Jeannine, he told her he would take her home. Instead, he beat her to death. He is one of the sickest fugitives on UM, and I'm sure no one would shed a tear were something to happen to him at the hands of other inmates.

I first watched this segment when I was about the same age as Jeannine. I would often be home alone if home sick and this case terrified me. What were the odds that a serial killer who preyed on children would happen to pick the house with the child home alone?

I made up my mind to never answer the door if home alone. I think I even kept a baseball bat and hammer nearby just in case something like this were to happen.

I can't recall my exact age when the segment premiered on UM. Maybe I was 12 or so. In any event, it scared me quite badly because I was left at home alone a lot back then.

I do remember being taught in elementary school to never answer the door to a stranger or to let anyone know that you were home alone with no adults present. The advice was always general and broad as opposed to being tied back to any specific, actual instance where something went awry when a kid who was alone answered the door to a stranger, but I can't help but wonder if the Nccarico case or similar cases were the impetus for such teachings.

It probably was one of the examples that was the impetus for (primarily kids) "never answer the door for strangers". The thing about this case is that her Mom could have stayed home with her for the day but she chose to go to work instead. I'm sure she has always regretted that.

It's been mentioned before, but the show Vanity Fair Confidential did an episode about Jeanine Nicarico last year.

I can't recall my exact age when the segment premiered on UM. Maybe I was 12 or so. In any event, it scared me quite badly because I was left at home alone a lot back then.

I do remember being taught in elementary school to never answer the door to a stranger or to let anyone know that you were home alone with no adults present. The advice was always general and broad as opposed to being tied back to any specific, actual instance where something went awry when a kid who was alone answered the door to a stranger, but I can't help but wonder if the Nccarico case or similar cases were the impetus for such teachings.

That's what so sad and tragic about this case. She answered the door, but left it still bolted while she opened it and told the creep that she can't answer the door for strangers...and then he kicked it in and abducted her. At her height, she probably wouldn't have been able to see who was knocking at the door anyway.

That's what so sad and tragic about this case. She answered the door, but left it still bolted while she opened it and told the creep that she can't answer the door for strangers...and then he kicked it in and abducted her. At her height, she probably wouldn't have been able to see who was knocking at the door anyway.
I read an article that mentioned that Dugan was planning on burglarizing the house, then started to leave when he saw her through the window. Then he changed his mind and knocked on the door.

I saw this case for the first time in the late 90s, so it was already hammered home for me not to open the door for strangers, etc. It was definitely the strongest kind of lesson to watch, a real-life example vs. the school safety videos they would show in school.I was probably too young to be watching UM, but I think it honestly did help me pick up good, safe habits.