Twenty-seven years ago today, Brian Dugan kidnapped Jeannine Nicarico  from her home in Naperville. And last November, a judge decided that today would be Dugan’s execution date, for raping and murdering the 10-year-old girl. That choice might seem like poetic justice, were it not for the numerous twists and turns this case took in between. And let’s not forget that Dugan will of course live to see tomorrow. His death penalty case gets an automatic appeal. And Illinois’ moratorium on capital punishment remains in place. Like everything else about this case, Dugan’s life and eventual death are complicated.

We revisit the events that led to this day with Tom Frisbie. Frisbie co-authored a book about the Nicarico murder, called Victims of Justice. He’s also on the editorial board of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Music Button: Gabriel Johnson, “V.F.T.O.”, from the CD Fra_ctured, (Electrofone Music)