Jeanine Nicarico was a 10-year-old fifth-grader who on February 25, 1983, stayed home from school. She was sick that day and her mother made sure to check on her precious daughter during the lunch hour. Her mom made her a grilled cheese sandwich and then returned to work not knowing that a former dropout and a career criminal was lurking in the neighborhood, scoping the Nicarico’s house. .jpg)
Brian Dugan waited for his chance to attack and when he found that the coast was clear, he kicked in the door and abducted Jeanine. Two days later, the body of the innocent child was found beside the Illinois Prairie Path. Dugan has got away with the crime for many years.
Two years later, in June 1985 Dugan was arrested on suspicion of attacking a 19-year-old. Shortly thereafter, he finally was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of Melissa Ackerman, 7, and Donna Schnorr, a 27 year-old nurse.
Two other men were sitting on death row for the murder of Jeanine, and Dugan figured that the truth might come out someday that he killed Jeanine, so he did what any child molester and killer would do in his situation; he offered to also plead guilty to the girl’s death if he would be spared what he feared the most; the death penalty. Dugan was finally taken seriously on his admission to the child's rape and murder and prosecutors led by DuPage State's Attroney Joe Birkett will now lead a team to put him to death.
The jurors for the case have been chosen and it will be up to them to decide Dugan’s fate.
Jeanine’s family and friends, along with the Naperville Community Unit School District 203 has formed the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Literacy Fund (nicaricoliteracyfund.org.). The fund has provided more than 100 grants totaling more than $100,000 for school literacy programs. Her father said that "her memory has created something positive".
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