(The Center Square) – A Virginia man who once faced the death penalty was released Monday after about 25 years in prison under an agreement resolving a murder case that spent decades moving through state and federal courts.

Justin Wolfe pleaded guilty to distribution of marijuana and entered an Alford, or no-contest, plea to criminal solicitation, according to the Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. A judge sentenced him to 28 years in prison with three years suspended, allowing his release based on time already served.

Wolfe was convicted in 2002 of capital murder in the 2001 killing of 21-year-old Daniel Petrole. Prosecutors say Wolfe hired Owen Barber to kill Petrole. Barber admitted shooting Petrole and became the prosecution’s key witness.

A federal court later vacated Wolfe’s original conviction after finding prosecutors withheld material evidence from the defense. Barber has recanted his trial testimony and withdrawn those recantations several times, at points saying Wolfe was not involved in Petrole’s murder.

Facing a retrial, Wolfe pleaded guilty to murder and other charges in 2016 and received a combined 41-year sentence. He later challenged that plea, saying it was involuntary.

Wolfe filed a new federal challenge in 2022. In July 2025, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a later declaration from Barber qualified as new, reliable evidence and sent Wolfe’s claims back to a lower court for further review.

Virginia sought review from the U.S. Supreme Court, but the justices declined to hear the case April 20.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said an attorney with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office warned that federal courts might overturn Wolfe’s convictions and either order a retrial or preclude the commonwealth from prosecuting him further. The office then conducted an extensive review before reaching an agreement with Wolfe’s defense.

Prosecutors said there is evidence Wolfe may have advised or assisted Barber before the shooting, depending on which version of events is credited, but the evidence does not currently allow them to establish beyond a reasonable doubt every aspect of what occurred between the two men.

“The handling of this case has also been deeply troubling,” the office said, adding that significant information was not disclosed during the first trial and allegations of witness intimidation arose during the retrial.

“Nothing about this resolution changes the fundamental fact that Danny Petrole was murdered and can never be returned to his family and loved ones,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth said.

Petrole’s family said it was ready for the legal process to conclude after more than two decades.

“Our hope is that, after 25 years, our family can finally begin to close this chapter and remember Danny for his life rather than for the circumstances of his death,” the family said.

Wolfe’s mother, Terri Steinberg, said in a statement provided to The Center Square that the family is ready to heal.

“It’s just time for us to heal,” Steinberg said. “We have been through so much and it has been such a roller coaster ride of execution dates … but I already see healing. It all seems so normal to have him home.”

The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from Ashworth’s office.