Two in a Million

The End

By the time Joel Radovcich and Dana Ewell learned their fate on May 12, 1998, both were twenty-seven years old. The saga that had begun with the murders of Dana's family was now six years in the making.

The jury had started deliberations during the last week of April. Now, a few weeks later, they had returned with guilty verdicts for both Dana and Joel.

In June, the jury was back in court hearing testimony during the penalty phase: Would Joel and Dana live or die?

Dana's attorneys "refused" to present a defense—argument—during the penalty phase. To do so would say that they agreed Dana was guilty.

Joel's lawyers told a sob story of Joel's father being mean and nasty and, well, Joel's life should be spared because he had grown up under such a volatile environment and strict regime of parenthood. Witnesses suggested that Joel had autism. That he was scared of everyone and everything. That his father expected so much more out of him, even at a young age. That there was "something different about" him from the day he was born.

In the end, Joel and Dana could claim that they both touched the outer limits of heaven (or, considering what they had done, hell) when the jury came back and released its votes.