(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — A Fountain man convicted of murder in 1998 for burning a Colorado Springs veteran to death, is now pleading for clemency. This application stirred renewed anguish among the victim’s family, who is now calling on the Governor to deny this plea.

In a Teller County courtroom in January 1998, Carl McGee pleaded guilty to the murder of 28-year-old Len Dragnett, receiving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. FOX21 News obtained a Colorado Springs Gazette article from Jan. 29, 1998, that revealed McGee’s crime unfolded with “a bizarre plot to fake his own death.”

Alan Dragnett, Len’s brother, issued a statement following the 1998 hearing: “Although it will not give my brother back to me, I can rest easy knowing that [McGee] will never see freedom again.”

That was until last week, when Alan received a phone call from a victim’s advocate with the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, notifying him McGee applied for clemency. The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) confirmed McGee’s recently submitted application, 25 years into his life sentence.

“The feeling I had then is the same feeling I have right now, which is pure anger… I got to keep reliving this because this man is trying to get out of prison,” said Alan in a recent interview with FOX21, expressing his frustration over the senseless act of violence that claimed his brother’s life. “I’m being told that he’s filing for clemency on mental health issues. Well, obviously he’s got mental health issues if he committed the crime the way he did.”

The CDOC has eligibility criteria that an applicant must meet in order to submit an Executive Clemency Application. Among other stipulations, it requires an offender serving a life sentence to serve 20 years before becoming eligible for clemency. The criterion also states that the Governor may grant a waiver for the reason of “catastrophic medical and or mental health issues.”

According to the 1998 Gazette article, McGee’s plan involved staging a fake job ad for home video equipment installation and conducting sham interviews to find someone with a similar physical build to his own.

Len Dragnett, who was an Iraq War veteran in search of a job at the time, responded to the ad, unaware of the impending danger. After a meeting on Jan. 23, 1998, Dragnett was taken to Gold Camp Road in Teller County, where McGee burned him to death in a Jeep. It took investigators more than a week to identify him because of how badly his body burned.

“That was the hardest part for me because I really didn’t get anything to bury or to spread ashes or whatever because there was nothing left,” Alan Dragnett shared the difficulty of not having closure due to the devastating condition of Len’s body. He says his brother’s identification eventually came solely because of military dental records.

The article states McGee intended to stage his own death to collect insurance money, aimed at settling debts and providing for his 7-year-old son, according to prosecutors.

“This was premeditated, meticulously planned, and selfish… There’s no way that an animal like that could walk free, period. I’m planning on fighting tooth and nail. I know my brother would have done the same. We had each other’s backs. Always,” said Alan Dragnett, expressing vehement opposition to McGee’s potential release.

The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office told FOX21 it opposea McGee’s plea for clemency and has issued a recommendation to the Governor to deny his application, due to the violence and nature of the crime he committed.

Alan Dragnett has also sent a letter to the Governor, urging him to keep McGee behind bars.

“[McGee] is claiming mental health issues. What about my mental health, what about my 76-year-old mother’s mental health? This man committed this selfish act, leaving behind a young son. This man cannot go free,” Alan stated in his letter, fearful that McGee has the capability to commit another crime like this one.

Alan said he and his brother were inseparable, sharing how frequently he wonders about the life Len, who would have turned 53 this year, might have lived, and all the significant milestones he has missed.

In a statement to FOX21 from the Governor’s office, a spokesperson said, “Governor Polis evaluates each clemency application individually and carefully weighs individual circumstances. Individual clemency matters are confidential so we will not comment on any particular case.”

It is unclear where McGee is currently being held. Neither his name nor his Department of Correction number yield any results in the CDOC inmate locator, however, case records confirm his active life sentence. CDOC has not yet responded to FOX21’s inquiry regarding his whereabouts.

Alan Dragnett said he was told to expect a decision from the Governor’s office by mid-January.