Donachy's Fate in Jury's Hands

The fate of a St. Marys man accused of raping and murdering a hairdresser in 1999 is now in the hands of a jury.

Closing arguments in the murder trial of Lawrence Donachy wrapped up this morning, and the jury got the case at around noon.

Donachy is also accused of setting Irene Challingsworth’s bed on fire when he broke into her home to steal a lottery ticket.

Police charged Donachy nearly 10 years after the murder when DNA evidence at the scene was linked to him.

A state police expert testified the odds were 720 trillion to one that the DNA found at the scene belonged to anyone but Donachy.


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