Jury Continues Deliberations in Elk Co.

The jury in the case of a man accused of raping and murdering a St. Marys hairdresser in 1999 continued its deliberations this morning.

Closing arguments in the murder trial of Lawrence Donachy wrapped up Tuesday morning, followed by more than five hours of deliberation. A judge sent the jury back to its hotel at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday. They returned to the courthouse to continue deliberations at 9 o’clock this morning.

The jury was brought in from Butler County due to pre-trial publicity.
Donachy is charged with raping and murdering Irene Challingsworth in her home after breaking in to steal a lottery ticket.

Police charged Donachy nearly ten years after Challingsworth was killed when scientists linked DNA evidence at the scene to him. A state police expert testified the odds were 720 trillion to one that the DNA found that the scene belonged to anyone but Donachy.

Pictured, Irene Challingsworth