ST. MARYS – Irene Challingsworth’s killer had allegedly been
breaking into numerous homes and businesses to support a drug habit
prior to murdering the former hairdresser nearly nine years ago,
according to a police criminal complaint obtained Tuesday by The
Era.
An unnamed former girlfriend also indicated in the complaint
that Lawrence Earl Donachy, 33, of St. Marys, had told her on
several occasions that he and another man, believed to be named
Craig Evans, killed Challingsworth.
There was no indication immediately given in the complaint as to
whether Evans is being sought in connection with the case.
Donachy was arrested Monday morning for the 1999 murder and
charged with criminal homicide, rape, burglary, aggravated assault
and criminal attempt at arson, all first-degree felonies; and
unlawful restraint, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Donachy was arraigned Monday afternoon before District Judge
Donald A. Wilhelm of St. Marys and remanded to jail with no bail. A
preliminary hearing is slated for 1 p.m. July 30 in front of
Wilhelm.
Challingsworth, a 56-year-old hairdresser who lived on Walnut
Street, was found dead by one of her early morning customers on
April 6, 1999, in her home, which doubled as a beauty shop. She had
been stabbed three times in the neck and was found lying on a bed,
naked from the waist down, with a pillow over her face and upper
torso. She was bound at the wrists with panty hose and had a bra
tied around her neck, according to the criminal complaint against
Donachy.
According to the complaint, on March 25, Donachy’s former
girlfriend was interviewed. She said Donachy told her on several
occasions that he and another man, who she believed to be named
Craig Evans, killed Irene Challingsworth, the complaint states.
Donachy allegedly told her that Evans was in shock about the
incident, and he was always worried that Evans would go to the
police, according to the criminal complaint.
She said she and Donachy made numerous trips to Buffalo, N.Y.,
to buy drugs, according to the affidavit. She added that Donachy
was breaking into many houses and businesses during this time frame
to support his drug habit.
The former girlfriend said Donachy told her that no one was
supposed to be home when they broke into Challingsworth’s house,
the complaint says.
The woman remembered that, on one trip to Buffalo, she pulled a
pillow from behind Donachy’s truck seat to sleep on, and Donachy
told her the pillow came from Challingsworth’s house, the complaint
says. She said Donachy told her after leaving Challingsworth’s
house that he had gone to either his grandfather’s house or Evans’
grandfather’s house to change clothes, because his were stained
with blood. The woman said Donachy told her that Evans’ clothes
were clean, the complaint says.
Donachy then allegedly told her that they took the bloody
clothes and dumped them on Johnsonburg Road, near Dam Inn Road.
The woman said that Donachy went out looking for his bloody
clothes in late spring because the snow was melting and he was
afraid someone would find them, the complaint says. She didn’t know
whether he found the clothes or not.
The criminal complaint also describes a former officer’s
recollection of seeing Donachy just before the crime.
Former St. Marys patrol officer William Brem was working the
police shift prior to Challingsworth being found dead. Brem said he
was at the Uni-Mart store on South Michael Street between 12:30 and
1 a.m. and remembered seeing Donachy using the pay phone, the
complaint says.
Brem saw Donachy traveling the sidewalk as he passed near the
intersection of South Michael Street and Wendell Road, the
complaint says. Donachy was heading toward the victim’s residence,
which is less than a mile from the store.
Also in the affidavit, the autopsy findings are explained.
An autopsy had been performed shortly after the death by Dr.
Eric Lee Vey, forensic pathologist, who ruled that Challingsworth
died as a result of stab wounds to the neck and listed the manner
of death as homicide.
The autopsy also listed a skin burn on the left thigh consistent
with heat-induced post-mortem burn; investigators have not
explained the basis for Donachy’s attempted arson charges.
Meanwhile, the complaint also said semen stains were found at
the crime scene. Samples were taken and sent through CODIS – an
FBI-based national DNA databank – but no matching results were
found at the time.
St. Marys City Police investigated the murder from 1999 to 2002,
when it was turned over to a Ridgway-based state police cold case
unit. The DNA profile was re-submitted to CODIS in 2002, and a
match with an unidentified DNA profile was found.
The complaint indicates that, this February, the unidentified
DNA profile was found to be consistent with that of a previously
convicted offender, Donachy.
Samples were taken Feb. 18 from Donachy, after which they were
taken to the Greensburg DNA lab for analysis, according to the
complaint. On March 12, lab reports allegedly revealed that the
samples matched the DNA obtained from the bottom of Challingworth’s
sheet.
Some other evidence found early in the investigation has
apparently turned out to be irrelevant.
Challingsworth had purchased a winning Bingo Mania lottery
ticket worth ,1,000 at Consolidated News the day before she was
slain and was unable to cash it in at the time. Initially, the
ticket was thought to be a motive in the killing, but it was found
untouched in her purse by police during their investigation.
(Era reporter Adam Vosler contributed to this report.)
