TN vs. Sean Finnegan: Murder trial against torture victim

CLINTON, Tenn. (Court TV) – The trial has begun for a Tennessee man who faces the death penalty if a jury finds him guilty of the brutal rape and murder of a woman in 2019.

Sean Finnegan, 56, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, desecration of a corpse and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of 36-year-old Jennifer Paxton. Finnegan is also charged with sexual abuse of a child aged 3 or younger, which allegedly occurred in May 2020.

Finnegan is accused of plotting with his girlfriend Rebecca Dishman to lure Paxton to his Oak Ridge, Tennessee, home with the promise of giving her a place to stay. Once Paxton was at the house, investigators say the couple attacked her with a baseball bat, raped her and tortured her. Documents obtained by Court TV show the couple are accused of tying the victim to the bed and eventually strangling her with a ligature and leaving her to die.

The crime is alleged to have occurred sometime between December 1 and December 31, 2019. However, investigators say the crimes did not end with Paxton's death, but point out that Finnegan allegedly “physically abused a corpse in a shocking and offensive manner.” Finnegan is accused of removing part of at least one of Paxton's breasts and a nose, and breaking her bones and ligaments so her body would fit in a freezer.

Police found Paxton's body on August 5, 2020, while investigating her murder in Finnegan's home. Prosecutors say Finnegan, knowing police were coming, took Paxton's decomposing body from the freezer, hid it under the bed and cleaned the freezer to cover up the crime.

Dishman pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of rape of a child on September 5, 2023. As part of the agreement, she must testify against Finnegan at his upcoming trial. If she testifies truthfully, Dishman will receive a life sentence plus an additional 50 years to be served 100% of the time.

DAILY TEST HIGHLIGHTS

DAY 1 – 13.8.24

• The prosecution and defense made their opening statements.
• Co-defendant Rebecca Dishman pleaded guilty and testified as part of an agreement that excluded the death penalty in exchange for her testimony.