Trial underway in Oak Ridge death penalty case

ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) – Monday marked the beginning of a grisly East Tennessee trial out of Anderson County. The suspect at the trial’s center is Sean Finnegan, who was charged with first-degree murder in 2020 after police found a dismembered body in his Oak Ridge home.

Investigators have released some of the details in the case. According to the Oak Ridge Police Department’s investigation, Finnegan and his girlfriend, Rebecca Dishman, are both connected to the death of 36-year-old Jennifer Paxton.

Monday, jury selection began in Anderson County criminal court.

The investigation goes back to August of 2020, when ORPD Sergeant Marvell Moore responded to Finnegan’s home, prompted by a call from Dishman.

During the couple’s 2021 preliminary hearing, Moore said Finnegan brought the victim home and told his girlfriend she’d be staying with them for a time as she was homeless.

Moore also said that, after bringing Paxton home, Finnegan had Dishman go upstairs to make sure his mother, who also lived in the house, did not come downstairs.

While alone with Paxton, Moore said, Finnegan began beating her with a baseball bat.

What followed, Moore said, was days of torture and rape. The investigator said the couple chained Paxton to a bed upstairs, assaulting and raping her for three or four days, not letting her leave the room.

Previous Coverage: Disturbing details revealed in murder trial of couple accused of killing, dismembering Oak Ridge woman

Eventually, Moore said, the couple decided to kill Paxton, strangling her with a shoelace. After her death, Moore said the couple wrapped Paxton in plastic garbage bags and placed her body in a standup freezer.

Finnegan’s story differs in the details. Moore said that the suspect said he brought Paxton home, offering her $100 to have sex with him and his girlfriend.

Finnegan also reportedly told the investigators that, after they had had sex, he took a shower, stepping out to find the victim bleeding downstairs with Dishman.

Another detail offered by Finnegan; he reportedly told investigators that he had placed Paxton’s body in the freezer “some time after Christmas.”

Both Finnegan and Dishman have previously admitted to being responsible for the crimes.

The couple is facing charges for first-degree murder, aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

Should Finnegan be found guilty, he could face the death penalty. It would mark the first state-sanction execution since 2020.

On day four, the defense and prosecution presented their closing arguments.

Prosecutors began their argument saying Finnegan was caught red-handed and urged the jury to use common sense when rendering their verdict.

They went over the witnesses and evidence against him, trying to convince the jury he was a dangerous person who was known for lying and controlling people.

“Liar. Confirmed liar,” the prosecutor said. “You have a confirmed liar in your courtroom. You can prove it, you know it. You heard him on tape say that he didn’t have a body in his freezer and you know it was confirmed.”

Meanwhile the defense rebutted saying he had no choice in hiding the body since it was his home.

They added Rebecca Dishman was painted as a victim in the situation but said she was lying.

They said before she came into his life, he was a normal person.

“They’re saying she can’t process so that’s the stuff she comes up with,” the defense said. “That’s called manipulation, that’s not called being simple. She is creating this scenario where she is the victim, she’s always the victim.”

The jury was expected to begin deliberations Saturday morning.

The third day of the trial continued similarly to the first two. Notably, the Knox and Anderson County chief medical examiner, Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, took to the stand.

She explained what role the medical examiner’s office played in the investigation. During her testimony, she said it was difficult to put a specific date on Paxton’s death. This, because her body was frozen.

She was able to say that Paxton died of strangulation, however.

“Although there were many different types of injuries on Jennifer’s body, the main cause of death was actually strangulation, affiliated strangulation,” she said. “The type was actually ligature strangulation the matter of death was homicide.”

The second day of the trial saw more witnesses from the prosecution.

The neighbors Dishman mentioned on the first day of the trial took the stand on Day Two. They testified that Dishman told them Finnegan had a body in his freezer, prompting them to call police.

Some of those responders explained what they found.

“[I] lifted the cover up and I saw this gray cover. Then I kept looking up under, I touched it and put my hand up there and touched it.” Oak Ridge Police Department Sgt. Allen Moore said. “I said ‘oh man that’s cold.’ I yelled out to the rest of team, ‘I think I found her, here she is.’”

Police said they believed the victim was killed in late December of 2019, but the body was not found until the following August.

The trial began with a series of witnesses from the prosecution.

Multiple people took the stand during the trial’s first day. Chief among them: Finnegan’s girlfriend, Rebecca Dishman.

Dishman was on trial last year for her role in the killing, pleading guilty. She recounted what she said she saw leading up to the murder.

“By the time I got downstairs, they were fighting. Jennifer had the fire grate over her to protect her and there was blood on the floor,” she said in court, a small part of a lengthy testimony.

She continued by saying that Finnegan tortured and raped the victim for days before killing her. Dishman then said she confessed to the crime to a neighbor, who called police.

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