A jury has handed down the death penalty to Sean Finnegan for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 36-year-old Jennifer Paxton. Finnegan was convicted on 11 charges, including first-degree murder and aggravated rape.
The horrific details of the crime, which took place in August 2020, were revealed during the trial. Finnegan chained Paxton to a bed, sexually assaulted her, beat her with a baseball bat, and strangled her to death. He even stored her body in a freezer in his bedroom closet.
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Finnegan’s girlfriend, Rebecca Dishman, is already serving a life sentence for her involvement in the murder. The victim, Jennifer Paxton, was a mother of seven who had struggled with homelessness and addiction.
District Attorney General Dave Clark expressed the gravity of the decision to seek the death penalty, stating that anything less would not have served justice for Jennifer Paxton.
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