A Tennessee man who kidnapped, raped and tortured a woman while murdering her by strangulation her has been sentenced to death, according to a statement from Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark.
According to multiple reports including the Oak Ridger, WATE and WBIR, Sean Finnegan, 56, was convicted of multiple crimes including first-degree murder, aggravated rape and abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of Jennifer Gail Paxton, 35.
Prosecutors said Finnegan kidnapped Paxton in December 2019 and held her in his apartment in Oak Ridge. There, he repeatedly raped her and assaulted her before strangling her to death.
The Oak Ridger reports that Rebecca Dishman, who was Finnegan’s girlfriend or fiancée, told police that Finnegan strangled Paxton with string over an extended period of time, during which he took breaks to smoke.
Subsequently, the couple wrapped Paxton in garbage bags and put her body in a freezer, WVLT reports, citing prosecutors. Finnegan kept her body in a freezer in the bedroom until August 2020 when police came to search his home. He then stowed Paxton’s body underneath his bed, said prosecutors.
Dishman reportedly pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 2023. She testified against Finnegan in return for a life sentence that spared her the possibility of the death penalty.
The murder’s heinous nature and Finnegan’s awareness of his actions led the jury to give him the death penalty, WATE reported.
In the district attorney’s statement after the sentencing, Clark said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the surviving family members of Jennifer Paxton who have suffered through this horrific process and who have had to hear the details of Jennifer’s last days of captivity, torture and murder. They have been strong, courageous and supportive throughout.”
“It is hoped that with the jury’s verdict and the conclusion of this case that there can be some closure and healing for Jennifer’s family from this nightmare,” Clark’s statement added.
Finnegan was sentenced to death by lethal injection. But Darrell Winfree, an attorney for Legal Aid of East Tennessee, told 10WBIRit’s likely he’ll die of natural causes before he’s executed.
Winfree told the outlet that appeals process could last decades, adding that healthcare for people on death row is generally worse than for people who are not incarcerated.
“It seems like it would be very easy to bring someone’s life to end,” Winfree told the outlet. “But it is a very extended process, a very expensive process, and a very complicated process.”
The last time someone had been executed by lethal injection in the state of Tennessee was in 2021. However, lethal injection executions in the state were paused in 2022by Governor Bill Lee and have yet to be resumed.
