Jennifer Paxton was a weak girl who thought a pal was kindly providing her a spot to remain – however she was getting into hell and a entice that she by no means escaped from
Jennifer Gail Paxton confronted loads of challenges in her life. After being raised by her grandmother, who she considered a mom determine, she went down the unsuitable path. She developed addictions to medicine and alcohol and generally turned to prostitution to fund her habits.
She had seven youngsters over a interval of 9 years however, because of her unstable way of life, they have been all taken into care. Whereas she stayed in contact with some members of the family, she lived in homeless camps in Knoxville, Tennessee.
However Jennifer was liked by her household and he or she had a expertise for making folks snicker along with her enjoyable character. She tried to get her life again on observe and accepted meals and presents of showers from her family members. She would go to her grandmother every month when her social safety cheque arrived, however in December 2019, she stopped going.
READ MORE: Married Brit couple terrified to get up in unknown resort room after accidentREAD MORE: Warped husband desires ‘higher intercourse’ with secret lover however pregnant spouse is drawback
Her household have been fearful and put posts on social media asking if anybody had seen her, however there was no hint of her. It wasn’t uncommon for Jennifer, 36, to vanish at instances, however it was round Christmas – a time when she would usually make contact with household and they might need to see her.
The ultimate sighting
The final time a member of the family noticed Jennifer, she was strolling throughout a carpark close to The Pint Home bar in Knoxville. They famous she appeared thinner. Jennifer would generally go into the bar and use the toilet – and chat to the chef who labored there, Sean Finnegan.
Finnegan, now 57, would joke to colleagues that he had two girlfriends – Becky and Jenny. He was referring to his a lot youthful girlfriend Rebecca Dishman, who was 22 on the time, in addition to Jennifer.
Finnegan and Dishman had been in a relationship for just a few months and he or she was residing with him at his house in close by Oak Ridge, together with his mom who was in ailing well being and has since died. It might later be famous that Dishman was submissive to Finnegan and that performed out of their intercourse life.
Finnegan was key to Jennifer’s disappearance. He doubtless supplied her meals and someplace to remain. Maybe the actual fact he had a girlfriend made Jennifer agree. Nevertheless it was a entice. She went to his house and by no means left.
Jennifer suffered unimaginable torment by the hands of Finnegan and Dishman. She was chained to a mattress, restrained with a canine collar and her arms sure with zip ties. She was repeatedly raped by Finnegan, overwhelmed with a baseball bat and denied meals and medical consideration.
It’s unclear how lengthy Jennifer needed to endure the abuse for – however it will have been three or 4 days. Then, she was slowly strangled to demise. Her physique was wrapped in binbags and put in a freezer. Her bones needed to be damaged in an effort to cram her physique into the tight area.
After demise, Jennifer’s physique was mutilated. A part of certainly one of her breasts was minimize off and her nostril. Finnegan would open the get up freezer and consider her physique for sexual gratification for months after her demise.
In August 2020, Dishman confided in a neighbour that she wished to go away Finnegan and he or she instructed them about Jennifer. The neighbour knowledgeable the police, who acquired a search warrant. Finnegan panicked and took Jennifer’s physique out of the freezer and put it underneath the mattress as he tried to scrub the equipment. Regardless of his efforts to take away any proof from the property and Jennifer’s physique with cleansing merchandise, when officers arrived it was clear one thing sinister had occurred. Finnegan and Dishman have been each arrested.
Shifting the blame
Jennifer’s household have been knowledgeable she’d been useless for round 9 months and that her demise had been deeply traumatic. They have been heartbroken.
When questioned, Finnegan laid the blame on his girlfriend. He stated he had introduced Jennifer again for intercourse and Dishman had killed her. “I didn’t know what to do – I acquired scared,” he stated. “I didn’t kill that woman.”
He stated that after he’d had intercourse with Jennifer, she’d gone for a bathe then went downstairs. He alleged he’d raced again to seek out Dishman had hit Jennifer with a baseball bat.
“I don’t know what acquired into her that day,” he stated. He stated they cleaned up the blood from the assault after which Dishman restrained Jennifer on the mattress. Finnegan stated he returned from work on one other day and located Jennifer useless. However why hadn’t he gone to the police? Why had he saved her physique within the freezer?
Finnegan was charged with homicide, aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping and abuse of a corpse. He confronted the demise penalty.
Dishman was charged too however in 2023, she made a plea deal to keep away from the demise penalty. She pleaded responsible to first-degree homicide and was sentenced to life in jail, plus 50 years, in alternate for her testimony towards Finnegan.
At Finnegan’s trial final yr, the defence stated that whereas he and Dishman lived a way of life that was completely different to most, the jury wanted to concentrate on who was responsible. They stated Finnegan was out at work late into the night time and it was Dishman who was with Jennifer throughout these days. They stated she had extra of a motive to kill Jennifer.
Dishman testified and stated Finnegan had strangled Jennifer with a string over an prolonged time period – and even took breaks to have a cigarette. It was a very horrific element for Jennifer’s family members to listen to. Finnegan was discovered responsible of first-degree homicide in August 2024.
After the decision, a press release was learn from Jennifer’s grandmother. “Dropping her destroyed my coronary heart,” she stated. “She was my every part.”
”We didn’t simply lose Jennifer, she was taken from us,” added her cousin, Beverly Jeffers.
The courtroom heard how Jennifer’s mum Patty had since died. Her closing moments have been full of tears as she questioned whether or not she might have completed extra to forestall what occurred to Jennifer.
On the sentencing, Finnegan was given the demise penalty. The decide stated, “It’s due to this fact ordered that you ought to be put to demise by deadly injection.”