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Murders of Donnah Brown and Roger Harrington

Mark Winger met Donnah Brown in 1987 or 1988. The two had an instant connection. The relationship moved fast and Mark proposed after six months. The two were married on March 4th, 1989.

They expanded the family on June 1st, 1995, when they adopted a daughter. The look like a perfect family with a lot going for them, but a few months later, everything changed.

On August 23rd, Donnah took an airport shuttle home from the airport. She was offended by something driver Roger Harrington said, and she reported him to the shuttle company. He was suspended.

On August 29th, 1995, Mark called 911, saying that an intruder was beating his wife to death. Mark claimed he shot and killed the intruder. Law enforcement rushed to the scene, and as the investigation progressed, the dead man was identified as Harrington.

Detectives surmised that Harrington wanted revenge against Donnah for reporting him. They ruled that Mark killed Harrington in self-defense, and they closed the case.

While many considered Mark a hero, Harrington’s family denied he was violent and didn’t believe he was a killer. A few years later, they were proven correct.

New developments in the case

According to ABC7News, Donnah’s best friend came forward in 1999, saying she and Mark had had an affair back in 1995. She accused Mark of killing Donnah. She claimed he made incriminating statements like “It would be easier for us to be together if Donnah just died,” and, “All you’d have to do is come in and find the body.”

Detectives were stunned by the new allegations and decided to take a closer look at the case. They realized the placement of the bodies didn’t match the story that Mark told. They also had a note in Harrington’s vehicle with the Winger’s address and a time written on it, indicating he was going to the home for a scheduled meeting.

Harrington had also brought coffee and cigarettes into the home with him and put them on the counter, which would have been unusual for a man planning to commit murder.

Mark was arrested on August 16th, 2001, and charged with murder. He was convicted of killing Donnah and Harrington and sentenced to life without parole.

In 2007, he got another 35 years for trying to have two people killed.