Verdict reached in death penalty trial of Oak Ridge man accused of murder, torture of woman

CLINTON, Tenn. (WATE) — A verdict in the trial for Sean Finnegan, who is accused of killing a woman, was reached Monday afternoon following two days of jury deliberations. During the previous week, several witnesses took the stand to shed light on those involved in the gruesome murder of Jennifer Paxton in late 2019 .

The 36-year-old’s body was not found until August 2020 when Finnegan’s girlfriend at the time, Rebecca Dishman, left the home to be taken to a shelter outside of town. Paxton’s body was said to be in a freezer in the closet of Finnegan’s bedroom. Her body was later discovered underneath Finnegan’s bed after he was asked about the body in the freezer.

Dishman entered a plea deal in September 2023 for a shorter time as long as she cooperated with the prosecution team and testified against Finnegan.

Closing arguments began on Friday, August 16, four days into the trial. Leading up to closing arguments several witnesses and experts broke down what led to Paxton’s death from when the murder is believed to have happened to Finnegan’s arrest. The state rested its case at 1:25 p.m. and the defense rested at 2:20 p.m. on Friday. Jury deliberations began on Saturday.

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