Editor’s note: This is part one of a series

Following a preliminary hearing held Friday morning at the Elk County Courthouse in Ridgway, District Judge Donald Wilhelm bound over Lawrence E. Donachy, of St. Marys, to trial in the April 5, 1999 homicide and rape of Irene Challingsworth, of St. Marys.

Currently Donachy is incarcerated on previous unrelated charges at the State Correctional Institute in Albion. Donachy was represented by Public Defender Attorney James Martin of Ridgway.

Neither a date or location for the trial was set at the hearing.

Elk County District Attorney Bradley Kraus called nine witnesses to testify including Kelly Bauer of Benzinger Rd., St. Marys, Challingsworth’s daughter; Judith Wendel, of Grandview Rd., a customer of Challingsworth who discovered her body; neighbors, Alan and Helen Herr of Walnut St., St. Marys; Diane Scutella, of Hemlock Rd., St. Marys, an employee of the Consolidated News Agency in 1999; Bill Brem, of St. Marys, a retired City of St. Marys police officer; Denise Zuchowski, of New Jersey, formerly of St. Marys, and housemate of Donachy’s; Sgt. John Lovett of the St. Marys Police Department and Trooper David A. Ray of the Pennsylvania State Police Troop C- Punxsutawney.

Challingsworth, a 57-year old beautician, ran her salon business out of her home at 213 Walnut St. where she was found deceased the morning of April 6, 1999 by customer Judith Wendel.

Wendel testified that she arrived for her usual Saturday hair appointment between 7:50 and 8 a.m. Upon her arrival, the salon door was unlocked with the lights on inside, a typical habit of Challingsworth when she was expecting a customer.

She added that as far as she observed everything looked normal inside the home with nothing being broken or out of place.

After waiting for approximately 15 minutes for Challingsworth, and not hearing any noise from the upstairs living area, Wendel checked the nearby kitchen calling Challingsworth’s name. She then proceeded upstairs checking the bathroom and bedroom, again calling for her.

Upon entering the bedroom, Wendel observed Challingsworth’s lying on the bed.

“When I got into the bedroom doorway all I saw was her legs sticking out from the bed covering and I didn’t know what to do,” Wendel said.

Wendel added that a pillow was covering Challingsworth’s face as well. She proceeded into the bedroom where she picked up the edge of the pillow just enough to see the victim’s face.

“When I saw her eyes I knew she was gone,” Wendel said.

Wendel immediately went downstairs where she called 911 from Challingsworth’s desk.

She added that police arrived within minutes of the call.

On March 25, 2008, Zuchowski participated in an interview conducted by the St. Marys Police Dept. Prior to moving to St. Marys in Nov. 1999, Zuchowski resided in Virginia Beach, VA at the time of Challingsworth’s homicide.

According to Zuchowski, she lived in a Rosalie St. apartment with her daughter Amanda Harrison, age 3, and boyfriend Shawn Steffan, whom she met in February 2000. Steffan in turned introduced Zuchowski to Donachy in April 2000. She said Donachy often visited the apartment, eventually moving in.

During Jan.-Feb. 2000, Zuchowski said her and Donachy began having a sexual relationship.

At the time Zuchowski said she was employed at the St. Marys Eagles  Club (FOE 536), Three Sons Restaurant and the Corner Restaurant, while Donachy and Steffan were not employed.

She explained that the three individuals made frequent trips to Buffalo, NY - up to seven times a week sometimes twice a day - to purchase drugs of mostly heroine and cocaine. They typically traveled in Donachy’s red Dodge Ram pickup truck, but sometimes utilized Zuchowski’s car.

Zuchowski testified that she found out about Challingsworth’s murder when Donachy mentioned it while under the influence of drugs. She said the two often confided in one another about personal issues when they were under the influence.

“Her (Challingsworth’s) name was brought up on several occasions,” Zuchowski said. “He (Donachy) said he was involved with her death.”

According to Zuchowski, Donachy told her that he and Craig Evans broke into Challingsworth’s home to steal money and a lottery ticket, during which time no one was suppose to be home during the burglary.

“He (Donachy) said they ended up killing her...that she was stabbed, strangled and raped,” Zuchowski testified.

When questioned about her relationship with Evans, Zuchowski answered that she knew of him as he visited her house to purchase drugs.

She said Donachy did most of the talking during their conversations. Zuchowski testified that she never mentioned the conversations with law enforcement until the St. Marys Police contacted her in March and never asked Donachy any questions regarding the crime.

Zuchowksi testified that Donachy admitted to her that he was at the scene of the crime, but Evans murdered Challingsworth.

“My reaction was that I didn’t believe him. I thought he was exaggerating, making the whole thing up. What bothered me was that he didn’t seem remorseful,” Zuchowski said. “Our conversations were about bits and pieces everytime. I never thought Larry was capable of doing something like that, especially with the relationship he had with my daughter.”

She added that Donachy became agitated and concerned when Evans apparently began talking to people about the homicide. She was not one of the people Evans spoke with.

She explained that Donachy and Steffan often competed for attention to see who could be the “badder” of the two.

When she mentioned her conversation with Donachy to Steffan, she explained that Steffan did not seemed surprised.

While Zuchowski said there was no doubt Donachy spoke about his participation in Challingsworth’s homicide, her recollection pertaining to specific dates was clouded by the use of drugs.

When cross-examined by Martin, Zuchowksi said she used between five to 10 bags of heroine a day, sometimes more, and used cocaine up to four times a week, using a couple grams per day.

Zuchowski testified that she remembered a specific trip to Buffalo when she pulled a pillow from behind the truck seat to sleep on and Donachy mentioned the pillow came from Challingsworth’s home. She described the pillow as a couch throw pillow.

During her testimony Zuchowski said Donachy told her that he and Evans went to his (Donachy’s) grandfather’s house to change their clothes. They proceeded to dump the clothes along the Johnsonburg Rd. near the East Branch Dam.

Zuchowski stated that the three individuals resided in her apartment until either July or August 2000 when her and Donachy were charged as co-defendants and sentenced to federal prison on charges of distribution and possession of heroin.

She continued that she has not seen Donachy since 2000, but the two communicated through written letters while in prison. Zuchowski said after being released from prison she stopped writing “to start her life over.”

Sgt. John Lovett of the St. Marys Police Dept. acted as the lead investigator and was the first to arrive on the scene. He observed the victim was stabbed three times in the neck and was naked from the waist down.

Challingsworth was pronounced dead on April 6, 1999 at 8:30 a.m. by Elk County Deputy Coroner Robert Bert Sorg. Assisting on the scenes were fellow SMPD officers and Pennsylvania State Police Troopers.

PSP Troop C Forensic Unit Cpl. Jeffrey Lee and Cpl. Jeffrey Kunselman responded to the crime, photographing the scene and processing evidence. SMPD submitted the evidence to the Erie Regional Crime Lab for analysis.

Following an autopsy performed by Dr. Eric Vey, M.D., forensic pathologist, Challingsworth’s cause of death was determined to be from stab wounds to the neck, listing the death as homicide. The autopsy report also listed a skin burn, the size of a quarter, on the victim’s left thigh, consistent with a post-mortem burn.

Lovett testified that burns were also found on the victim’s nightshirt  on the base of the bed, as well as a partially burned bedspread.

Among the items submitted into evidence at the hearing was a DNA analysis of semen stains from the left side of the victim’s bedsheet. In 1999 the test yielded an unknown profile searched against the CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) with a negative result.

SMPD investigated the case from 1999 to July 2002 during which time the case was turned over to PSP-Ridgway.

Trooper David Ray, criminal investigative assessment officer, testified that in 2002 former Trooper Charles Gross, re-submitted items to the Erie lab for further analysis. Among those items was the vaginal swab and smear from the rape kit conducted on Challingsworth. The unknown DNA profiles were searched weekly against the CODIS system.

On Feb. 14, 2008, PSP Forensic Scientist, Alex Glessner, notified Ray that the DNA samples were found to be consistent with Donachy. Donachy’s profile was obtained from the Albion prison  in accordance with current state statues regarding convicted offender DNA registration. The routine sample was drawn on Aug. 23, 2006.