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According to the police criminal complaint filed by state police Trooper David Ray and St. Marys City police Sgt. John Lovett, Challingsworth, a beautician who had a beauty shop in her home, was discovered by Judith Wendel at about 8:20 a.m. April 6, 1999.
When Wendel arrived for her hair appointment at 7:55 a.m., she walked into the unlocked beauty shop. She didn't hear Challingsworth and yelled for her. There was no answer. She went into the living area and up to the bedroom where she found the light on and Challingsworth lying on the bed partially nude with a pillow over her face. She removed the pillow and found the blood on her face and called 911.
Donachy is charged with criminal homicide for entering Challingsworth's home at 213 Walnut St. between 9:15 p.m. April 5, 1999, and 8:24 a.m. April 6, 1999, restraining her by tying her hands with nylons and tying a bra around her neck. He stabbed her three times in the neck.
He is charged with rape for forcibly engaging in sexual intercourse with her.
He is charged with burglary for entering a building or occupied structured with the intent to commit a crime.
He is charged with aggravated assault for causing serious bodily injury to Challingsworth without regard for the value of human life.
He is charged with criminal attempt to commit arson by starting a fire on her property and placing another person in danger of death or bodily injury. He started the fire in her bedroom by lighting her bedspread on fire.
He is charged with unlawful restraint for exposing her to risk of serious bodily injury for binding her arms with pantyhose and placing a bra around her neck.
Challingsworth was pronounced dead by Elk County Deputy Coroner Robert Sorg at 8:30 a.m. April 6. An autopsy performed by Dr. Eric Vey revealed she died of multiple stab wounds to the neck. A skin burn on her left thigh was consistent with heat induced post-mortem burn.
Evidence collected at the home was sent to the Erie Regional Crime Lab for analysis.
Semen stains along the left side of the sheet and the middle sheet yielded an unknown DNA profile in 1999. It was searched against Combined DNA Index System.
In July 18, 2002, the case was turned over to the state police in Ridgway. On Aug. 27, 2002, they resubmitted the items to the Erie Lab. One item submitted was a vaginal swab and smear from a rape kit. It revealed an unidentified DNA profile that matched the profile from the semen stain on the bottom sheet. The profiles were searched weekly against CODIS.
On Feb. 14, 2008, Alex Glessner, a forensic scientist from the state police Bureau of Forensic Services, DNA laboratory, called Ray and told him the DNA profile matched Donachy's.
Donachy had pleaded guilty to trespass, forgery, receiving stolen property and possession of heroin in Elk County in 2001 and was placed in prison for two to six years. In April 2006, he was sentenced to 15 to 36 months in prison for criminal conspiracy to commit burglary.
A DNA sample had been taken Aug. 23, 2006, in accordance with current Pennsylvania law for a convicted offender DNA registration.
To do a final report, a blood sample or DNA sample from the cheek or mouth was needed. Police served a search warrant on Donachy at the prison and obtained two samples for comparison Feb. 18, 2008. The lab report was confirmed March 12, 2008. The sample matched both the sample on the vaginal swab and the sample on the sheet. The chances of another white person having the same DNA is one in 20 quadrillion, and higher for a person of another race.
On Feb. 18, former St. Marys police Officer William Brem was interviewed.
He had been working the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift April 5 and 6 in 1999. He was at the Uni-Mart store on South Michael Street that night and remembered seeing Donachy through the widow on the pay phone outside the store.
Brem had contact with Donachy before through work and was positive it was him. Donachy was on the phone a few minutes, then hung up, walked across the parking lot and headed north on South Michael Street. Brem passed him in his patrol car near Wendel Road. Challingsworth's home was about an eighth of a mile north of the store. Surveillance tape from the store shows Brem arriving at 10:23 p.m., however the time is off an hour due Daylight Savings Time, so it was actually 11:23 p.m. He left the store at 11:59 p.m.
On March 25, Denise Ann Zuchowski, who had a relationship with Donachy, said she moved to St. Marys in November 1999. She met Shawn Steffan in February 2000 and he moved into her Rosalie Street apartment in St. Marys. She met Donachy through him.
Donachy eventually moved into the apartment. Donachy had a Dodge Ram truck and they would make numerous trips to Buffalo, N.Y., to buy drugs. She had domestic problems with Steffan and Donachy would pull him off her, she said.
She began a sexual relationship with Donachy and he told her on several occasions that he and another man killed Challingsworth.
According to the affadavit, she recalled his name was Craig, but couldn't remember the last name.
Zuchowski said Donachy didn't think anyone was home when they broke into the house. She said Donachy was breaking into a lot of houses and businesses during that time to support his drug habit. She didn't know what was taken from the house.
Donachy told her he had gone to either his grandfather's house or his friend's house to change clothes after the murder because his clothes were messed up with blood. He said it was Challingsworth's blood. Donachy said the bloody clothes were dumped on the Johnsonburg Road near Dam Inn Road. Donachy went to look for the clothes later in the spring because the snow was melting and he was afraid someone would find them. She didn't know if he found the clothes. Donachy told her his friend was in shock about the incident and Donachy always worried he would go to the police.
