← Back to United States casesDonna Winger and Roger Harrington Murdered by Mark Winger, Springfield, Illinois, United States
Case Summary
Donna Winger was killed in her Springfield home in 1995 after her husband, Mark Winger, reported that an intruder, airport van driver Roger Harrington, had attacked her with a hammer. Mark shot Harrington, who later died, and prosecutors initially accepted Mark's self-defense account. The case was reopened after detective concerns, a concealed affair between Mark and Donna's friend Dean Schultz, Schultz's allegations that Mark discussed killing Donna, and rediscovered Polaroid photographs that appeared inconsistent with Mark's account. Mark was later convicted of Donna's murder and subsequently convicted of soliciting the murder of Schultz and Ira Dresser.
Basic Information
Country: United States
State/Province: Illinois, United States
City/Region: Springfield
Incident Type: Murder
Relationship Status: Married
Relationship Duration: Approximately 6 years (marriage)
Affair / New-Partner Context
Recorded context: Affair started / overlapping relationship
Reported initiator: Alleged suspect / offender
Relationship timing: During marriage or ongoing partnership, before separation
Incident Date: Aug. 18, 1995
Incident Sequence and Additional Victims
Primary reported outcome: Homicide
Reported self-harm outcome: Attempted suicide; survived
Person(s) reported to have died by or attempted suicide: Dean Schultz
Reported role: Another person
Reported sequence: Homicide or serious injury, then suicide or attempt
Additional victims reported: 1
Additional victim events:
- Roger Harrington — Other third party; Killed; Before self-harm
Relationship Journey
Relationship Origins:
- Met at Workplace
- Family introduction
Relationship Stages:
- Married Living Together
- Love Marriage
Analysis
Contributing Factors:
- Cheating / Infidelity
- Domestic Violence Allegation
- Domestic Conflict
- Suspicion of infidelity
Red Flags:
- Secretive communication patterns
- Meeting people privately / hiddenly
- Deception after incident
- Escalation Pattern / Violence
- Secret affair
- Stalking / Repeated Harassment
- Mental Health Deterioration / Hopelessness
Motives:
- Revenge
- Eliminate spouse
- Extramarital relationship
- Fear of exposure
- Desire for new relationship
Relationship Outcomes:
- Legal case ongoing
- Homicide during marriage
- Arrest made
- Relationship ended
- Investigation still ongoing
- Deadbody recovery
- Suicide
Source Video
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People Link Graph
Donna Winger and Roger Harrington Murdered by Mark Winger, Springfield, Illinois, United States
Relationship Journey Graph
Origin
- Met at Workplace
- Family introduction
How the relationship or connection began.
Status
- Married
Approximately 6 years (marriage)
Stages
- Married Living Together
- Love Marriage
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Warning Signals
- Secretive communication patterns
- Meeting people privately / hiddenly
- Deception after incident
- Escalation Pattern / Violence
- Secret affair
- Stalking / Repeated Harassment
- Mental Health Deterioration / Hopelessness
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Pressure Points
- Cheating / Infidelity
- Domestic Violence Allegation
- Domestic Conflict
- Suspicion of infidelity
- Revenge
- Eliminate spouse
- Extramarital relationship
- Fear of exposure
- Desire for new relationship
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
Incident
1995-08-18
Outcome
- Legal case ongoing
- Homicide during marriage
- Arrest made
- Relationship ended
- Investigation still ongoing
- Deadbody recovery
- Suicide
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
AI Intelligence Assessment
Relationship Pattern
Infidelity
Pattern Analysis
The reported relationship pattern involved a marriage publicly described as happy, a concealed affair between Mark and Donna's best friend, and allegations that Mark wanted to leave the marriage. Investigators later argued that the affair and the desire for a new relationship provided context for Donna's killing, while Mark admitted the affair but denied planning or committing the murder. The case also involved alleged staging of an intruder scenario and subsequent efforts to discredit a key witness.
Investigative Notes
Police initially treated Mark as a self-defense victim after he reported that Roger Harrington had attacked Donna. The prosecutor announced that no charges would be filed against Mark the day after the shooting. Detective Doug Williamson questioned the lack of forced entry, the appointment note in Harrington's car, and the body-position evidence, but the case remained closed for approximately three and a half years. Dean Schultz later disclosed the affair and alleged that Mark discussed killing Donna. Rediscovered Polaroids appeared inconsistent with Mark's account of Harrington's movements. Mark was arrested approximately six years after Donna's death, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2007 he was convicted of soliciting the murders of Dean Schultz and Ira Dresser and received an additional 35-year sentence.
Investigation Confusion
The initial investigation accepted Mark's self-defense account and treated Harrington as the intruder and apparent attacker. Confusion centered on Harrington's prior disturbing behavior, the absence of forced entry, the note indicating a 4:30 p.m. meeting, and Polaroid photographs that were not initially reviewed by investigators. Mark later claimed that paramedics had moved Harrington before the photographs were taken, while the source says paramedics denied this at trial. Dean Schultz's reliability was disputed because the defense cited her mental-health history, prior suicide attempts, and electroshock treatment.
Case Reconstruction / Puzzle Pieces
Donna and Mark married in 1989 and adopted a daughter in June 1995. After Donna reported a frightening airport shuttle ride with Roger Harrington, Mark complained to the van-company owner and later arranged or was alleged to have arranged a meeting with Harrington. In the initial account, Mark heard sounds, found Harrington attacking Donna with a hammer, shot Harrington, and called police. Later investigation connected the 4:30 p.m. note, the lack of forced entry, the body positions in the Polaroids, Dean Schultz's affair and allegations, and Mark's later conduct to a prosecution theory that the intruder scene had been staged. A jury convicted Mark of Donna's murder, and a later jury convicted him of soliciting murders intended to undermine the case.
Risk Assessment
The source describes substantial relationship risk indicators: concealed infidelity, alleged desire to end the marriage, deception in the immediate aftermath, a violent homicide within the home, and later alleged efforts to silence or discredit a witness. These factors are source-reported and do not independently establish motive or guilt beyond the reported convictions.
Key Takeaways
The case illustrates the investigative danger of accepting an emotionally compelling self-defense narrative before fully documenting and reviewing the scene. Hidden relationship information, unexplained meeting arrangements, overlooked photographs, and post-incident behavior materially changed the interpretation. The source also shows how a suspected affair can be relevant to a homicide investigation without proving that it caused the crime.
AI Case Q&A
What early signals mattered most?
The most important reported early signals were the lack of forced entry, Harrington's scheduled 4:30 p.m. meeting note, the fact that he entered the home, and the discrepancy between the reported body movement and the Polaroid photographs. Mark's repeated visits to police and his rapid remarriage to the child's nanny were later viewed by investigators as suspicious, although those behaviors alone are not proof of wrongdoing.
Which clues helped connect the case?
The case was connected through Dean Schultz's disclosure of her affair with Mark and her allegation that he had discussed Donna's death, the note found in Harrington's car, the absence of forced entry, the airport-company testimony about Mark wanting to meet Harrington, and the three Polaroid photographs showing body positions inconsistent with Mark's account.
Which evidence types appeared strongest?
The source presents the three scene Polaroids, the note in Harrington's car, testimony from Dean Schultz and Ray Duffy, the crime-scene blood and body-position evidence, the 911 call, and later recorded or handwritten materials related to the solicitation case as important evidence. The strength and interpretation of some evidence were disputed by the defense.
Witness / Eyewitness Statements
Mark reported that Harrington was attacking Donna and that he shot him in self-defense. Dean Schultz reported an affair with Mark and alleged that he discussed killing Donna. Ray Duffy testified that Mark wanted to speak directly with Harrington and that a meeting was arranged. Police officers described the crime scene, the body positions, the note, and their changing views of Mark's account. Harrington's family disputed the initial portrayal of Roger as Donna's killer.
How did follow-up reports change the understanding?
Follow-up reporting changed the case from an accepted self-defense account to a murder prosecution after Dean Schultz disclosed the affair and allegations about Mark's statements, and investigators found the previously overlooked Polaroids. The later murder trial resulted in a guilty verdict and life sentence. A subsequent prison investigation led to a second conviction for soliciting murder.
What remained unclear?
The source does not provide a complete independent account of every physical detail or explain all aspects of the 1995 scene. Mark continued to deny murdering Donna and claimed the bodies had been moved before the Polaroids were taken, while the source says paramedics denied that claim. The precise meaning and authorship of every item associated with the 4:30 p.m. note and the full motivation for the homicide remained contested in Mark's account.