In 1995, Springfield, Illinois, thought it had seen a hero in Mark Winger. He was a nuclear engineer, a new father, and a man who seemingly did the impossible: he protected his family from a monster.
The story was visceral. Mark claimed he was in the basement on a treadmill when he heard a series of thumps. He ran upstairs, grabbed his .22-caliber pistol, and found a stranger—Roger Harrington—bludgeoning his wife, Donnah Winger, with a hammer. Mark shot Harrington in the head, but the damage to Donnah was already done. She died shortly after.
For years, this was the "official" version. It was a tragedy of a random, crazed intruder.
But honesty is a funny thing in true crime. Sometimes the person crying the loudest is the one holding the match. By 2002, Mark Winger wasn't a hero anymore. He was a double murderer.
The Perfect Victim and the "Madman"
To understand why the police fell for Mark's story initially, you have to look at Roger Harrington. Roger was a driver for an airport shuttle service. A few days before the murder, he had driven Donnah and her newborn daughter, Bailey, home from the St. Louis airport.
It was a weird ride. Roger reportedly talked about "God-like characters" and "out-of-body experiences." Donnah was rightfully rattled. Mark even called Roger's employer to complain.
So, when Roger ended up dead on the Wingers' floor next to a dying Donnah, the narrative wrote itself. Retaliation. A disgruntled employee snaps. It made perfect sense to the detectives on the scene.
The Red Flags Nobody Wanted to See
Basically, the case was closed within hours. The local prosecutor called it self-defense the very next day. Mark was the grieving widower, and the community rallied around him.
But small details started to rot.
- The Note: Inside Roger Harrington’s car, police found a note. It had Mark Winger’s name, address, and "4:30 p.m." written on it. Why would a "crazed intruder" have a scheduled appointment with his victim?
- The Placement: Mark claimed he shot Harrington as he was hovering over Donnah. However, the blood splatter and the way the bodies were positioned didn't quite line up with that "heat of the moment" struggle.
- The "Grieving" Husband: Just five months after Donnah’s death, Mark hired a new nanny, Rebecca Simic. Shortly after, he married her.
Detective Doug Williamson was one of the few who couldn't let it go. He felt Mark was too calm, too helpful, and suspiciously persistent about checking in on the case status. It felt like Mark was making sure the door stayed locked on the investigation.
The Affair and the Breakdown
The real crack in the facade came from DeAnn Schultz, Donnah’s best friend.
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For years, DeAnn carried a heavy secret. She eventually admitted to police that she and Mark Winger were having an affair before Donnah was killed. Even more chilling? She claimed Mark had told her it would be "easier if Donnah died."
Once that door opened, the "hero" narrative disintegrated.
Forensic experts re-examined the crime scene using Polaroids taken by an officer on the night of the murders. These photos—which had been overlooked during the initial rush to judgment—showed that Harrington's body was in a position that made Mark's "self-defense" story physically impossible.
The Actual 911 Call
If you listen to the 911 call today, it’s haunting. You can hear Harrington moaning in the background. Prosecutors later argued that Mark actually shot Harrington a second time while he was on the phone with dispatchers to make sure he didn't wake up and tell the truth.
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The theory shifted: Mark had invited Roger over under the guise of "settling" the complaint. He used the hammer to kill Donnah, then executed Roger to frame him for it. It was a calculated, cold-blooded plan to clear the way for his new life.
Life After the Verdict
In 2002, a jury finally saw through the act. Mark Winger was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life without parole.
You’d think the story ends there. It doesn’t.
While in prison, Mark’s true nature stayed on display. In 2007, he was convicted of solicitation of murder. He had tried to hire a fellow inmate to kill DeAnn Schultz (the mistress who flipped) and a former friend who refused to post his bail.
He didn't want justice; he wanted revenge.
Lessons from the Winger Case
This case is often used in forensic studies because it highlights "tunnel vision" in law enforcement. Because the initial story felt right, the physical evidence was ignored.
What we can learn from Mark and Donnah Winger:
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- Trust the Physics: Bodies and blood don't lie, but people do. Forensic architecture—mapping where people stood—is often more reliable than eyewitness testimony.
- Behavior Matters: While everyone grieves differently, Mark’s rapid replacement of Donnah with a new wife was a psychological red flag that deserved earlier scrutiny.
- The "Hero" Bias: We want to believe in the husband who fights off an intruder. That desire for a "good" story can blind investigators to the reality of the crime scene.
If you’re looking to understand more about how crime scenes are reconstructed, researching bloodstain pattern analysis and crime scene photography protocols provides deep insight into why those overlooked Polaroids were the key to finally getting justice for Donnah Winger and Roger Harrington.