Mark Winger

Mark Alan Winger (born November 26, 1962) is a former nuclear engineer from Springfield, Illinois. He was convicted in 2002 of the 1995 murders of his wife, Donnah Winger (born 1963), and Roger Harrington (born 1967).

Early life, education, and career

Winger was born on November 26, 1962, in Elyria, Ohio, a residential suburb of Cleveland, to Sallie (née Fishman) and Jerrold Winger. He was raised Jewish alongside an older brother and sister in Elyria and went on to attend Elyria High School, graduating in 1981. He enrolled in the Virginia Military Institute, receiving a bachelor's degree in physics in 1985, after which he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. Following two years of service, one overseas in South Korea and one back in the U.S. in Georgia, Winger was hired by a laboratory instrument manufacturing firm in Riviera Beach, Florida.

Murder of Donnah Winger Courtship and marriage In late 1987 or early 1988, Winger was set up on a blind date with operating room technician Donnah Ellen Brown, a coworker of his brother. Winger proposed marriage after the two had dated for approximately six months, and Brown accepted. Winger and his wife adopted a baby daughter on June 1, 1995.

Murder and trial On August 23, 1995, Donnah Winger was driven from St. Louis International Airport to her home in Springfield by shuttle driver Roger Harrington. The Wingers later complained to Harrington's employer, saying that Harrington gave Donnah a "hard time" during the ride by talking about getting high and having orgies. Six days later, Mark Winger called 911, saying that he had shot Harrington to death after Harrington killed Donnah with a hammer in their home. The police initially believed that Harrington had broken into the Wingers' home and murdered Donnah in retaliation for their complaint to Harrington's employer. However, investigators later became suspicious of Winger because he continued to ask about the case even after it had been initially closed. "He kept coming in. I kept feeling like he was trying to find out if we were checking into anything," said a detective. Winger's remarriage to his young daughter's new nanny, Rebecca Simic, hired five months after Donnah died, increased suspicion. Winger eventually had three children with his new wife. Winger is currently incarcerated at Western Illinois Correctional Center.

Solicitation of murder from prison

In 2006, Winger was indicted for asking a fellow prison inmate to arrange two murders. One of his intended murder victims was Donnah's best friend, DeAnn Schultz, with whom he had an affair for a month before the murders, who later testified against him during his trial. The second intended victim was Jeffrey Gelman, a childhood friend, whom Winger resented for refusing to post his $1million bail. Winger initially wanted Gelman kidnapped for ransom and then wanted both Gelman and Schultz killed. In June 2007, Winger was convicted for solicitation of murder, and a 35-year sentence was added to his existing life-without-parole sentence. As of 2021, Winger's second wife never remarried and raised all of the Winger children on her own.

Media

Winger's case has been featured on the following television programs:

"A Welcome Intrusion", a 2004 episode of Forensic Files; Deadly Sins (Season 3, Episode 8: "Rotten to the Core"); 20/20 (Season 43, Episode 22: "The Perfect Lie"); and 48 Hours ("Invitation to Murder").