In a significant turn of events, Erie County prosecutors have called off their plans to retry James Pugh, a man whose conviction for murder was previously overturned. This decision comes just as jury selection was about to begin in the case concerning the tragic death of a woman in 1993 near Buffalo.
Now 63, Pugh had spent 26 years in prison for the murder of Deborah Meindl, a 33-year-old nursing student and mother who was brutally attacked in her Tonawanda home. After his release in 2019, a judge announced a new trial for Pugh in 2023.
On Tuesday, just days before trial, prosecutors asked the judge to dismiss the charges, admitting they couldn’t meet the burden of proof any longer. They cited the lack of key evidence and witnesses after more than three decades. The judge approved the lifting of charges without hesitation.
While charges against Pugh are being dropped, the prosecution is still pressing on with the case against Brian Scott Lorenz, Pugh’s co-defendant, who is set for a retrial in April after a previous trial ended in a mistrial last October.
Judge Paul Wojtaszek, who dismissed Pugh’s case, had previously ordered new trials for both men after it came to light that their DNA was not found at the crime scene, including on the weapon used in the crime. Furthermore, the judge pointed out that key evidence which might have benefitted the defense was not provided by the prosecutors.
After the murder, investigators theorized that Meindl might have been a victim of one of the escapees from the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility break in Dannemora, the focus of a later television series.
In a review of the case in 2021, then-District Attorney John J. Flynn’s office concluded that Richard Matt, a convicted killer who died during a confrontation following the escape, was likely the real murderer. This theory was shared despite Pugh and Lorenz still being targeted for the killing.
Despite Sweat, another escapee, alleging that Matt confessed to him about killing Meindl, both the district attorney and the presiding judge dismissed these claims.
District Attorney Michael Keane noted that Meindl’s family, including Lisa Meindl Payne, who was just 7 years old when her mother was killed, were in agreement with dropping the case against Pugh. In court, Lisa expressed her frustration regarding the long-lasting uncertainty about her mother’s death and the judicial system’s shortcomings in delivering true justice.
“I’ve always pursued the truth. It’s disappointing and heartbreaking to feel let down by a system I once believed in,” she stated. In a stunning blow, her sister Jessica, who had once discovered their mother’s body, passed away in 2020.
Pugh, now engaged in painting and contracting work, expressed general discontent with the handling of his case, stating, “Neither Lisa nor I feel there’s been justice here. We just want to know the truth, and that responsibility lies with the prosecutors. They missed the mark, for all of us who have been affected—most importantly Deborah Meindl.”
Furthermore, initial suspicion in the investigation had been directed at Donald Meindl, Deborah’s husband, who carried life insurance on her before his death in 2023. With balances of his relationship with a Taco Bell employee at the time adding intrigue to the case, his role remained shadowy and uncharged despite ongoing speculation.
Pugh and Lorenz were first connected to the crime when Lorenz, arrested in Iowa for another offense, admitted to killing Meindl and named Pugh as an accomplice. However, he later retracted this confession.
In Tuesday’s interview, Pugh’s attorney Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma publicly urged the district attorney’s office to further investigate the case. The district attorney’s office has not commented on this plea.
