Jury convicts New York man for 1993 killing following third trial in the case

A jury convicted a man Friday of the 1993 murder of a woman near Buffalo, ending his third trial after a decades-long legal odyssey.

Brian Scott Lorenz, 56, was originally convicted in 1994, along with another man, James Pugh, of the murder of Deborah Meindl. That year, the 33-year-old nursing student and mother of two was stabbed dozens of times and strangled in her Tonawanda home. His body was found by his 10-year-old daughter.

Lorenz and Pugh have denied any involvement in the murder. In 2023, a judge ordered new trials for the men, after new tests failed to find their DNA at the crime scene, including on a knife used in the attack. The judge also said prosecutors withheld some evidence that could have helped the defense.

In December, prosecutors abandoned efforts to retry Pugh, just as a new trial was about to begin. They admitted that they could no longer meet the burden of proof due to “our inability to present the same evidence found admissible at the original trial and the unavailability of critical witnesses more than 30 years later.”

While Lorenz’s second trial last year ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked, prosecutors nevertheless continued their case against him. Lorenz was quickly convicted Friday, after a two-week trial, of murder and burglary.

Lorenz’s lawyers, who have worked for years to exonerate him, plan to appeal the decision.

“It’s very, very scary,” Ilann M. Maazel, one of Lorenz’s lawyers, told the New York Times. “I think innocence should matter. I think the truth should matter.”

Representatives of Meindl’s family, including his sister and youngest daughter, were in court Friday to watch the trial. After the verdict, they thanked Erie County Prosecutor Michael J. Keane.

Keane said in a statement: “This result is not just a legal victory: it is a testament to the persistence of truth and the unwavering commitment of dedicated public servants charged with the pursuit of justice. »

Police began investigating Lorenz and Pugh on the theory that they had killed Meindl during a burglary. They were charged after Lorenz, then under arrest for another crime in Iowa, confessed to Meindl’s murder and implicated Pugh. Lorenz later said this was a false confession.