What happened to Roger Harrington? Details explored ahead of Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20
The upcoming episode of Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20 will cover the murders of Donnah Winger and Roger Harrington at the hands of Mark Winger, whose elaborate planning and careful approach almost had him get away with the murder, barring one big twist years later. This case was widely discussed back then and remains a sour reminder of a marriage gone bad.
These two murders will be covered in Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20 season 2 episode 2, which premieres on April 1, 2025, at 10 pm EST on ABC. A brief synopsis of the episode reads:
"Soon after adopting a baby girl, a young mother is found brutally murdered; three crime scene photos hold the key to unmasking the killer."
Ahead of this episode's air time, here is an overview of what happened to Donnah Winger and how Roger Harrington was involved in this grizzly crime.
How did Roger Harrington die?
On August 23, 1995, Donnah Winger took a shuttle from St. Louis International Airport to her home in Springfield. She was driven by Roger Harrington, for whom it was perhaps a random encounter.
As per the testimony from Mark Winger, which may as well be false, given he was weaving an elaborate story that would have allowed him to get away with the crime, Roger Harrington was talking inappropriately to Donnah Winger. Mark allegedly claimed that he had talked to Donnah about drugs and s*x, which prompted him to complain about Harrington to the company he worked for.
Some reports claim that Harrington was suspended after this incident. Six days later, Mark Winger called 911 to inform that he had shot Harrington after he killed Donnah with a claw hammer. Harrington was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
The story seemed perfect. Roger Harrington was disgruntled. He knew where Donnah lived and was possibly looking for revenge. Harrington was also a former psychiatric patient, which made the story easier to believe. Authorities accepted Mark's statements, and the case was closed.
It took over four years for the real story to emerge
Four years later, Donnah's best friend, DeAnn Shultz, told the police she was having an affair with Mark when Donnah was killed. When the authorities found out, they started to look at the case again and found several inconsistencies with Mark Winger's version of the events.
They also found evidence in favor of Roger Harrington, who was seemingly invited by Mark to their residence. It seemed that Mark Winger orchestrated this elaborate plan to make it seem like Harrington was the murderer so he could pin the blame for his wife's murder on an innocent man and get away.
With these pieces of evidence, the authorities finally arrested Mark Winger. He was charged with the murder and was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He remains incarcerated right now and will remain so till the end of his natural life.
The upcoming episode of Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20 will cover this case in further detail.
