Prosecutors in western New York have abruptly ended their decades-long pursuit of a murder conviction against a man who already served 26 years behind bars, conceding they can no longer prove their case.
Case Collapses on Eve of Retrial
In a dramatic courtroom turn of events, Erie County prosecutors asked a judge on Tuesday to dismiss the murder charge against James Pugh, now 63. This request came just as jury selection was set to begin for his new trial. The judge promptly approved the motion.
The prosecution admitted it could no longer meet the legal burden of proof, citing the "inability to present the same evidence deemed admissible in the original trial and the unavailability of critical witnesses more than 30 years later." Pugh's conviction for the 1993 killing of Deborah Meindl was overturned in 2023.
A Decades-Long Quest for Justice Unravels
Deborah Meindl, a 33-year-old nursing student and mother of two, was found stabbed dozens of times and strangled in her Tonawanda home. Pugh was paroled in 2019 after serving 26 years. His conviction was overturned in 2023 by Judge Paul Wojtaszek, who ordered a new trial for Pugh and co-defendant Brian Scott Lorenz.
The judge's decision followed new DNA testing that failed to find either man's DNA at the crime scene, including on the murder weapon. Judge Wojtaszek also ruled that prosecutors had withheld evidence that could have aided the defence during the original trial.
District Attorney Michael Keane stated that the decision to drop the case "was not made lightly" and was made with the agreement of the victim's family.
A Family's Enduring Anguish and a Defendant's Hollow Victory
In a poignant moment, Lisa Meindl Payne, who was seven when her mother was killed, hugged Pugh at the courthouse. Addressing the judge, she said she could not be certain of Pugh's guilt or innocence but acknowledged the prosecution's weakened case. "The justice system has failed my mother," she stated. "I have believed in the justice system, but I have lost faith in the system. I just want the truth."
Pugh, who now works as a painter and contractor, expressed no satisfaction. In a statement released by his lawyers, he said, "Like Lisa said, there’s no justice here for her or for me. We both just want the truth, and it’s the prosecutors’ job to get it for us. They failed."
The case took numerous twists over the years. The victim's husband, Donald Meindl, was an initial suspect but never charged; he died in 2023. The original case relied heavily on a confession from co-defendant Lorenz, who later recanted, calling it false. In a startling 2021 review, two prosecutors even suggested the real killer was a notorious prison escapee, a theory later dismissed.
Prosecutors confirmed they are continuing their case against co-defendant Brian Scott Lorenz, whose retrial is scheduled for April after a mistrial last October. Pugh's legal team is now urging the District Attorney's office to reopen the investigation into Deborah Meindl's murder entirely.
