Prosecutors abandon retrial of man whose 1993 New York killing conviction was overturned

Authorities in western New York abandoned efforts to retry James Pugh on Tuesday, just as a new trial was scheduled to begin. Pugh, 63, spent 26 years in prison for the 1993 murder of Deborah Meindl, a 33-year-old nursing student and mother of two, who was stabbed multiple times and strangled in her Tonawanda home. He was released on parole in 2019, and a judge ordered a retrial in 2023.

The trial was set to start with jury selection on Tuesday when Erie County prosecutors requested the charges be dismissed. They cited their inability to present the same evidence deemed admissible in the original trial and the unavailability of key witnesses after more than 30 years. The judge approved the dismissal.

Prosecutors emphasized that the case against co-defendant Brian Scott Lorenz continues. Lorenz is scheduled for a second retrial in April after a mistrial in October. Judge Paul Wojtaszek, who dismissed Pugh's case, had ordered retrials for both men in 2023 after DNA testing failed to link them to the crime scene, including the knife used in the attack. Wojtaszek also noted that prosecutors had withheld evidence beneficial to the defense.

District Attorney Michael Keane stated that Meindls family supported the decision to drop charges against Pugh, noting that it was not taken lightly. Lisa Meindl Payne, Deborahs daughter, hugged Pugh in court and said her family continues to seek justice. She expressed frustration with the legal system and acknowledged the prosecutions case lacked sufficient evidence. The justice system has failed my mother, she said, emphasizing her desire to uncover the truth behind her mothers death.

Pugh, who now works in painting and contracting, expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome. He stated that both he and Meindls family are still seeking answers, criticizing the prosecutors for failing to deliver justice.

Deborah Meindls husband, Donald Meindl, was originally a suspect but never charged; he passed away in 2023. At the time of the murder, he had a life insurance policy on his wife and was involved with a 17-year-old employee. Authorities initially investigated Pugh and Lorenz on the theory that they killed Meindl during a burglary, following Lorenzs later-retracted confession that implicated Pugh.

In 2021, a review led by former DA John J. Flynn suggested convicted murderer Richard Matt, who escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015 and was later killed by federal agents, could have been responsible. However, both Flynn and Wojtaszek dismissed this theory.

One of Pughs attorneys, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, urged the DAs office to reopen the investigation, but the office declined to comment.

Author: Sophia Brooks