• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




Evaluation ordered for Finnegan at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute

Posted at 4:44 pm September 15, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Sean Finnegan, one of two defendants in a series of gruesome alleged crimes in Oak Ridge some time between December 2019 and August 2020, including murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping, is pictured above in a mugshot from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

A forensic evaluation has been ordered for Sean Finnegan—one of two defendants in a murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping case in Oak Ridge—at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute.

The forensic evaluation was ordered last Tuesday by Anderson County General Sessions Court Judge Roger Miller. The order was based upon a petition by the defense and a recommendation from Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services. Finnegan, 52, had an evaluation scheduled at Ridgeview in Oak Ridge on August 31.

Under the new order, he is to be evaluated at the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute—Intensive Services Program for a maximum of 30 days regarding his competency to stand trial and his mental condition at the time of the alleged crimes (the insanity defense).

IQ testing is to be included in the evaluation, the order said. The mental health evaluation is also expected to include a finding about whether Finnegan meets specific criteria for being committed.

It’s not unusual for defendants in homicide cases to have a mental health evaluation of this type. The results are generally not available to the public.

A psychiatric examination has been ordered for Finnegan’s co-defendant, Rebecca Dishman, 22, at Ridgeview in Oak Ridge on Wednesday.

Rebecca Dishman, one of two defendants in a series of gruesome alleged crimes in Oak Ridge some time between December 2019 and August 2020, including murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping, is pictured above in a mugshot from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

No other information has been released publicly about the case since arrest affidavits were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge on August 6.

Oak Ridge Today has asked follow-up questions about the alleged murder of Jennifer Gail Paxton, the 36-year-old victim, by Finnegan and Dishman. Police said Finnegan and Dishman tortured, raped, and strangled Paxton before her mutilated body was stuffed into a freezer in a home on East Fairview Road.

Among the questions:

  1. Does ORPD know when the alleged crimes against Paxton occurred?
  2. How did ORPD receive the report of a possible homicide at the home?
  3. Had ORPD received a report of Paxton as a missing person?
  4. Was anyone else living at the East Fairview Road home in Oak Ridge, and were any crimes allegedly committed against anyone else in the home?

In August, City of Oak Ridge spokesperson Lauren Gray said the Oak Ridge Police Department cannot release any more information about the case beyond what is already in arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

That’s not unusual in criminal cases. Prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and defense attorneys are generally reluctant to discuss information about criminal cases that is not included in court records or stated in court hearings.

Finnegan and Dishman are charged with murder, sex crimes, kidnapping, and abuse of a corpse in a series of gruesome alleged crimes against Paxton. Bond for both defendants has been set at $1 million.

Finnegan has been charged with five felonies after the Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a homicide report at the home on East Fairview Road on Wednesday night, August 5, and found Paxton’s body during a search of the home early Thursday, August 6. The five felony charges against Finnegan are first-degree murder, aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.

Dishman has also been charged with five felonies: first-degree murder, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.

Jennifer Gail Paxton, the 36-year-old victim of an alleged murder and other gruesome crimes, is pictured above in a photo used with the family’s permission.

Arrest warrants filed for Finnegan and Dishman said they lured Paxton to the home in east Oak Ridge with the promise of a place to stay.

But once at the home, Paxton became the victim of a series of gruesome crimes, according to the warrants, which were filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Sergeant Marvell Moore.

The warrants said both Finnegan and Dishman admitted to their crimes after being read their Miranda rights.

It’s not clear when the alleged crimes occurred. The affidavits attached to the warrants said they occurred on or after December 23, 2019.

Pictured above at center is the Oak Ridge home at 318 East Fairview Road where Jennifer Gail Paxton, 36, of Knoxville was allegedly killed by two defendants, Sean Finnegan and Rebecca Dishman, in a series of gruesome crimes that included murder. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

More information will be added as it becomes available.

You can contact John Huotari, owner and publisher of Oak Ridge Today, at (865) 951-9692 or [email protected]

Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. This is a free story. Thank you to our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. You can see what we cover here.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

Copyright 2021 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: abuse of a corpse, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, aggravated sexual battery, Anderson County General Sessions Court, first-degree murder, forensic evaluation, Jennifer Gail Paxton, kidnapping, Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute, murder, Oak Ridge Police Department, Rebecca Dishman, Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services, Roger Miller, Sean Finnegan, tampering with evidence

Advertisements

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Police and Fire News

Council to discuss fatal police shooting, Gateway Project

Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge of a proposed sign along South Illinois Avenue/Pellissippi Parkway (State Route 62) The Oak Ridge City Council this evening will discuss a fatal police shooting in August and this … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge Police Department Badge

DA: No charges will be filed in fatal police shooting

No criminal charges will be filed against three Oak Ridge Police Department officers after a fatal shooting on Briar Road in August, the county's top prosecutor said Monday. Seventh Judicial District Attorney General … [Read More...]

Eric Rackard is new Oak Ridge fire marshal

Eric Rackard The City of Oak Ridge has named Eric Rackard as its new fire marshal. Rackard, who has recently served as an Oak Ridge Fire Department battalion chief, takes on the new role following Travis Solomon’s … [Read More...]

ORFD photographer dies at 88

Tom Scott (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge) Tom Scott—photographer for the Oak Ridge Fire Department who kept historic fire trucks, equipment, and literature at his home—died Saturday. He was 88. Scott was born in … [Read More...]

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

For members: Mason indicted on attempted murder, assault charges

Charles Edward Mason, 53, has been indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on one count of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of aggravated assault, among other charges. He pleaded not guilty in Anderson … [Read More...]

More Police and Fire

Recent Posts

  • TVA conducting maintenance at Bull Run
  • Basketball: Girls, boys play for district championships
  • Natural gas rates will rise, expected to drop when prices decline
  • Lady Wildcats play in district semifinal game Friday night
  • Planning Commission to discuss district that would allow motorsports park
  • City has second public meeting on new entrance sign
  • Council to discuss fatal police shooting, Gateway Project
  • Hear from ORNL scientists who worked on Perseverance mission
  • Bienvenue named first executive director of Oak Ridge Institute
  • Breakfast with Legislators resumes Monday

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2021 Oak Ridge Today