Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast - He Almost Got Away with This // He Almost Got Away With This

Episode Date: June 19, 2026

Mark Winger is an Illinois nuclear engineer who was initially hailed as a hero in 1995 after claiming he shot and killed a shuttle driver, Roger Harrington, who had broken into his Springfield home and bludgeoned Winger's wife, Donnah, with a hammer. Police originally closed the case believing Harrington acted in retaliation over a previous customer complaint, allowing Winger to collect life insurance and marry his daughter's new nanny.

This spring, denim gets a softer, lighter update. Introducing Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg, a new fit that moves with you. It's everything you want denim to feel like for summer. Easy, breathable, and effortlessly cool. With a fit that creates natural movement and a wide leg that feels modern, not overwhelming. Plus, that signature, wait, for this price, moment. Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg. So this guy cheats on his wife with her best friend, and then Mary

The Nanny, and that's not even the worst thing he did. So the guy's name is Winger, and Winger is 32 years old when this story starts, and he's living in Springfield, Illinois. But Winger has a problem. He's unhappy in his marriage, and he doesn't want to be with his wife anymore. In fact, he started smashing with his wife's best friend on the side, so his side chick. Now, Winger, he could just divorce his wife like a normal person, but then he might lose half his assets and lose custody of his daughter, and he doesn't want that. So he decides the best thing to do is murder her. Now, his wife is this woman, Donna. And so Winger wants Donna dead, but he's not exactly

sure how he's going to pull this off. Well, in 1995, he finally gets an opportunity. Because one day, Donna is returning home from the airport, and she had just taken a trip to see her parents, and she's riding in an airport shuttle van, and the driver of that shuttle van is this guy, Roger. Now, Roger, he has a history of mental health problems, and he had previously spent time in a psychiatric hospital. So he's not the most stable guy. And during the drive home, Roger starts having some kind of episode. Like he's suddenly saying some really weird things to Donna, like he's telling her how often he hears voices in his head, voices that tell him to hurt people.

Then, after a while, he starts flirting with her, then he even invites her to an upcoming sex party. And if that isn't bad enough, he's also speeding through all of this. Now, while all this is happening, Donna is just in the backseat, holding her baby, and she's scared for her life. Well, luckily, she makes it home alive.

But when she gets there, she tells Winger everything that just happened, about the absurd things the writer was saying and how he basically almost killed her and the baby with his crazy driving. So Winger, he gets all pissed off, and he decides to file a complaint with the shuttle company. And because of that, Roger ultimately gets suspended from his job. Then, over the next few days, Donna keeps getting strange phone calls from some anonymous person,

saying things like, I know where you live, and I'm going to get you. Now, she believes Roger is behind these calls and that he's now stalking her and that she's in danger. But it's never been confirmed who made these calls. It may have been Roger, it may not have been. Regardless, Winger is watching all of this unfold,

and that is when he gets an idea. Roger is allegedly being creepy to Donna, so if he murders Donna now, he can blame it on Roger. So he comes up with an exact plan. Execute Donna, then stage the scene to make it look like Roger came back for revenge after losing his job.

And so he gets to work on this plan, and he contacts the airport shuttle company again, and this time he gets Roger's phone number. Then he calls Roger and he starts acting all friendly, and he tells him, I'm sorry you lost your job, bro. Maybe we can meet and talk, and maybe we can help you get back on your feet. And Roger's like, all right. Now, here's where his plan gets really dark. So the agreed upon day comes, and Roger shows up at Winger's house to talk,

and Winger welcomes him inside, and he leads him to the dining area, and the two are there chatting, and then suddenly Winger pulls out a gun, and blam! Blam! He shoots Roger, and unfortunately, Roger doesn't survive. Now, we don't know all the exact details, so some of this is speculation, but from what we can tell, Donna is in the other room, room and she hears the gunshot and she immediately runs there to see what's happening. And when she gets there, suddenly, Pow, Winger attacks her with a hammer. And he hits her over and over again until she's no longer moving. After that, Winger picks up the phone and he calls 911 and he starts acting all shaken up and he gives

them a bullshit story. He says, a guy broke in and attacked my wife with a hammer and I had to shoot him. And so police show up and Winger tells them the same thing that he was only defending his wife. And to police, this story, it all seems to line up. Roger did have a history of mental health issues, and he also had a history of violent behaviors in the past, and he was also acting really weird toward Donna in the shuttle van. And so eventually, police close this case. And Winger gets away with double murder. Not only that, but he ends up because,

becoming popular. Like people around him and the local media, they start labeling him as a local hero because he tried to fight off his wife's attacker. So about five months pass, and it's now 1996, and Winger is now a single dad. And so he hires a young, live-in nanny to help care for his daughter. And pretty quickly, over time, Winger and his nanny, they grow really close, and Winger starts thinking that she kind of foin. And she starts thinking that he kind of fine. And so they start smashing and eventually dating, which means that Winger has to break off his relationship with the other woman he was dating. Remember that side chick winger had while he was married, Donna's best friend?

Well, he's still seeing this side chick. But now he wants to be with this nanny. So he leaves side chick and he gets into a relationship with this nanny. And later that same year, Winger and the nanny, they get married. And he like starts a whole new life with her And they go on to move to a farmhouse outside the city And they have three kids So it seems like Winger has gotten everything he wanted

Donna is gone for good And he has a new wife and a new family And even better No one suspects that he's involved in Donna's death Visit BetMDM Casino And check out the newest exclusive The Price is Right Fortune Pick BetMDM and Game Sense remind you to play

responsibly. 19 plus to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2,600 to speak to an advisor, free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. The 2006 Chevrolet Equinox awarded the most dependable compact SUV in the U.S. by J.D. Power is designed for your every day.

and with available all-wheel drive, you can handle your to-do list with total confidence. Start your build at Chevrolet.ca. Details at JD.Power.com. Until... Until 1999, when Winger's old side chick comes back into the story.

Because back when they were together, Winger used to confide in her, and he constantly talked about how unhappy he was and his marriage to Donna and how badly he wanted her gone. And when Roger entered the picture, he even told Sidechick that he needed to find a way to get Roger inside his house. Now, at the time, Sidechick thought that, you know, he was just joking around, maybe talking shit,

because surely no one would actually do something like that. But after Donna and Roger ended up dead, Sidechick was certain Winger must have been involved. But for whatever reason, she didn't report anything to the police. I guess she's worried she would be implicated in it. Well, since then, Winger and Sidechick, of course, broke up. But one day, that same year, 1999, Winger gets sick, and he gets taken to the hospital. And Sidechick just so happens to work at that same hospital as a nurse.

So she ends up running into him, and she sees him living this happy life with this new woman after he committed double murder. So she confronts him about it, and she says, how do you live with yourself? And Winger, he's all arrogant and he says, well, I found Jesus, so I am forgiven. And this really pisses side chick off. I mean, she is not going to let him get away with this. Honestly, I think she's just still a little salty because he left her for the nanny. But, you know, whatever. Regardless, she goes and she reports him to the police.

And police reopen the investigation and they start finding all this evidence against him. And so, bam, Winger is arrested. Here's his mugshot. and he goes to trial and he's found guilty and he gets sentenced to life in prison and later while he's in prison he tries to hire a hitman to go and kill sidechick on the outside but he gets caught and he's convicted for that and he gets sentenced to an additional 35 years