TONAWANDA — A jury on Friday convicted Brian Scott Lorenz of murder and burglary in the 1993 killing of Deborah Meindl near Buffalo, ending his third trial in the case. His lawyers plan to appeal the decision.

Meindl, 33, a nursing student and mother of two, was stabbed dozens of times and strangled inside her home in Tonawanda in 1993. Her body was found by her 10-year-old daughter.

Police began investigating Lorenz and James Pugh on the theory that they killed Meindl during a home burglary. The two were charged after Lorenz, then under arrest for another crime in Iowa, confessed to the killing and implicated Pugh. Lorenz later said his confession was false, and both men denied involvement.

Lorenz and Pugh were convicted in 1994. In 2023, a judge ordered new trials for both men after new testing did not find their DNA at the crime scene, including on a knife used in the attack. The judge said prosecutors withheld some evidence that could have helped the defense.

In December, prosecutors dropped their efforts to retry Pugh just as a new trial was set to begin, citing an inability to meet the burden of proof due to the unavailability of critical witnesses and the inadmissibility of some evidence more than 30 years later. A second trial of Lorenz last year ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked, and prosecutors continued to pursue the case.

Representatives of Meindl's family, including her sister and her youngest daughter, were in court on Friday to watch the proceedings and thanked Erie County district attorney Michael J. Keane after the verdict. "This outcome is not just a legal victory: It is a testament to the persistence of truth and the unwavering commitment of dedicated public servants tasked with the pursuit of justice," Keane said.

Defense attorney Ilann M. Maazel said the verdict against his client was troubling. "It's very, very scary. I think innocence should matter. I think the truth should matter," Maazel said.