Man found guilty in Minneapolis 1991 cold case murder

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A St. Paul, Minnesota man has been found guilty in a Minneapolis murder from nearly 30 years ago, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

The decision came Wednesday following a stipulated facts and evidence trial. Donald Jenkins Jr., 58, was found guilty of second-degree murder for stabbing 20-year-old Belinda Thompson to death in 1991.

Jenkins was charged two years ago after Minneapolis police and the FBI reopened the case. According to the complaint, investigators linked Jenkins' DNA to a mixture of DNA found on a bloody washcloth in Thompson's apartment after the murder.

In December 2018, Jenkins confessed to the murder in a police interview, according to officials. He had been previously interviewed by police in Thompson's murder in 1992 and 2010.

Jenkins waived his right to a jury trial and agreed to a court trial based upon stipulated facts and evidence.

He will be sentenced on Dec. 14.