Minneapolis man sentenced for 2013 assault solved years later through DNA testing

HCAO on DNA leads to sentence in 2013 sexual assault [RAW]

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty held a press conference following the sentencing of Mohamud Bulle, who was convicted in October of criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping. DNA from the 2013 sexual assault kit was tested in 2020, as part of the BCA’s effort to investigate previously untested kits, and ultimately linked Bulle to the case in 2024.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for a 2013 attack solved years later when evidence was tested as part of an effort to clear a backlog of untested sexual assault kits.

Sentencing for 2013 sexual assault

The sentencing:

A jury found Mohamud Bulle, 36, guilty on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of kidnapping for the 2013 attack. He was sentenced on Wednesday to 187 months for the sexual assault and 48 months for the kidnapping, to be served consecutively, totaling 235 months (19.5 years), according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. 

The backstory:

The attack occurred on Oct. 13, 2013, when Melissa Zimmerman became separated from her group at an event in Minneapolis. Bulle offered her his phone to make a call, and after she returned it, he pushed her into a ditch in a nearby park and assaulted her. 

A passerby helped her and called 911. She was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center where she underwent a sexual assault examination.  

Untested sexual assault kits 

Big picture view:

In 2019, over 1,700 untested sexual assault kits were discovered at the Minneapolis Police Department during an audit. The following year, federal grants through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) were used to address this backlog, resulting in all kits being analyzed and or tested by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), according to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. 

In 2020, the BCA tested Zimmerman’s 2013 sexual assault kit and obtained a DNA profile, but it didn’t match any known profile at the time. It later matched an unidentified male in a 2024 domestic criminal sexual conduct case, but it wasn't until October of that year, when Bulle's DNA was obtained through an unrelated case, that a match was found.

What they're saying:

"To Melissa Zimmerman and to all those victims who had to wait years to have their cases examined, I am so sorry. You deserve to have your cases prioritized and taken seriously. Nothing can make up for the time you had to wait and for the way your cases were treated," said Moriarty. "But I want you to know that we will continue to prioritize these cases for those who are harmed by sexual assault with the support, resources, and dignity they deserve."

Moriarty highlighted the efforts since 2020 to address the backlog, stating, "In the last five years, we have worked through more than 1,700 backlogged sexual assault kits, reestablished contact with and provided resources for victims, and filed criminal charges in cases where there have been DNA hits that allowed us to move forward."

What's next:

In March 2025, Bulle was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, in exchange for an attempted murder charge being dropped, for reportedly shooting another man in the face. 

Bulle is currently incarcerated in Rush City prison.