With DNA evidence, St. Paul man convicted in 1991 killing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A St. Paul man has been convicted in the 1991 homicide of a woman, after authorities reopened the case two years ago and found DNA evidence on a bloody washcloth left at the scene. Donald Jenkins, Jr., was convicted Wednesday in the death of 20-year-old Belinda Thompson. Prosecutors say Jenkins was interviewed in 1992 and 2010 but didn’t admit to killing Thompson until 2018, after blurting out that his DNA was at the scene. He told investigators that he stabbed the woman in an apartment. Jenkins waived his right to a jury trial and agreed to a court trial based upon stipulated facts and evidence. He’ll be sentenced Dec. 14 on one count of intentional second-degree murder.