52-year-old Jeffrey Paul Premo was arrested on November 28, 2022 for the March 21, 1998 murder of 19-year-old Jennifer Brinkman in Marysville, Washington. Her father found her dead in her bedroom when he returned from a short holiday to California. She had been killed with an axe blow to her neck. There is no confirmation as to whether she was sexually assaulted.
A DNA sample of the suspect was found on the axe, although the biological source of the sample has not been disclosed. The FGG investigation was conducted by Parabon Nanolabs in partnership with the Marysville Police Department, beginning in 2020.
Investigators believe that Brinkman met Premo on a telephone chat line. He had written her a letter shortly before her murder which indicated that he knew her. Police state that they interviewed him at the time of the murder, but that there was not sufficient evidence to charge him with an offence.
On December 5, 2022, Premo was released on a $250,000 bond. He is facing a charge of first-degree murder in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Sources:
Dennis, Ellen. “Suspect in 1998 Marysville Homicide Cold Case Released on $250KBond.” Herald.net, December 5, 2023. Accessed May 30, 2023. https://www.heraldnet.com/news/suspect-in-1998-marysville-homicide-cold-case-released-on-250k-bond/,
Forensic Magazine. “DNA Leads to Original Suspect, Arrest in 1998 Murder.” Forensic Magazine, November 30, 2022. Accessed November 30, 2022. https://www.forensicmag.com/592398-Genealogy-Leads-to-Original-Suspect-in-1998-Murder/.
Kalmbacher, Colin. “Washington Police Identify Suspect in 1998 Cold Case Axe Murder of Teen Who Allegedly Met Her Killer on a. Chat Line.” Law & Crime, November 30, 2022. Accessed November 30, 2022. https://lawandcrime.com/crime/washington-police-identify-suspect-in-1998-cold-case-axe-murder-of-teen-who-allegedly-met-her-killer-on-a-chat-line/.
Land, Olivia. “Suspect Revealed in 1998 Murder of Washington Teen Jennifer Brinkman.” New York Post, November 30, 2022. Accessed November 30, 2022. https://nypost.com/2022/11/30/dna-testing-reveals-suspect-in-jennifer-brinkman-cold-case/.