Texas man pleads guilty in 1995 cold case murder of California mom, authorities say

An admitted murderer from Texas has pleaded guilty to the cold case murder of a mother in California who was attacked while she was jogging on a trail 26 years ago, authorities said Monday.

James Earl Watkins pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and admitted to 3 special allegations for kidnapping, robbery and lying in wait in connection to the killing of 37-year-old Christine Munro, the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

GEORGIA MAN CHARGED IN 33-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE MURDER OF YOUNG BOY AFTER HIS UBER DRIVER GETS PULLED OVER

Munro, a nurse and mother of four children, was jogging along the south side of the Sacramento River Trail on June 24, 1995, when she was killed in an attack that shocked the community, police have said. 

Despite working hundreds of hours collecting evidence and interviewing dozens of witnesses and suspects, police said that investigators could not find any solid leads. A convicted rapist falsely confessed to the killing in 1997, and over the subsequent years, the case went cold.

Detectives began reviewing the case in 2019 with the help of modern DNA technology. They submitted fingernail scrapings from Munro for DNA analysis and came up with a match.

The match belonged to Watkins, then 42-years-old, who was serving a 14-year sentence in a Texas state prison for robbery, police said. Over the course of the investigation, detectives learned of Watkins’ extensive criminal history and got a search warrant for his DNA. 

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Watkins’ DNA matched the DNA found under Munro’s fingernails and officials issued a warrant for his arrest.

Watkins will receive three life sentences without the possibility of parole, the district attorney’s office said. Munro’s three surviving children were notified and were pleased with the case’s resolution.

Watkins was scheduled to be sentenced on August 25.