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Texas man pleads guilty to 1995 killing of California jogger

Gavel (FILE)
Posted
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Texas man who has spent much of his life in prison has pleaded guilty to the 1995 killing of a woman who was attacked as she jogged near the Sacramento River in California.

Shasta County prosecutors say 42-year-old James Earl Watkins pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder with allegations of robbery, kidnapping and lying in wait.

Redding police say DNA evidence from scraping under the victim's fingernails linked Watkins to the killing of Christine Munro, a 37-year-old mother of four.

Authorities say Watkins once lived in Redding but as of last year was serving a 14-year prison sentence in Texas for robbery.

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