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.