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DNA left on disposable cup led Minneapolis police to 1984 cold case murder suspect Matthew Brown

DNA left on disposable cup led Minneapolis police to 1984 cold case murder suspect Matthew Brown
DNA left on disposable cup led Minneapolis police to 1984 cold case murder suspect Matthew Brown 00:50

MINNEAPOLIS – New details have been released about what led Minneapolis police to an arrest in a nearly 40-year-old murder case in Hennepin County.

Matthew Brown, 66, is now charged with second-degree murder for a crime that dates back to 1984. Police say Brown killed Robert Miller 39 years ago this week.

RELATED: Minneapolis police arrest Illinois man in connection to 1984 murder

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Newly-obtained court documents show what led to Brown's arrest. State investigators developed a DNA profile for the suspect in 2018 and consulted with a genealogist.

Finally, in March of this year, they collected DNA that Brown left on a disposable cup. That DNA matched DNA in a blood sample found at the original crime scene.

Police say Brown was arrested in Illinois and extradited back to Minnesota. He's scheduled to appear in court this week.

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