Cold Case Finally Closed: Suspect in 1995 Murder of Wilma Mobley Identified
After more than two decades, the brutal murder of 84-year-old Wilma Mobley in Jerome, Idaho, has finally been solved. Mobley was found dead on August 10, 1995, after being strangled and attacked with an “axe-type instrument.” For years, police had identified several possible suspects, but never had enough evidence to conclusively solve the case. However, new developments and DNA collected from Mobley’s underwear at the time of her murder have led authorities to her neighbor, Danny Lee Kennison.
Jerome’s police chief, Duane Rubink, announced in a news release that Kennison, who committed suicide at his home in Filer, Idaho in 2001, was identified as the perpetrator. Kennison had been one of three possible suspects throughout the investigation, but without conclusive evidence the case eventually went cold.
Authorities continued to pursue the case, seeking help from the FBI and the Idaho State Police Laboratory to catch the killer. It wasn’t until a new detective reviewed the case in 2022 and submitted evidence for analysis in 2023 that a breakthrough came. State police lab technicians reported they had found a “significant amount of a DNA profile” matching Kennison on a pin from Mobley’s underwear.
“With the amount of DNA matching Kennison, excluding the other suspects named in the case file, and no other DNA profiles present, the Jerome Police Department is closing this case,” Rubink said.
The detective who handled the case met with family members to break the news and the Jerome Police Department expressed their gratitude to all the officers, detectives, and prosecutors who worked on the case over the years.
Jerome is located about 115 miles southeast of Boise and this closure has brought some peace to Mobley’s family. “Advances in DNA science have the power to reveal the truth even after years of uncertainty,” the Idaho State Police said in a Facebook post. “Science, when combined with a relentless dedication to investigation, can unravel mysteries and bring closure to victims and their families.”