Marysville police finally made an arrest on Monday in the 1998 murder of 19-year-old Jennifer Brinkman. Suspected killer Jeffrey Paul Premo, 52, had been living and working in the east Puget Sound area since before the murder took place, but advances in DNA technology finally tied the Renton man to the teen’s murder. Brinkman was discovered dead by her father at their home in March of 1998 while her family went on vacation. Detectives described Brinkman as a social person, who used dating sites and phone chat lines to meet people, including Premo. Her autopsy would later reveal she was attacked by an axe in the neck, though a motive for the killing is still unknown. “Solving this case has been at the top of the priority list of the Marysville Police Department for the past 24+ years,” said Police Chief Erik Scairpon in a statement. Brinkman’s father passed away in 2013, but her mother was reportedly overwhelmed when told of the arrest, Commander Robb Lamoureux said during a Tuesday press conference. “She cried and was very thankful for the work we put into it,” Lamoureux said.
