Deondre Dawson Murder Suspect Convicted

EVANSTON, IL - A conviction has been made in one of the most notorious cold murder cases in Evanston.

Jimmie Dunlap was found guilty Thursday by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Warnick after a bench trial in the Deondre Dawson murder case from 1992. Dunlap was charged with Dawson’s murder in 2013 when DNA evidence linked the Chicago man to the apartment unit stabbing that went unsolved for more than two decades.

Dawson was discovered “brutally murdered” in her apartment in the 600 block of Sherman Ave. on April 23, 1992, according to Evanston police. She was stabbed multiple times and her 4-year-old son was found in the apartment unharmed by authorities.

After numerous leads, detectives were finally able to connect Dunlap to the murder in 2013 after reopening the case and re-submitting evidence from the scene to the Illinois State Police Crime Laboratory for advanced DNA analysis.

DNA evidence were found at multiple locations at the crime scene, including on Dawson herself and the knife used in the stabbing.

At the time of his arrest, police learned Dunlap had “some type of relationship” with Dawson.

Several of Dawson’s family members were present for the trial, including her mother and son, according to police.

"The Evanston Police Department is thankful to bring some peace, closure and justice to the family and friends of Deondre Dawson," the department wrote in a statement Thursday.

Dunlap will be sentenced on May 24.