DNA Leads To Indictment In Murder Investigation

CLEVELAND — After two years of investigation, a grand jury has indicted a 26-year-old for the murder of a woman in Slavic Village. Prosecutors said DNA evidence led to the indictment.

Jamal Kukla, 26, is accused of aggravated murder, kidnapping, felonious assault, gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

“This horrendous crime has left the victim’s family suffering with numerous questions for nearly two years,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “Thanks to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement agencies at every level, hopefully some of those questions will soon be answered."

On Sept. 17, 2018, a maintenance man at a church on Engel Avenue found a woman's body underneath a set of steps. The man called police and an investigation into the woman's death began.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office said the woman's death was a homicide, ruling that she had been killed by blunt force trauma to the head. Investigators tested DNA found at the scene against an index of DNA, but no match was found.

As police continued to search for the woman's killer, they turned to a familial DNA search tool, which mines a DNA database to find any DNA that may match an offender's relative. This second effort resulted in the identification of Kukla as a possible suspect, prosecutors said.

“More and more, familial analysis positively links DNA evidence from a crime scene to a suspect, providing investigators with leads that crack a case,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “I’m thankful that our Bureau of Criminal Investigations team was able to assist our local and federal partners in solving this brutal homicide.”

Law enforcement then obtained a sample of Kukla's DNA, which matched the DNA found at the crime scene, the indictment said. He was then taken into custody by the FBI and Cleveland police.

Kukla is being held at Cuyahoga County Jail on a $1 million bond.