Jenkins Enters Plea in Infant Son’s Death

The evidence against him leads to a guilty plea

Itasca County Attorney John J. Muhar reports that on July 28, 2016, a hearing was held in Itasca County District Court in the case of State of Minnesota v. Emery James Jenkins.

Jenkins, 38, of the Deer River area in Minnesota, is charged with two counts of Murder in the First Degree and one count of Murder in the Second Degree.

Charges are based on an investigation conducted by the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension into the death of Jenkins’ two month old son, which happened on October 17, 2014.

At the hearing, Jenkins pled guilty to an amended charge of Manslaughter in the First Degree – Malicious Punishment of a Child. During his guilty plea, Jenkins stated that he was innocent but agreed that the evidence against him would be sufficient for him to be found guilty of the charge if there was a trial.

Manslaughter in the First Degree is committed when a person causes the death of another while committing the crime of Malicious Punishment of a Child. The maximum penalty for this crime is 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine.

Jenkins will be held in the Itasca County Jail pending a further hearing. His hearing is set for August 17, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.