Man convicted of 1984 Minneapolis murder after DNA linked him to crime scene decades later

MINNEAPOLIS — A 67-year-old man from Illinois pleaded guilty on Wednesday to 1984 Murder of Robert Miller in a residential building in south Minneapolis.

Thanks to advances in DNA technology, investigators were able to track down Matthew Brown last year.

Through genealogical research, a likely suspect was identified, and in March 2023, investigators found the suspect’s discarded cup and made a DNA match.

In the early morning of July 17, 1984, Miller was killed in a struggle with an intruder, according to police. Another victim suffered a cut to the face in the incident. She and another witness reported that a man broke into her apartment in the 3200 block of Girard Avenue South and attacked her with a knife.

Officers found bloodstains on the kitchen floor, in the hallway and on the back doorknob that could not be traced to either victim. These traces allowed investigators to create a DNA profile that linked Brown to the murder more than three decades later.

Brown worked as a security guard for the Minnesota Sex Offender Program in Moose Lake and ran a motel in nearby Cloquet for years. He most recently lived in Illinois.

Brown was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for premeditated murder, with 457 days of time already served being credited to him.