PHOENIX (AP) - A former Phoenix-area man accused in the presumed death of his wife has been acquitted in the 32-year-old cold case.
The Arizona Republic reported Monday that a judge issued a direct verdict acquitting 56-year-old Kevin Jokumsen.
He was extradited from Washington state in September 2017 after being indicted on a second-degree murder charge.
Authorities say Donna Mae Jokumsen disappeared from her Chandler home in July 1987. She was 22 years old at the time and the mother of two sons, ages 1 and 3.
Chandler police reopened the case in 2013. Although there wasn't a body, an Arizona grand jury determined there was enough probable cause to charge Kevin Jokumsen.
His trial began in September 2019 and his lawyers recently filed a motion asking the judge for a direct verdict.
