Suspect in stabbing death of young mother pleads not guilty

LOWELL, Mass. — Prosecutors say a young mother found dead in a Lowell home last week had been stabbed 58 times and had her neck fractured.

Leonard Robinson pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday on a murder charge in the death of Dejah Jenkins-Minus. He was held without bail. His attorney declined to comment.

The victim was found stabbed last Friday. Robinson was arrested Monday.

A neighbor told Boston 25 News he saw the victim go into the suspect’s home early Thanksgiving morning with her baby. Police say sometime in the hours after, the woman was murdered and the suspect took off with the baby.

That neighbor, Roger Rondeau, had a feeling something was wrong when he saw Dejah Jenkins-Minus showing up at his neighbor’s house at 3 in the morning Thanksgiving Day.

“She brought in her baby, the baby carrier, and a bag and he let her in,” said Rondeau. Hours later, while he was having his Thanksgiving dinner, he saw his neighbor Leonard Robinson drive off in her car. “We were having dinner and she was...not,” said Rondeau.

Police went to the home at the request of Jenkins-Minus’s family to check on her and her 2-month-old daughter when they didn’t show up for a Thanksgiving gathering.

Using a phone app, the Minus’ family was tracking her phone which was still inside Robinson’s home. Prosecutors say one family member managed to get in through a window and found a locked back bedroom.

“This family member began to hit it, kick it, and was able to gain entry into it and saw the body of Dejah Jenkins-Minus on the ground next to the air mattress,” said Middlesex County ADA Thomas Brant.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Prosecutors say Minus had a fractured neck and had 58 stab wounds. A knife was found near the victim. The ADA says they also found social media posts from Robinson “questioning whether he was the father of the child, questioning whether he should have a DNA test and also stating he was mad at Dejah,” said Brant.

The victim’s family and friends did not talk when they left the courthouse but Minus’ mother posted on Facebook she needed privacy writing, “Life for me will never be the same and I need time to adjust. Until then keep the love pouring, and keep her memory alive.”

Officials say the baby was unharmed.

In court, we learned Leonard was already up on gun charges out of Boston and he was on GPS. Investigators say the GPS actually helped them connect Robinson to the crime scene here.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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