Where is Jefer Negron Now? We discuss the murder of Minerva Cantu following the release of the 2023 Hulu true crime series Cold Case Files: DNA Speaks. This article contains disturbing details.
The true crime series from Hulu, Cold Case Files: DNA Speaks, covers various terrible crimes that have gone unsolved, but the advancements in studying DNA have led to cases finally being resolved, often decades after the crimes were committed initially.
Usually, when the crimes are committed, the technology was just not available to analyze the evidence the way it can be done today. However, as more techniques are developed, it leads to re-evaluating old crime scenes and possible closure and justice for those involved.
One of the cases that the show examines is the story of the murder of Minerva Cantu. The young mother was robbed and murdered, and the crime would go unsolved for nearly three decades.
Only the ability to re-evaluate DNA evidence that was originally found under the victim’s fingernails would lead to the case being re-opened.
This article will give you the basics behind the case as we answer the question: Where is Jefer Negron Now? The killer behind the Minerva Cantu murder.
Who is Jefer Negron, and what did he do?
Jefer Negron was found to be responsible for the murder of Minerva Cantu. Minerva was only twenty-six years old in November of 1990 when the attack occurred.
Minerva was known for selling jewelry at local flea markets and fairs. It seems that Negron wanted to rob Minerva and hatched a plan to go to her house and rob her of money and jewelry.
At the time of the crime, her eighteen-month-old son was in another room, but nothing happened to the young child.
Although the police would be suspicious of Jefer Negron, there was insufficient evidence to arrest and convict him. Negron had prior criminal convictions that included trafficking drugs.
How did Jefer Negron kill Minerva Cantu?
To facilitate the crime, after breaking into her home, Jefer Negron would tie Minerva’s hands and feet with a telephone cord and duct tape a towel around her face. This would cause Minerva to suffocate and die.
Her husband would find Minerva after he returned home from work, but she would already be dead.
Where is Jefer Negron Now?
Negron would be traced to his family home in South Carolina in 2016, twenty-six years after the crime. He would be arrested and would stand trial for the crime in 2019. The murder conviction was based on the DNA evidence and testimony from someone who knew Negron at the time of the crime, who disclosed information that Negron had spoken to him about robbing jewelry.
The trial would find the accused guilty of first-degree murder. The judge would sentence him to life in prison, with an opportunity of parole after twenty-five years.
Negron always maintained that he did not know Minerva and had not committed the crime.
After being sentenced, he would state, “I was not the one to do that, and I still maintained my innocence. [I] express my deep regret for what happened to the woman and her family. I wouldn’t want my family to go through that.”
