£20,000 reward for information on 2022 stabbing murder in Birmingham brothel flat

Crimestoppers is offering £20,000 for information on the 2022 murder of Jinming Zhang, found stabbed in a Digbeth flat used as a brothel.

£20,000 reward offered three years after Digbeth murder

Crimestoppers is offering a £20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person responsible for the murder of Jinming Zhang, a Chinese national found stabbed to death in a Birmingham flat in February 2022, bbc.co.uk reports.

Zhang had been stabbed multiple times before his body was discovered at a property on Moseley Street in Digbeth, which West Midlands Police said was being used as a brothel at the time.

Despite CCTV footage of a suspect being released previously, and a DNA sample recovered from the scene, investigators have so far been unable to identify the killer. The DNA sample did not produce a match on the national database, though forensic testing concluded with 99.99% probability that the suspect was a black male.

The case was featured in the BBC series Forensics: The Real CSI, which revealed that detectives believe the suspect may have sustained a hand injury during the attack.

The masked suspect captured on CCTV near Barford Street, just before the murder, was described as black, in his late 20s at the time, approximately 5ft 4ins tall and of average build. He was seen wearing a dark hat and dark clothing.

Detective Jenny Birch, who has been overseeing the investigation, made a direct appeal to members of the public. "Someone out there knows something, and we won't give up until we have answers," she said.

Birch added that the motive was thought to have been robbery, though police have not been able to confirm this. She urged anyone with information, however minor, to come forward.

"Mr Zhang was killed in such awful circumstances, and we will not stop until we find out who did this to him," Birch said. "People needn't be afraid to come forward with names. The DNA sample we have means that we are able to quickly and easily eliminate people from our ongoing investigation."

The Crimestoppers reward is available for information provided anonymously that directly leads to the conviction of whoever was responsible for Zhang's death.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)