£20,000 reward for killer of Jinming Zhang, stabbed at Digbeth brothel flat in 2022

Crimestoppers is offering £20,000 for information leading to the conviction of the killer of Jinming Zhang, found stabbed at a Birmingham flat in February 2022.

£20,000 reward offered three years on from Digbeth murder

Crimestoppers has announced 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 News reports.

Zhang was discovered on 9 February 2022 at a property on Moseley Street in Digbeth, which West Midlands Police said was being used as a brothel. He had been stabbed multiple times.

Despite CCTV footage of a suspect being released previously, and a DNA sample recovered from the scene, no match has been found on the national database. Forensic analysis of the sample concluded with 99.99% probability that the suspect was a black male.

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

Investigators believe the suspect may have sustained a hand injury during the attack. Police have said robbery is the suspected motive, though this has not been confirmed.

The case was featured in the BBC documentary series Forensics: The Real CSI last year, drawing renewed public attention to the unsolved killing.

Detective Jenny Birch, who has been overseeing the investigation, appealed directly to the public. "Someone out there knows something, and we won't give up until we have answers," she said. "Mr Zhang was killed in such awful circumstances, and we will not stop until we find out who did this to him."

Birch also urged people not to fear coming forward with names. "The DNA sample we have means that we are able to quickly and easily eliminate people from our ongoing investigation," she added.

Crimestoppers confirmed the reward is available to anyone who provides information anonymously that directly leads to the killer's conviction.

Source: BBC News