Michigan man pleads no contest to 2003 murder of woman found in flint river

A 48-year-old man from Saginaw, Michigan has pleaded no contest to the 2003 murder of a woman whose body was discovered in the Flint River.

Authorities linked jason robert cabello to the cold case through dna evidence in 2024.

Cabello faces one count of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the death of 57-year-old Jeanette Wilton, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Wilton's body was found near her home in Saginaw on February 22, 2003, with signs of strangulation, stabbing, and blunt-force trauma to the head and face.

Cabello was previously in a relationship with a relative of Wilton's, but had no known association with her, authorities said.

The case was reopened by Michigan State Police's Third District Cold Case team in 2021, with help from Western Michigan University's cold case program and the MSP laboratory. DNA evidence ultimately led to Cabello's arrest in December 2024.