Mohamud Bulle sentenced to 19.5 years for 2013 Minneapolis park rape after DNA backlog testing
Mohamud Bulle, 36, was sentenced to 235 months (19.5 years) — 187 months for first‑degree criminal sexual conduct and 48 months for kidnapping, to run consecutively — after a jury convicted him in the Oct. 13, 2013 rape of Melissa Zimmerman in a Minneapolis park. The case was solved after the BCA tested a 2013 sexual‑assault kit in 2020 under the federal SAKI backlog program, producing a DNA profile that linked to another case in May 2024 and to Bulle in October 2024 when his DNA was obtained in an unrelated matter; Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty apologized for earlier delays, and Bulle, who received a separate 36‑month sentence in 2025, is incarcerated at MCF–Rush City with a projected release in March 2038 (248 days credit).
📌 Key Facts
- Mohamud Bulle, 36, was sentenced to 235 months total (187 months for first‑degree criminal sexual conduct plus 48 months for kidnapping), to be served consecutively — roughly 19.5 years.
- The victim, identified as Melissa Zimmerman, was assaulted Oct. 13, 2013, after being pushed into a ditch in a Minneapolis park.
- The case was solved through DNA testing of a 2013 sexual‑assault kit: the BCA tested the kit in 2020 under the federally funded Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) after MPD’s backlog of more than 1,700 untested kits was discovered in 2019.
- The 2020 testing produced an unknown male DNA profile that was later matched in May 2024 to another domestic sexual‑assault case; in Oct. 2024 a court‑ordered DNA sample from Bulle in an unrelated case matched that profile, leading to prosecution.
- Bulle had previously received a 36‑month sentence in March 2025 for a separate second‑degree assault with a dangerous weapon case involving a shooting and is incarcerated at MCF–Rush City.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty apologized to victims for delays, said her office has worked through the backlog, re‑contacted victims and filed charges where DNA hits enabled prosecution, and highlighted the role of the SAKI testing effort.
- Zimmerman and her husband said MPD previously told them the rape kit had been submitted for testing (the husband called that a 'bold‑faced lie'); Zimmerman disputed a criminal‑complaint notation that she had declined to move forward and said she does not recall that conversation.
- DOC records credit Bulle with 248 days time served and show a projected release date in March 2038 under Minnesota’s two‑thirds rule (making him eligible after serving roughly two‑thirds of the sentence, about 13 years).
📰 Sources (4)
Muhamud Bulle sentenced to over 19 years in Minneapolis stranger rape cold case
New information:
- Breakdown of sentence into consecutive terms: 187 months (criminal sexual conduct) + 48 months (kidnapping) = 235 months total.
- DOC records show a projected release date in March 2038 (two‑thirds rule), with 248 days of credit for time served.
- MPD had more than 1,700 untested sexual‑assault kits discovered in 2019; testing advanced via the federally funded Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) in 2020.
- Victim Melissa Zimmerman and her husband alleged MPD previously told them the kit had been submitted for testing, which they called a 'bold‑faced lie'; Zimmerman also disputed an early notation that she declined to proceed.
- Timeline detail: 2020 testing produced an unknown male DNA profile; in May 2024 it matched another unknown domestic sexual assault case; in Oct. 2024 Bulle was identified, compelled to provide DNA, and matched.
Mohamud Bulle sentenced to over 19 years in Minneapolis stranger rape cold case
New information:
- Victim Melissa Zimmerman said a criminal‑complaint notation that she declined to move forward early in the case was inaccurate; she does not recall that conversation.
- Zimmerman’s husband said an MPD investigator told them the rape kit had been submitted for testing, which he called a 'bold‑faced lie.'
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty highlighted at a press conference that MPD had more than 1,700 untested sexual‑assault kits discovered in 2019 and that testing advanced under the 2020 federal SAKI program.
- DOC records credit Bulle with 248 days time served and show a projected release in March 2038 (eligibility after serving roughly two‑thirds, or about 13 years).
- Sequence detail: a May 2024 DNA match linked the profile to another case; in October 2024, a court‑ordered DNA sample from Bulle in an unrelated attempted‑murder/assault matter matched, and he had separately received a 36‑month sentence in that case.
Minneapolis man sentenced for 2013 assault solved years later through DNA testing
New information:
- Defendant identified as Mohamud Bulle, 36; sentenced to a total of 235 months (187 months for first-degree criminal sexual conduct + 48 months for kidnapping), to be served consecutively.
- Victim identified as Melissa Zimmerman; assaulted Oct. 13, 2013 after being pushed into a ditch in a Minneapolis park.
- Case solved through DNA from a 2013 sexual assault kit tested by the BCA in 2020 under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative addressing MPD’s backlog of 1,700+ untested kits.
- DNA profile initially had no match; later linked to an unidentified male in a 2024 domestic CSC case, and in Oct. 2024 matched to Bulle when his DNA was obtained in an unrelated case.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty apologized to victims for delays and said the office has worked through the backlog, re-contacted victims, and filed charges where DNA hits enabled prosecution.
- Bulle previously received a 36-month sentence in March 2025 for a separate second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon case involving a shooting; he is incarcerated at MCF–Rush City.