Jury Finds Daniel Kenning Guilty of Premeditated Murder

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A Stearns County jury has found a St. Cloud man guilty of murdering a woman seven years ago.

Forty-five-year-old Daniel Kenning was found guilty of 1st-degree premeditated murder in the strangling death of 45-year-old Jennifer Moy. Kenning argued he was not guilty by means of mental illness. He told authorities God told him to kill someone and that he'd be able to resurrect them.

The jury returned the guilty verdict on Wednesday afternoon following a two-and-a-half-week trial.

In September 2018, Kenning brought Moy back to his house and strangled her. Kenning then walked into the St. Cloud Police Department and told officers he had just killed someone. Officers responded to Kenning's house at 1121 10th Avenue North and found the Blaine woman dead inside.

Court records show the investigation determined Kenning picked up Moy the night before and drove her back to his house, where he handcuffed her to a table, tied up her legs, and then intentionally strangled her until she died.

Kenning had undergone multiple mental competency evaluations ahead of the charges and was found competent in December 2024.

A sentencing date has been set for October 2nd. A 1st-degree premeditated murder charge in Minnesota carries a sentence of life in prison.