Mindy Morgenstern was murdered in September 2006 in her off-campus apartment in Valley City, North Dakota. The person convicted of her murder is Moe Maurice Gibbs, her neighbor and a former corrections officer at the Barnes County Jail. Gibbs was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Key details of the case include:
- Mindy was 22 years old and a senior at Valley City State University.
- She was strangled with a belt and stabbed, with the cause of death being a combination of asphyxiation and incised neck wounds.
- Pine-Sol cleaner was poured over her body, likely to destroy forensic evidence.
- DNA evidence under Mindy's fingernails matched Moe Gibbs, linking him to the crime scene.
- Gibbs had a criminal history, including a previous conviction for attempted premeditated murder and a name change from Glen Dale Morgan Jr.
- He was also linked by DNA to a 2004 sexual assault case.
- After his arrest, multiple inmates accused him of sexual assault while he worked as a corrections officer.
- Gibbs admitted to being in Mindy's apartment but claimed he was helping her with laundry.
- His first trial ended in a mistrial, but he was convicted in a second trial.
Moe Gibbs remains in prison serving his life sentence for Mindy Morgenstern's murder
