The Murder of Tristan Jensen
For this case I watched an episode of Solved. It’s season 3 episode 4, titled ‘The Bully.’
The remains of a 14 year old boy are found in a sewer.
Background
Tristan Jensen had a rough life. His mom passed away from cancer, and his dad was in jail. Tristan eventually moved in with his grandmother Betty Simon. His aunt Shelly, and two cousins Matthew and Brandon lived next door. When he turned 13, he moved into his aunt’s home.
Tristan was described as very popular. He had the ability to become friends with anyone he met, and everyone wanted to be around him.
Tristan Jensen
The Disappearance
On September 28, 1998, workers in found remains in a sewage drain. Many of the workers and police investigators thought that it was some kind of joke or prank, but soon discovered it was anything but a joke.
The remains were identified as human, and that they were the bones of someone around the ages of 13-17 years old. A jawbone was found on the ledge of the sewer, and there were still some teeth intact.
The police checked missing persons reports, and actually found a missing persons flyer on the door of a local business. The report was of a 14 year old boy named Tristan Jensen. His family had reported him missing 7 weeks earlier.
The police went to speak to Tristan’s grandmother and aunt. Tristan’s aunt said she heard about the discovery of the remains on the radio, and that she had a gut feeling it was Tristan.
Tristan disappeared after leaving the house to go skateboarding. He and his grandmother had a brief argument over doing chores, and he left the house. He still had returned home by later that evening. His family called the police the next day.
The Investigation
The police asked Tristan’s family if they had any items that they could use to positively identify the remains. Tristan’s grandmother had one of his baby teeth, and it was sent in for testing. The remains were positively identified as Tristan’s. His family was heartbroken.
Tristan’s remains were sent to the coroner for further testing. Sadly, the cause of death was ruled as undetermined due to the decomposition. The police believed that the sewer gases had skeletonized the bones so quickly. They also believed that Tristan was very small, and probably didn’t go inside the sewer on his own. He had probably been placed there by whoever killed him.
The police canvassed the area, and when they were doing so, a 15 year old boy named J.P. Remsen said he had seen a dark colored van in the area. He saw some people that he described as being Hispanic, put something in the manhole.
The police questioned the neighbors about the van. No one else had seen anything, but they did know J.P., and knew that he was a very troubled boy. The neighbors said that J.P. would often play in the manhole and set off fireworks. J.P.’s backyard faced the manhole where Tristan’s jawbone was found.
A Very Strange Family
The police went to J.P.’s home to speak with him again. When they arrived, they could see a box of knives sitting in the doorway.
J.P.’s dad answered the door, and told them that J.P. would be home from school later on. When the police returned, the box of knives were gone.
J.P. was only 15 years old at the time, but he was about 6’0,” and 270 pounds. The police asked him about Tristan, and J.P. said he didn’t know Tristan.
The police didn’t have many questions for J.P., but they did question the neighbors about the Remsen family. They discovered that Mr. Remsen built fireworks in the garage, even though it was illegal in Redlands, California.
The police also contacted the local high school, and discovered that J.P. did know Tristan. They had a dispute at school just a few weeks before Tristan was killed.
An Explosive Discovery
The police obtained a warrant to search the Remsen home. J.P. was becoming their primary person of interest.
When the police were inside the home, they found several blood stains. However, their search came to an abrupt end when some investigators found explosive devices in the Remsen garage and kitchen. In fact, they later said that they found about 1,000 pounds of explosive devices. A bomb squad had to be brought in twice, and a hole had to be dug, so that they could deactivate these devices.
J.P.’s parents John and Susan were taken into custody. They were charged with explosives, child endangerment and on automatic weapons charges.
Once the devices were all found and taken out of the house, the police were finally able to do a proper search. Inside the Remsen home, the police found a trail of blood leading from the stairs to the garage. There were several blood stains in the garage, that the police didn’t even need to use luminol or any chemicals. The evidence suggested that a beating or stabbing had been done, and that no one had tried to clean up any evidence.
The Confession
J.P. Remsen was pulled out of school, and agreed to come to the station for an interview.
The police asked J.P. if he had ever had Tristan over to his house. He said no. J.P. eventually told the police that he didn’t like Tristan, but he would never want him dead.
After a few hours of being interviewed, J.P. finally admitted that Tristan had been at his house, and that there had been an accident. J.P. said he was a knife collector, and that Tristan wanted to buy a knife from him. J.P. said the two of them got into an argument, Tristan fell down the stairs with a knife in his hand, and fell onto the knife. The police didn’t believe his story.
J.P. then admitted to killing Tristan. He said he had stabbed Tristan twice in the chest, and then dragged him into the garage. He then dragged his body outside, over the wall and into some bushes. About an hour after the murder, he then put Tristan’s body into the manhole. All of this occurred in a span of a few hours, in broad daylight.
J.P. agreed to go back to the scene of the crime, and do a reenactment for the police. The police said they were shocked by J.P.’s reenactment, and that he showed no emotion.
J.P.’s dad took a polygraph, but his mom refused. There was no evidence that they helped J.P. or had any knowledge that Tristan was dead. J.P. had tried to explain to his mom why there might be blood in the house. He had called her after he killed Tristan, and told her that the dogs had gotten into an argument, and one of them had bled.
Arrest and Conviction
The police believed J.P. had left one detail out of his story. They believed he had attempted to dismember Tristan. The police found Tristan’s shoes and burned clothing in or near the home. They also found a hacksaw in the garage, but the test showed that the blood on it was animal blood.
J.P. was charged with first degree murder, and was tried in a bench trial as an adult.
During the trial, it was discovered that Tristan had reported that J.P. had brought alcohol to school. J.P. got into trouble for it. It’s also believed that Tristan had been dating a girl that J.P. liked, and J.P. was very jealous.
On April 26, 2000, J.P. was found guilty of second degree murder. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Many investigators and Tristan’s family believe that J.P. should have been convicted of first degree murder. They believe J.P. had planned it out, and was very jealous of Tristan.
J.P. Remsen
Other
J.P.’s parents had pleaded guilty to weapons charges. John was sentenced to two years in prison, and Susan was given three years of probation.
J.P. has been denied parole, and has gotten into some other trouble while in prison. In 2006, he and another inmate assaulted a third inmate. He pleaded guilty to attempted murder, and was given a 10 year sentence.
In 2015, he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, after two syringes were found in his legal mail. He was sentenced to four years.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s safe to say J.P. didn’t have a great home life, however, that is no excuse to kill a 14 year old boy. Tristan’s life was taken because a local bully was jealous of him. He had his whole life ahead of him, and was brutally murdered over some petty drama. J.P. deserves to stay in prison for as long as possible. Many people, including Tristan’s family, believe he will hurt someone again if he is let out.
Sources
https://krazykillers.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/a-tale-of-two-boys/
https://www.dailybulletin.com/2010/03/28/redlands-murder-case-featured-on-solved/
https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2018/05/01/killer-of-redlands-boy-is-denied-parole/
https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2010/08/12/murder-revisited/
