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Prosecutor opposes release of teacher who killed prostitute in ‘fit of rage’

Richard Jensen Jr. was 44 years old when he stabbed a Grand Rapids prostitute 55 times in a “fit of rage.’’

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — More than 28 years after a Grand Rapids teacher fatally stabbed a prostitute in what was described as a “violent fit of rage,’’ the prosecutor’s office is asking that Richard Jensen Jr. remain locked up for the safety of the community.

“This was a particularly heinous and vicious crime,’’ Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker told the Michigan Parole Board ahead of Jensen’s parole hearing later this week. “I would object to his release.’’

Jensen, 72, is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder in the 1991 death of Kerry Mansfield. She was stabbed 55 times in a church parking lot.

A public hearing is set for Thursday, June 6 in Jackson to consider Jensen’s possible parole. A decision from the parole board could take several weeks.

“This was an attack in which he stabbed the victim over 50 times and then the defendant fled the scene,’’ Becker wrote in a letter to the parole board. “As the detective put it, ‘he had a dark side nobody knew about.’ This is probably an understatement.

“When a previously law-abiding citizen explodes in a violent fit of rage that would allow them to stab another human being 55 times and then ‘forget’ what occurred, there is a dark side that is very dangerous,’’ Becker wrote.

Jensen, then 44, was a teacher and hockey coach at Ottawa Hills High School. He met Mansfield, 23, in an area of Grand Rapids frequented by prostitutes. Jensen agreed to pay her $50 in exchange for sex.

The two went to a church parking lot off of Lake Drive SE near her home. There, Jensen said he could not go through with it. A fight ensued; Mansfield was stabbed repeatedly. The March 17, 1991 murder and Jensen’s arrest shocked the community.

Becker said even though Jensen may be suffering from dementia, it doesn’t justify parole.

“I can see that due to his age and mental health it could be argued he may not be a danger,’’ Becker wrote to the parole board. “However, fits of rage or violence are a common trait in people who suffer from dementia.’’

Releasing Jensen under such circumstances, Becker wrote, “seems like a recipe for disaster.’’

Jensen is serving his sentence at the Charles Egeler Reception & Guidance Center in Jackson. It is also where Thursday’s public hearing will be held.

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