A 53-year-old Illinois resident, Arthur Jensen, has been sentenced to spend the next half-century in prison for a heinous crime committed in 2019. He is guilty of murdering a 17-year-old girl under the pretense of selling her Disney cups.
Jensen, who had been convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in March, faced Judge Michael Sabol in the Iroquois County Circuit Court. The sentence handed down by the court encapsulated the severity of his actions.
The victim was Adara Bunn, a passionate collector of Disney memorabilia. Bunn had visited Jensen’s home on August 5, 2019, intending to buy Disney-themed cups from a yard sale that she and her mother had previously attended. Her interest was piqued by Pocahontas-themed cups that she had bought at the event, according to Assistant State Attorney Michael Quinlan.
Jensen’s wife, believed to possess more Disney items, was away at the time of Bunn’s visit. Jensen and a friend were in the process of packing up the remaining sale items, and he asked Bunn to return later for the cups.
Soon after, local residents heard alarming screams coming from Jensen’s property and promptly alerted the police. Officers arrived swiftly at the scene, where they were confronted by Jensen, who chillingly confessed to strangling Bunn. Her lifeless body was found inside his home, leading to his immediate arrest.
Quinlan described the case as one of the most horrific he had encountered, painting a picture of Bunn as an academically gifted young woman with aspirations of becoming a veterinarian. She was on the cusp of her junior year in high school when her life was abruptly ended.
Despite being credited for three years already served, Jensen’s sentence leaves him with 47 years remaining in prison.