Intro
“Welcome to Murder By Nature, where we discuss True Crime, Mystery disappearances, and unsolved cases! I’m Jazmin Hernandez, your host!
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References:
The Investigation
In September 1998, A sewer at Hibiscus Drive and Gardenia Avenue had been blocked by small skeletal remains. 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 they were the bones of someone around the ages of 13-17 years old. A jawbone was found on the sewer's ledge, and some teeth was still intact. The Redlands Police department didn't know what to do as they found the whole skeleton body throughout the drains. As police didn't know where to start, they decided to check the missing person reports when they found a report of a 14-year-old boy named Tristan Jensen, who was reported missing seven weeks earlier.
Tristan Jensen was a 13-year-old boy from Redlands, CA, who had a rough life growing up. His mom died from cancer when he was four years old, and his dad was in county jail in Chino, CA. Tristan would eventually move in with his grandmother Betty Simon. Tristan’s grandma's mother would raise him until he was 13 years old. At 13 years old Tristan moved with his aunt Shelly, and two cousins, Matthew and Brandon, lived next door. The family blended great, the cousins were raised as brothers, and the family was whole. Friends and students described Tristan as very popular, friendly, and someone who had the ability to become friends with anyone he met, and everyone wanted to be around him. He was known as a popular kid among the teachers and staff at Redlands High School.
In August 1998, Tristan went missing. Always reliable, his family and friends had no idea where Tristan could be, and they contacted the police the following day. The family told police that Tristan had gone out to ride his skateboard, and they didn’t hear from him or did he come home. They said they didn't initially panic as Tristan was responsible and always rode around the town. In spite of an intensive search, six weeks would pass before the family would hear anything about the missing teenager.
When 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 had a gut feeling it was Tristan. She tells police that 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. Police asked the family if they could collect any possible piece of DNA evidence, hair, body fluid, anything, from Tristan to help identify the body. This is when Tristan’s grandmother produced the last baby tooth he’d lost at the age of 12, and it was rushed to a forensic laboratory for comparison with the skeletal remains. Sadly it was a match, the cause of death was ruled undetermined due to the decomposition of the body. The police believed that the sewer gases had skeletonized the bones so quickly, and they could not determine how Tristan died. This left the police in disbelief. The police department felt like something wasn't right in this case and that Tristen wouldn't just get into the sewer by himself like that. They felt like there was more to the story and decided to treat the case as a homicide. The Redlands police department decided to canvas the area to search for any clues or witnesses that may have seen something, and this is when they ran into 15-year-old J.P. Remsen. JP told police that he had seen a dark-colored van in the area and saw some Hispanic men put something into the manhole.
Police felt like his story didn't make much sense to them. The area where Tristan was found is a busy area with homes all around it; when police asked JP if he knew Tristan, he told them that he didn't know him.
JP was 15 years old, and a student at Redlands High School police knew JP, and he was a troubled teenager. With the police not sure of JP's story, they continued questioning neighbors in the area, but no one else saw this same van or the men dumping something into the manhole. Neighbors did tell police that JP would often play in the manhole and set off fireworks and that his backyard faced the manhole that Tristan’s jawbone was found in.
Police decided after numerous reports from neighbors that they needed to speak with JP again. The detectives went to JP’s home to talk with him again. When they knocked on the door, JP’s dad answered. Police noticed a box filled with knives just sitting next to the door, which was odd to them. JP’s father told the police that he was at school but would be back around 3 pm that evening. The police returned later that evening, noticed the box gone, and questioned the teenager. When they left the home, they did decide to question the neighbors about the Remsen family. This was when it was discovered that Mr. Remsen was known for building fireworks in the garage, even though it was illegal in Redlands, California.
The police knew that something wasn't right with JP’s story, but they couldn't pinpoint just what, so they decided to take a trip to the high school. Once they spoke to the teachers and staff it was discovered that J.P. did know Tristan, and they did not like each other. Police were told that the two had a dispute at school just a few weeks before Tristan was killed. The police decided that it was time to obtain a warrant to search the Remsen home and J.P. was becoming their primary person of interest.
When the police were searching inside the home, they found several blood stains throughout the house. However, their search came to an abrupt end when investigators found explosive devices in the garage and kitchen. Police immediately had the bomb squad come out twice, to have a hole be dug so that they could deactivate these devices until they were able to continue with their investigation. The police found over 1,000 pounds of explosive devices. J.P.’s parents John and Susan were immediately taken into custody and charged with explosives, child endangerment, and 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 of the home. And what they found shocked them. 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, and 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
The police pulled JP out of school and down to the station for a proper interview. The police asked J.P. if he had ever had Tristan over to his house. He said no. that he never was at his house. For hours the police interrogated J.P. until he eventually told the police that he didn’t like Tristan, but he would never want him dead. After a few hours, JP admitted that Tristan was at his house and there was an accident. JP admitted that Tristan had accidentally died in his basement. He told police he had a knife collection, and Tristan was interested in purchasing a hunting knife from him, so he came to look at the knife that day. Tristan had the knife in his hand when he fell down the stairs landing on the knife, and this was what killed him. The police still didn't feel like they were getting the right story, and after changing his story several times, JP admitted he stabbed Tristan to death during a heated argument. JP told police that he stabbed Tristan twice in the chest and then dragged him into the garage until he could drag his body outside, over the wall, and into some bushes. He said about an hour after the murder, he then dragged his body to the manhole and put him in it during broad daylight.
The police asked JP to re-enact the events for them. The police took JP back to the house, where he would explain how he stabbed Tristan in the abdomen after Tristan called him a name during an argument. He then pulled out the knife and stabbed Tristan again. This time the blade went into Tristan’s abdomen and out through his back. JP then carried Tristan’s body into his yard and hid it in some trees. Around 11:30 a.m, he threw Tristan’s body down into the sewer. Police believed JP attempted to cut up Tristan before disposing of the body in the sewer but was not successful. During the entire reenactment, police remember the chilling sense of JP’s presence. They stated that JP was emotionless and lack any empathy for what he did to Tristan. During the investigation, police found Tristan’s shoes and burned clothing near the home and a hacksaw in the garage with blood on it. But when tested, it showed that the blood was animal blood.
The police then started to investigate the parents. J.P.’s dad took a polygraph, but his mom refused. After the investigation, it was found that 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.
The Trial
J.P. was charged with first-degree murder and was tried as an adult. During the trial, it was discovered that Tristan and JP had a very volatile relationship. Tristen had reported that J.P. had brought alcohol to school. Tristan had been dating a girl that J.P. liked, and J.P. was very jealous. It was the relationship of the Rivals.
On April 26, 2000, J.P. was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
J.P.’s parents had pleaded guilty to weapons charges, and his father, John was sentenced to two years in prison. His mother, Susan, was given three years of probation.
Conclusion
On May 1st, 2018, JP was scheduled for his first parole hearing. Sally Bell, Tristan Jensen’s aunt, said her family is letting prosecutors speak on their behalf at Remsen’s parole hearing since she is still afraid to be in the same room as him. “This young man is a serial killer, only he only had one victim, and he got caught after the first victim, fortunately,” Bell said, echoing an assessment made by other law enforcement officials. “He is extremely dangerous, and I would be terrified for children at large if he got out.” According to Bell – whose sons were the same age as Jensen and close enough for the family to consider them the “Three Musketeers” – the loss of Jensen, and the constant reminders of all the milestones of growing up he missed, has left a hole in the lives of those who knew the boy. Bell recalled Tristan as a “happy, gregarious kid” and budding musician. She said her now-adult sons still run into people who recognize them as his family members and tell them how much his death impacted them. “There is a great black hole left in the universe that was once occupied by great promise,” Bell said. “People need just to hug their kids a little closer and make sure that the laws are such that people like this can’t get out and do it again. It will be a travesty of justice if he does get out.”
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 possessing a controlled substance after two syringes were found in his legal mail. He was sentenced to four years. He is currently in Kern Valley State Prison.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos Ramos said he would ensure he is not released on parole soon. “It is a big concern of mine that unless there is some intense rehabilitation, he could kill again,” Ramos said. “If you look at all the serial killer models put out by the FBI and other investigative agencies, (serial killers) start out with lower level crimes, then move on animals – and there was evidence J.P. was doing things to domesticated animals, particularly cats – then they build their way up to killing a human being,” Ramos said he believes J.P. may be a serial killer who only had one victim before being caught. Redlands Police Officer Dan Elton, who investigated the case, said the case stays with him today and gave him a better understanding of the effects bullies can have at school. He said J.P. was a bully at schools, and this tragedy is a reminder that bullying is a serious issue and must be stopped.”
My Thoughts
Outro
That brings us to the end of this episode! As always, thanks for listening to Murder By Nature. If you enjoy our show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any streaming platform you are currently on, and be sure to come back Saturday for our new episode. Until then, I am your host, Jazmin Hernandez, don’t forget to stay safe! Don’t get murdered or murder people, you lovely humans!
