5 key details about Gerald Jensen's murder explored

Modified Aug 26, 2024 21:50 GMT

The heinous murder of Gerald Jensen in 2008 shocked the nation and brought about the arrests of his stepdaughter, Nicole Thornhill, and her husband, Chris Tomlinson. Gerald was stabbed to death multiple times with a samurai sword and dumped in a garbage bin in the early hours of April 21.

The Snapped episode 1 of season 34 showcased the horrific murder of Gerald Jensen as it aired on July 7, 2024, at 6.00 p.m. EST. The episode is currently streaming on Hulu and Peacock. The official synopsis reads,

"A Florida woman's desperate search for her missing husband takes a dark turn when his mutilated body is found in a landfill. As detectives dig into his home life, the victim's family becomes a crucial link to uncovering the grisly truth."

5 key details about Gerald Jensen's murder explored

1) Gerald Jensen was reported missing on April 21, 2008

On April 21, 2008, Gerald Jensen's wife, Kristan Jensen, returned home from rehabilitation in a detox hospital to find the former missing. Gerald had promised to pick her up from the hospital the previous day but had missed his scheduled meeting.

Kristan called the police around 8 p.m. local time to report Gerald's disappearance. While Nicole Thornhill and Chris Tomlinson explained that Gerald had stepped out after a heated exchange on the phone, his belongings such as his car, wallet, and his cellphone were found inside the house.

2) Gerald's body was found in a pile of garbage five days later

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jensen's body was discovered by workers at the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority. The men were compacting waste from over 100 households and businesses spread over Martin County and south Palm Beach County.

Gerald Jensen's body was found in a pile of garbage (Image via Unsplash)

The Stuart Police identified Gerald initially while forensic tests including fingerprint analysis confirmed his identity.

3) Nicole Thornhill and her husband, Chris Tomlinson, were suspected of the murder

After the discovery of Gerald Jensen's body, the authorities immediately suspected Nicole and Chris to be behind the act. The police searched Gerald's cell phone to find no calls that had led him out of his house on the fateful day. As they approached Nicole with the information, she confessed to her deeds.

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Nicole mentioned that both she and her husband were unwilling to raise their child in an unstable environment with drugs and thus, they plotted to kill both of them.

4) Nicole confessed to plotting to murder her stepfather, Gerald, and her mother, Kristan Jensen

Nicole Thornhill confessed to the murder of Gerald Jensen mentioning that she and Chris had initially planned to poison him with sleeping pills. Failing to do so, Chris attacked Gerald with his samurai sword and she helped him wrap Jensen's body in a tarp and a comforter, and dispose of it.

Nicole and Chris tried to kill the Jensens with sleeping pills (Image via Unsplash)

During the interrogation, Nicole reportedly shared that,

“I mentioned knocking him out with sleeping pills — making it look like a suicide because they both do so much drugs.”

The duo bought non-prescription sleeping pills from Walmart and planned to poison both Kristan and Gerald.

5) While Nicole took a plea deal, Chris was sentenced to life in prison

Chris Tomlinson was defensive when approached with the evidence and denied any involvement in the matter. In May 2010, he faced trial and was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and poisoning. Chris was sentenced to life in prison while Nicole took a plea deal and pleaded no contest to second-degree murder charges.