BOISE, Idaho — Thomas Creech is set to be executed on Wednesday, February 28th, for the 1981 murder of David Jensen in Idaho. For Jensen's sister, Colette Cohen, who was 19 at the time of her brother's incarceration, the impending execution brings a mix of emotions. She spoke exclusively with Idaho News 6.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"I hope the state of Idaho finally does what needs to be done, because it’s time," says Colette Cohen, David Jensen’s sister.
Colette Cohen speaks out about the scheduled execution for Thomas Creech, who was sentenced to death for killing her brother David Jensen in 1981.
"He was kindhearted, very loving, he loved life. I mean, he did not deserve how his life ended. He should never have been there, ever," said Cohen.
Colette Cohen was 19 years old when her older brother David Jensen was incarcerated.
"We were best buddies," Cohen added.
While he was serving time in the maximum security prison... he was beaten to death by Thomas Creech.
"My brother David was the most vulnerable victim he could find," she told Idaho News 6.
Colette says her brother wasn’t a typical 21-year-old. Jensen suffered from brain damage after a gunshot injury to the head.
"Like I said, he had the mentality of about a 12-year-old. And, he didn’t really understand anything."
David spent time in a mental health facility, but his family says he slipped through the cracks and ultimately got arrested for stealing a car to visit Colette.
"I went to the judge that convicted him and sent him to prison," Cohen said, crying. "And I said, 'What are you doing! To this day, why?'"
And, more than 40 years after her brother was killed, I watched last month as Colette and other family members were able to speak out for the first time during Creech’s commutation hearing.
Ultimately, Creech’s clemency was denied, and he was scheduled to be put to death.
"It has given me some closure, yes. If Creech will actually be executed on time after all these years, that will give me closure. It’ll never change the fact that I’ll never have my brother back," Cohen concluded.
