FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| Date: | Jan. 19, 2024 |
| Contact: | Emily Lowe Public Information Officer 208-287-7700 |
| RE: | State v. Thomas Creech Commutation Hearing |
BOISE – Today, the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office requested that Thomas Eugene Creech’s death sentence be upheld, and his sentence not be commuted to life imprisonment.
In 1981, the state sought the death penalty against Mr. Creech for the first-degree murder of David Dale Jensen. Mr. Jensen was an inmate at the Idaho Department of Correction. Mr. Creech was serving four life sentences at the time he brutally beat and murdered 23-year-old Jensen, including pummeling him with a battery filled sock and stomping on his face and neck repeatedly. Mr. Creech pled guilty to the murder and was sentenced to death.
Three months prior to Mr. Jensen’s murder, Mr. Creech stabbed another inmate in the hopes of getting transferred to his preferred housing unit. When that did not work, he resorted to killing Mr. Jensen. If his sentence is commuted, he would go back into the general prison population where he would have more access to inmates, putting them at risk.
Mr. Creech has been convicted of five murders, including three in Idaho, one in California, and one in Oregon. He is a serial killer who is established to have killed an additional six victims, and has admitted to killing upwards of 40 people. Earlier this week, a cold case was solved in San Bernadino, California when after law enforcement’s thorough investigation, they determined Mr. Creech had murdered Daniel A. Walker in October 1974.
Seeking the death penalty in a capital case is not a decision that is taken lightly by any prosecutor’s office. The decision can be made only after a careful examination of the statutory factors as applied to the facts and circumstances. The facts and circumstances in Mr. Creech’s case warrant the death penalty to this day.
Mr. Jensen’s family appeared at Friday’s hearing to make their voices heard. The Commission also heard written comments from members of other victims’ families impacted by his killings.
“I want to thank Mr. Jensen’s family for having the courage to relive their pain and loss from decades ago by delivering extremely powerful and thoughtful victim impact statements to the Parole Commission,” said Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts. “Mr. Creech’s actions have caused immeasurable pain to countless families, and on behalf of my office, we extend our condolences to Mr. Jensen’s family and to other victims’ families for their losses.”
“I also want to extend my appreciation to my team – Deputy Prosecutor Jill Longhurst, investigators and support staff, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, and law enforcement both local and nationwide, who assisted us on gathering evidence in preparation for this hearing.”
We thank the Commission of Pardons and Parole for their attentiveness during today’s hearing and await their recommendation.