By Anne Hayes

Source syracuse.com

SYRACUSE, NY―The parents of  Syracuse police officer Michael Jensen will never face their son’s killer in a courtroom.

The man who shot and killed their son on April 14, 2024 in Salina was killed in a shootout with police that night.

On Tuesday, Jensen’s parents, Paul and Michelle Jensen, were allowed to address the father of the man who killed their son in court through a letter.

Joseph E. Murphy, 63, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to possessing an illegal rifle.

The rifle was found when his home was searched after his son Christopher Murphy killed Jensen, 29, and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Hoosock, 37, in April 2024.

The gun Joseph Murphy possessed was not used in the fatal shooting of the officers, but Jensen’s parents pointed out it was “nearly identical” to the one Christopher Murphy used.

After the sentencing Tuesday, Paul Jensen read a statement he prepared.

“Finally being able to be heard gives me the ability to express my pain,” Paul Jensen said. “The pain caused by the lack of remorse from the people involved in the crimes that have taken Michael from us.”

During his sentencing, Joseph Murphy scoffed as prosecutor Rob Moran said he was not being held responsible for his son’s crimes.

Paul Jensen said Joseph Murphy’s lack of remorse for his son’s actions and his own possession of an illegal gun “poses a continued danger to society.”

He said thousands of people obtain guns legally, and that Joseph Murphy and his family knew exactly what they were doing when obtaining a gun outside of New York’s restrictions.

Paul Jensen also stressed the sweeping impact the killing of Jensen and Hoosock had on the entire community, and the impact it still has two years later.

“That night has changed more people’s lives than can ever be listed,” he said. “We all live with that pain on a daily basis.”

He said nothing could have prepared him for the outpouring of support from the community and he was endlessly grateful, but nothing could heal their wounds.

“Regardless of how many people were around, I still felt so alone at the same time,” he said. “Friends, family, coworkers and strangers poured all they had into making our family feel loved, but it never seemed to fully help.”

He said people who did not know his son will never be able to understand just how bright and witty he was.

“The pain of losing that sunshine in my life hurts beyond measure,” Paul Jensen said.

He said it takes all his energy just to get out of bed each day and be strong for his family.

He said there have been many milestones where their son’s absence is felt even more.

He cried and took a moment to collect himself as he remembered his daughter’s wedding, where his son was supposed to be her man of honor.

“There was something missing inside me, and I wanted to look out and see my son in the crowd,” he said. “It’s simply not fair to my daughter that her best friend could not be there with her on her biggest day.”

He said his family has been stripped of the chance to see Michael Jensen get married, have children and continue to be decorated for his service as a police officer.

“It wasn’t his time to go,” Paul Jensen said. “He will forever be 29 because 30 was taken from him.”

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