Illinois man who lured girl with Disney cups then murdered her sent to prison: 'There's a girl inside, and I strangled her'

An Illinois man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the brutal killing of a 17-year-old girl whom he lured to his home by offering her Disney cups.

Arthur Jensen, 53, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in March. On Monday in Iroquois County Circuit Court, Judge Michael Sabol sentenced Jensen to 50 years in prison for the strangulation murder of Adara Bunn on Aug. 5, 2019. Jensen was given credit for the three years that he already served in jail.

Three days before her murder, Bunn reportedly went to a garage sale at Jensen's trailer home with her mother. Bunn, an avid collector of Disney memorabilia, purchased some cups with themes from the Disney animated movie "Pocahontas."

Bunn returned to Jensen's house the day before her murder to see if his wife had any more Disney memorabilia available for sale.

Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Quinlan told People magazine that Jensen's wife was out of town at her high school reunion. Jensen – who was packing up items with a friend – told Bunn to come back to his house "tomorrow" to purchase similar Disney cups, according to the Daily Journal.

Bunn showed up at Jensen's home the next day to buy Disney glasses, and Jensen strangled her to death. Neighbors heard female screams coming from Jensen's home and notified police, according to WCIA.

Responding officers arrived at the home, where Jensen reportedly gave a chilling confession, "There's a girl inside, and I strangled her." Police discovered Bunn's lifeless body inside the home, and officers arrested Jensen on the spot.

Quinlan stated, "This is one of the worst murder cases I have ever seen."

"Adara was a young girl with a bright future. This was a young girl about to enter her junior year in a couple of weeks," Quinlan added. "She was a straight-A student who was hoping to become a veterinarian."

Bunn, nicknamed "Sissy," "enjoyed reading, fishing, [and] school amongst other things," according to her obituary.

In the aftermath of her tragic passing, Milford Area Public School said the "community is grieving after hearing of the death of one of our high school students yesterday."

"We are suffering as a staff, student body, and community for this loss," the school said in a statement. "Please keep the family of our student in your thoughts and prayers during this terrible time.”

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