Crime & Safety

Stab Victim Funeral: 'Spirit Still with Us'

Jensen Gray, who was allegedly killed by a longtime friend, is remembered as "one of God's own prototypes."

A crowd of friends, relatives, and former Laguna Beach High School classmates gathered Friday morning at St. Catherine of Siena in Laguna Beach for the funeral services of South Laguna resident Jensen Gray, 27, who was at a party in Santa Monica.

Gray's accused attacker, Ryan Tyler Bright, 26, a longtime friend and LBHS classmate of Gray's, has been charged with one count of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder for allegedly stabbing a female juvenile who attempted to break up the July 11 assault. Bright is currently in custody, and his bail has been set at $1.5 million.

The service for Gray was filled with music and readings from scripture, and a eulogy was delivered by Marcus Young, one of Gray's close friends.

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"His spirit still is with us, we'll never forget that," said Young. "I encourage you to remember the good times; he was a fun guy. I don't think he'd want you to grieve too much. Jensen's memory won't go away."

Young then quoted one of Gray's favorite authors, Hunter S. Thompson, by reading a passage from the classic countercultural touchstone Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas:

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"There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high-powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die."

"Jensen was certainly that," Young continued. "We'll never meet anyone like him again. In a way, that's comforting. He was his own man ... What I'll miss most about him is just being able to talk to him about everything, sitting around and having the best conversations I'll ever have. Enjoy the fun times you had with him, and let him live through your memories."

*DID YOU KNOW JENSEN GRAY? FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR MEMORIES IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW.


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