On February 3, 1976, Michigan attorney Peter Kensler left his office in Manchester and headed home to his rural property in Sharon Township. The 36-year-old lawyer was shot twice with a 20-gauge shotgun outside his home, including a fatal point-blank shot to the face. His briefcase was missing, and investigators quickly discovered several possible motives, including Kensler’s bitter split from prominent attorney James Hendley and a controversial takeover of Union Savings Bank. Kensler had also been living a private second life in Detroit.

Join Mike and Gibby as they talk about the murder of Peter Kensler. The investigation was plagued by problems from the beginning, with the crime scene compromised and investigators unable to gather enough evidence to charge anyone. A longtime friend became a prime suspect, and detectives later theorized that he may have brought another man to Kensler’s home to carry out the shooting. In 1982, an anonymous caller directed police to a river where they recovered a 20-gauge shotgun, but ballistic testing could neither confirm nor eliminate it as the murder weapon. Decades later, investigators still believe the killing may have been connected to Kensler’s personal life. In 2026, authorities confirmed that the case remains under active investigation after receiving “very viable” new information, including several names not publicly released. Fifty years after Peter Kensler’s murder, his family is still waiting for answers.

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