COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office is working to prevent the parole of a prison inmate convicted of kidnapping, raping, and murdering a 19-year-old Youngstown State University sophomore and dumping her body into the Mahoning River.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Gina DeGenova has filed an objection with the Ohio Parole Board in advance of Thursday’s scheduled parole hearing for Bennie Adams who was convicted and sentenced to death for the December 1985 murder of Gina Tenney.

The Ohio Supreme Court later vacated the death penalty and Adams was sentenced to 20-years to life in prison.

Evidence directly tying Adams to the murder of the Ashtabula County woman was not obtained until more than 20 years after her death.

In 2007, the Youngstown Police Department submitted DNA evidence from the case to Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation which led to Adams’ conviction.

“The advent of DNA testing and the analysis of the evidence the Youngstown police department kept for more than 20 years was crucial to convicting Adams of this brutal murder,” said DeGenova in a media statement.

Adams has now been imprisoned for 32 years; 13 years and 10 months for Tenney’s murder, and 18 years and 3 months for a separate, but unrelated rape that occurred in Boardman Township in October 1985.

Ralph Rivera, Assistant Chief, Criminal Division, said  Adams’ “terrifying pattern of criminal behavior in 1985, however, justifies his continued incarceration.”

Prosecutor Paul J. Gains, objected to the release of Adams arguing that there does not exist “reasonable ground to believe that paroling the prisoner would further the interests of justice and be consistent with the welfare and security of society.”