There, Stenson attracted the attention of scouts for the Boston Red Sox, and he was selected in the third round with the ninety-first overall pick of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft.

He spent parts of four seasons at the Red Sox' affiliate in Pawtucket before leaving the organization as a six-year minor league free agent.

Stenson signed with the Cincinnati Reds for the 2003 season, and after performing well in the minors, including batting .306 with 14 home runs and a RBI total of 76 in 101 games with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, he was called up in September.

The incident initially appeared to be a carjacking; Stenson was bound, shot in the head and chest, and then run over with his own SUV, a 2002 Isuzu Rodeo.

Charges against a fourth man, Robert Maye, were dropped after it was determined that he was a protected federal witness who had testified against the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples street gang.