Mark Jensen hearing the guilty verdict on Feb. 1, 2023. (Screenshot: Law&Crime Network)
Mark Jensen, the man on trial again in his wife Julie Jensen‘s death, was convicted on Wednesday for a second time of murdering her. Prosecutors said he poisoned her with antifreeze and possibly asphyxiated her on Dec. 3, 1998. They maintained he harbored a deep-seated, obsessive resentment for her because she had an affair years before. Instead of simply divorcing her, he staged an elaborate campaign of harassment, staging mysterious phone calls and leaving both pornographic images at both their home and also on his car at work, the prosecution maintained.
“He hated her,” prosecutor Carli McNeill said in closing arguments on Tuesday.
Jensen was previously convicted in 2007 in his wife’s death, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered a new trial, stemming over use of a “voice from the grave” letter, which Julie wrote to a neighbor about her fears that Mark would kill her.
Prosecutor wants to introduce photos emailed to Jensen’s co-worker from someone named “Warm Irish Eyes” that contain “penis photos” with questions like, “Is yours as big as this?” Prosecutor: “It shows a very strange, bizarre preoccupation with penises.” #MarkJensen pic.twitter.com/XdP6xyg9fy
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) January 17, 2023
In the time leading up to her death, Julie voiced fear to others that Mark would kill her. For example, jurors saw testimony of neighbor Tadeusz Wojt from the 2008 trial. He said Julie’s demeanor changed in the days and weeks leading up to her death. She voiced fear Mark was trying to poison her after she discovered a list of poisons on a post-it note.
In the new trial, Mark’s former co-worker Ed Klug testified that Jensen told him over drinks about researching how to kill Julie.
A digital forensic expert testified that Mark searched terms “drugs,” “poisoning,” and “botulism” in October 1998. He looked up “suicide,” “physician-assisted suicide,” and “toxicology” the following month, according to testimony.
A jailhouse informant, Aaron Dillard, testified that Jensen confessed to him about Julie’s murder while they were inmates in the Kenosha County Jail in 2007.
Julie’s brother testified that he always suspected Mark killed her.
Julie Jensen’s friend testified that right after learning of the death of Julie Jensen, she was outside with neighbors. She said #MarkJensen spoke with no emotion, matter of fact, sounded rehearsed. #AntifreezeMurderRetrial pic.twitter.com/4S3EGOWnED
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) January 11, 2023
The so-called jailhouse snitch is on the stand in #MarkJensen. Aaron Dillard testified in the 2008 trial that Jensen confessed to killing Julie Jensen when they were housed together. He’s currently incarcerated on parole violations. pic.twitter.com/NWttebq0PS
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) January 20, 2023
The defense argued that Julie’s death was suicide. A psychotherapist, called by the defense, testified about Julie struggling with depression and possibly having postpartum depression in 1990. A Jensen family physician took the stand and said Julie appeared depressed and distraught in the months leading to her death.
Prosecution begins their opening statement by showing this picture of Julie Jensen with her two sons to the jury. Prosecutor Carli McNeill tells the jury Julie Jensen died from antifreeze poisoning. “The defendant murdered his wife with ethylene glycol…” #MarkJensen pic.twitter.com/TThyvSvmTb
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) January 11, 2023
Defense lawyer Jeremy Perri said that confirmation bias marked the law enforcement case. He told jurors in closing arguments that it was years since Julie’s death before authorities interviewed witnesses in the case.
David Jensen, Mark and Julie’s oldest son, testified about seeing Mark sobbing after Julie died. He said it was the first time he saw his father cry.
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