DOJ asks appeals court to reconsider overturning conviction of Mark Jensen in death of wife Julie

MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Justice has asked a federal appellate panel to reconsider overturning the conviction of a man found guilty of fatally poisoning his wife.

Julie Jensen



A 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled earlier this month that a handwritten note from Mark Jensen's wife, Julie, saying he would be her first suspect if anything happened to her was improperly admitted into evidence. The panel found using the letter violated Jensen's right to face his accuser.

DOJ attorneys asked the appellate court Wednesday, September 30th for a rehearing, arguing no U.S. Supreme Court case holds that such a note violates confrontation rights.

Julie Jensen was found dead in her Pleasant Prairie home in 1998. Mark Jensen was found guilty of homicide in 2008 and sentenced to life.