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January 31, 2008

Noteworthy events at Jensen trial

Posted: 11:56 AM ET

ELKHORN, Wisconsin – The jurors in the antifreeze poisoning case of Wisconsin v Mark Jensen can take notes but I didn't realize how many notes they were taking until I started counting notebooks.

ALT TEXT

Julie Jensen documented her suspicions in a letter weeks before her death.

Although I can only see the front row, one juror is on her fourth notebook, another on her third. Now, don't think the testimony has gotten so boring that I’m counting notebooks! It is still riveting.

Detective Paul Ratzburg, the lead investigator, has taken the stand. He questioned Mark Jensen for more than seven hours in April 1999. During that interrogation the widowed husband denied that he had an affair with Kelly LaBonte before wife Julie passed away.

We now know from Kelly’s own testimony that Mark’s statement is false.

When Jensen was questioned in ’99, the detective testified, toxicology results had come up negative for antifreeze.

But the detective did have that letter from Julie written by her own hand several weeks before her death. Julie wrote she believed her husband was trying to poison her. If she was found dead, Julie wrote, Mark should be their suspect. (I saw that letter up close after court. It was hand-written on loose leaf 3-hole punched notebook paper.)

Detective Ratzburg showed the jury a blue bowl and a pink bowl he took from the nightstand next to Julie's bed. The blue bowl contained macaroni and cheese and the pink bowl had crackers. The jury had some chuckles when he testified that although the food was preserved as evidence, mice had gotten to it through the years and had eaten the evidence. He made sure, however, to point out that the testing had already been done for ethylene glycol, the key ingredient in antifreeze.

The result? Negative for any type of poison.

Coming up: About 2 hours of Mark Jensen's interrogation with the detective. It was all videotaped, although Mark didn't know it at the time. I believe some of the tape will help the prosecution and some will help the defense. See who you think benefits the most.

– Jean Casarez, In Session correspondent

Filed under: Trials


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Katie   January 31st, 2008 12:31 pm ET

For those of us in Wisconsin, such as myself, it's an interesting trial and very cool that CNN is covering it. This trial reminds us all that there are people within our state capable of doing such a thing. I applaud CNN for their in-depth coverage of this trial and thanks for such great updates!

Stella   January 31st, 2008 12:32 pm ET

I keep looking at the defense for Mark Jensen and is it just me or does he resemble the actor William Hurt?

Sheryl   January 31st, 2008 1:13 pm ET

You guys pulled it off, even with a frozen satellite!! Good work Jean! Anybody that doesn't believe they are being taped in an interrogation is a fool. I am surprised that Mark sits with this detective without an attorney present. Maybe because back in 1999, people just thought they could "wing it" without one. The lie about going to work for a "few hours that day" busted him good!

kiedrowicz   January 31st, 2008 1:16 pm ET

Where is the testimony? This is ridiculous. All we got all of this morning is your talking heads. This is exactly why I quit watching court tv a year ago. Now, you are doing it again.

steven   January 31st, 2008 1:37 pm ET

where is tht smoking gun? the prosecution needs more than conduct to get a conviction. the prosecution has taken this trial way off base with other circumstancial evidence, i am losing interest. it they can't put that antifreeze in his hand, pack it up. has anyone suspected the police who had an affair because they were rejected? that is the way it goes. those are my suspects!

John Cromer   January 31st, 2008 2:34 pm ET

As a retired correctional officer with State of Texas with 22 years of experience, I can assure Ms. Banfeild that inmates have plenty of time to get togethor and discuss anything they want to . I find it incredible that all five inmates are telling the same story without getting togethor. No 2 people will observe and be able to tell the same story exactly , let alone 5. After watching the testimony of the 5 inmates, I didnt see anything that would lead me to believe that they were telling anything other than they were running a typical prison scam on Jensen. One more thing, no inmate would ever snitch on another without benefit to themselves. Its not done because of the danger involved from other inmates so what was it worth for these guys to come forward.It could be something as simple as more priveledges.

Patricia Lyford   January 31st, 2008 2:36 pm ET

I have no problem with authorities being able to lie. If you have not done anything wrong then why would being lied to make you say anything incriminating? Makes no sense to me. Am I missing something here?

Jackie   January 31st, 2008 3:17 pm ET

Mark Jensen is taking too long to answer questions and can't seem to look at the investigator, and the shock look on his face, is a game play to make him look innocent. I do not fall for it at all! If he was innocent , i would think that some anger would come out. And he would do what ever it takes to prove himself, which he fails to do.

Retha   January 31st, 2008 3:21 pm ET

Yes, Albee looks like William Hurt; he's so darn cute but that doesn't change my mind about his client's guilt. Thanks for the live coverage; I realize now that real life is every bit more entertaining and unbelieveable than a soap opera.

Suzanne Riley   January 31st, 2008 3:26 pm ET

It's pretty clear- there's no way she killed herself, since the anti-freeze was not found in the house- so tell me, after she had presumably taken this anti-freeze herself (which in and of itself is ridiculous) how could it have disappeared when she was dead. It's obvious that the husband got rid of all the evidence of anti-freeze since she was dead and couldn't do it hersef. I work in the mental health field with suicidal people almost every day, and I have never heard of anyone committing suicide or even trying to, by slowly posioning their body with antifreeze- that's just plain ridiculous. They do it by overdosing on vast quanities of something. Put this together with ALL the other evidence of what was going on before her death, the letter, testimony from friends, etc.,etc., there is no way she killed herself. Plus the findings on the autopsy and photos of her head being pushed into the pillow, the suffocation-This case isn't even close- the guilt is overwhelming.

Paco   January 31st, 2008 7:44 pm ET

Jean, that is a lot of notes. Remember in the Michael Jackson trial (which was about 5 months) Diane Dimond reported that the jurors had about 10 notebooks each. But to have 4 in 2 weeks is telling me either this jury is really paying attention or we are going to see some very detailed books!

diane   January 31st, 2008 8:04 pm ET

To Stella, I think if they makke a movie out of this Kevin Bacon should play the part of Mark Jensen.

Pat   January 31st, 2008 9:35 pm ET

Jean
This man could not stand that Julie had been with one man one night, how
would he stand her in HIS house,with His Sons, with OTHER men....
As the Judge stated, his behavior is very strange, understatement.
The office staff made him out a liar, not only he wasn't at the job on
the day Julie died, but no mention to anyone about pornography on his truck
The detective stated that he couldn't use a Video camera – due to
only window would be in the Conference room. The staff stated he
could see his truck in the parking lot, from HIS office window ..

Then ADD the pages that were introduced today..... WHY on earth would
anyone made the drawings in the first place, but save them for
years at your work place., and not think to take them with out when you
leave.

I didn't understand the request for the mistrial. The pages are entered as evidence what difference is it when the jury sees them?

katherine franklin   February 1st, 2008 12:28 am ET

First of all Mark Jensen was wearing a suit because he is a stock broker. He didn't have a lawyer because most people don't get one when they have nothing to hide. He also had his son with him. He didn't know he was going to be interrogated that day. Play devil's advocate. How did Mark obtain pictures of his wife with another man if he was out of town? Maybe Julie didn't find them because why would she find them if she put them there? The police ever think of that? The hand writing didn't match his for the graphic pictures that were mailed to his work of his wife. Have any more questions, just ask. I have been watching on line. No comercials like on t.v. and only showing what they want you to see. When she died I believe she had lithium, paxel. ambiun, and that half teaspoon of EG in her system

Rick   February 1st, 2008 4:07 am ET

Christine, congratulations on your five star trolling effort. In a case as important as this one, one involving a homicide, sexual harassment, and traumatized children, I'm glad to see you make an effort to just rile people up on the Internet.

Pat   February 1st, 2008 10:06 am ET

katherine
The photo's according to the detective, were not of Julie, just women, that looked similar I also use the computer Really want to thank CNN
for service.

Creed, Memphis, TN   February 1st, 2008 10:37 am ET

Katherine, you are the ideal juror for a MURDERER. I would request my attorney find you and relocate you to Tennessee (at our expense) if I were on trial for murder.

Regardless of innocent or guilty, it is ALWAYS wise to have your attorney present just to make sure the interrogation process is fair! Basically, Mark Jensen's EGO was crushed because his wife had an affair. He was incapable of forgiving her. For that reason he should have just divorced her – period. Why torture and ultimately stand trial for some degree of intentional homicide? Is it really worth it? Now, he has ultimately ruined Julie's (and her family's) life, the lives of two innocent children, and his life. This is a truly sad story. IT IS NOT CHEAPER TO KEEP HER!

Also, why was any amount of antifreeze in her system? If Mrs. Jensen was so drugged with the lithium, paxel, and, ambien in her system, how did any amount of antifreeze show up? Oh yeah, she accidentally removed the antifreeze out of the fridge instead of the juice when she took her meds. Yeah, that's it!

Marnie   February 1st, 2008 11:28 am ET

COME ON CHRISTINE!!
HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING AND LISTENING TO EVERYTHING???

Don   February 1st, 2008 12:28 pm ET

Alright... we have another taker... Katherine, I want you along with Christine on my jury when I commit murder!

martha   February 1st, 2008 9:05 pm ET

If Julie Jensen really killed herself and framed her husband, she deserves a posthumous Academy Award. Let's see: she told her neighbors, the police and her son's teacher, over the course of WEEKS, that she was afraid. She acted afraid. Don't forget about the tears on cue! Her story did not change, either, unlike her husband's. Look at the facts.
As for those who are questioning why she didn't just leave, you obviously have no experience with abused women. She didn't leave because she was scared to death that he'd either hunt her down and kill her, or do something to keep her permanently away from her kids. This pattern is seen frequently.
Common sense and knowledge of human behavior go a long way in understanding this case. I pray that the jury will exercise both.

ss   February 6th, 2008 2:11 pm ET

Katherine,
I am seeing your blogs all over the place and it appears you have a vehement hatred toward anything or anyone associated with the prosecution or Julie Jensen for that matter. Remember, she is the one who is dead and that has all the people coming forth to say what a wonderful person she was. Are you sure you you are not related to Mark Jensen or his side of the family???

eyelit   July 24th, 2009 2:42 pm ET

Why didn't Julie go to police with her suspicions instead of friends of her husband? As for the husband's attitude at the wake/funeral, my mother was on sedatives that made her giggle throughout the wake and funeral of my father who died of a stroke; I know many women who cry themselves to sleep into their pillows when they are uncontrollably upset. Could this have been what Julie did since she was not successful at killing herself and in a mentally and physically ill state of being? Mark is too smart to use his computer or a library computer where he could be identified as the user of the search engine if he was googling "how to kill your wife." That's ridiculous – he wouldn't do that. I never go to the emergency room if I can help it to wait 5-8 hours for healthcare. I will wait and go to my doctor as soon as I can. Emergency rooms are generally nightmares. I do not think the jury can find the husband guilty.

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