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February 15, 2008
Posted: 07:33 PM ET

ELKHORN, Wisconsin – Both sides have rested in the case of Wisconsin v. Mark Jensen and closing arguments will be heard by the jury Monday.

ALT TEXT

Julie Jensen with her four brothers, from left, Patrick, Michael, Paul and Larry.

The prosecution presented its final rebuttal witnesses, including Julie Jensen’s brother, Paul Griffin. He testified about a January 2000 conversation during which Mark said Julie was sleeping on December 2, 1998, when he left the house that morning and still sleeping when he returned.

We already have had evidence from the couple’s family doctor that Mark came to his office that morning to get a prescription for Julie because she was having trouble sleeping. The doctor testified he took Mark on his word and gave him a prescription for Ambien.

Paul Griffin testified Mark told him that by Thursday, December 3, Julie was unable to sit up by herself, was grunting and couldn’t talk, and was thirsty but couldn’t keep anything down. Read how Julie Jensen’s brothers are haunted by her letter

On cross examination, Craig Albee questioned Julie’s brother at length about their mother being an alcoholic with mood swings. Testimony showed Julie had not told Paul she had been treated for depression in 1990-91, nor was he aware of her health issues the week of November 30, 1998.

Although he only lived three miles from Julie, the last time he saw her was that August. Paul had spoken to Julie by phone, however, in the weeks before her death.

He also told the jury that after Julie’s death, Mark gave him Christmas presents Julie had already bought for him, including some handmade personalized Christmas ornaments.

Let the closing arguments begin!

Jean Casarez, In Session correspondent

Filed under: Jean Casarez


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Pat   February 15th, 2008 11:59 pm ET

First Jean, I want to thank truTV for the internet access watching the construction of the jury charge was very enlightening, and unexpected…. what was more unexpected was Albee’s request to have a lesser included of Assisted Suicide…. denied, even after he’s argument that Mark failure to get her assistance after Julie had stated she didn’t
want help, could be considered Assistance
to her suicide….
The judges explanation for the reason he’d
ruled, Julie’s letter was a “death utterance”
Is exactly right, it didn’t matter when she’d written the letter, it was the time – she had
placed on when it was to be read,
“AFTER HER DEATH” that he stated was
the determinate…..

Joe   February 16th, 2008 12:01 am ET

Is there any evidence that Mark had strangled his wife? Is there evidence that he looked on the computer for antifreeze?

Lamont   February 16th, 2008 12:41 am ET

This is sad really!

Skeptic   February 16th, 2008 9:57 pm ET

I hope the jury are smart enough to find him guilty of murder. I also wish the doctor is sanctioned for writing prescription without seeing or talking to the patient.

PlayitagainSam@aol.com   February 17th, 2008 1:51 am ET

This is one of those cases where I almost wish the jury COULD seek media reports and such about the case or the victim. For it was only after I’d read the heartfelt letters on the memorial website for Julie, created by her four brothers that I realized what a truly wonderful person she was, and from a most loving family.

So sorely missed is Julie, such a gap in those young men’s lives should not go unpunished. And somehow, once I’d read just what Julie was like and had been like before marriage, I found it impossible she would be a candidate for suicide.

I hope justice prevails in this case like few I’ve watched before. The love this family had for each other was so apparent I truly hope they can see closure by the jury’s findings of guilty. Only then will they truly be able to begin to heal.

Sarah   February 17th, 2008 8:30 am ET

I completely agree, Skeptic…giving a controlled substance prescription to someone other than the patient is irresponsible practice in itself. What makes it more irresponsible is that the doctor knew that Julie was in a questionable state of instability and he should have insisted on seeing her and evaluating her since only a few days earlier he had given a depression medication. Unfortunately, I think this practice is more common than one might think.

Genevieve Herring   February 17th, 2008 9:27 am ET

Someone who was going to kill themselves would not go to the doctor the day before.

Dan Watson   February 17th, 2008 10:29 am ET

I believe that Mark Jensen will be found guilty of murder. There are just to many things that just make no sense. Suicide, I hardly think so.

Sheryl   February 17th, 2008 3:13 pm ET

Thank you CNN/live for showing the trial in its entirety. After the jury was dimissed for the day, you stayed with it so we could actually hear and see how the jury instructions are put together. I am truly impressed with both sides and the attention all 19 jurists have maintained. In a world where people go to great lengths to not serve on jury duty, these people should be commended. It just goes to show that there are people out there willing to take the time to do their civil duty. Its only sad to see that 7 of them must be released. Jean, glad you are back!

melinda   February 17th, 2008 4:36 pm ET

Julie Jensen is not here to tell us that she wished to commit suicide and just because years ago she had suicidal thoughts does not mean she had suicidal thoughts almost seven years later at the time of her death. It would be reckless and a travesty if the jury took a letter written many years before her death and accepted that as intent to commit suicide. If she wanted to commit suicide wouldn’ t she have gone to the doctor herself and gotten the prescription rather than sent her husband? I hope the jury takes their time and makes a wise decision.

NOT A SKEPTIC   February 17th, 2008 11:50 pm ET

I AM SURE CLOSING ARGUEMENTS ON BOTH SIDES WILL BE INTERESTING.

I ALSO BELIEVE THE JURY WILL FIND HIM GUILTY.

Pat   February 18th, 2008 1:46 am ET

Joe,
the ME, back in 98, stated suffocation, not strangulation
murder site had photo’s of her nose being out of central alinement’s..First noted in the ME’s report, the “Jail House” snitch filled in the blanks. That, She was rolled over – head and neck pushed into the pillow. those blanks was the reason it took, 9 yrs to bring it to trail.

The computer expert found searches on the computer for Ethylene Glycol some at the same time that Mark told Julie’s brother, she wasn’t able to set up in the bed. The searches
were all manually deleted, only didn’t remove from Temp file
some searches was in History. Most of the computer
expert testimony, was only on http://www.cnn.com/video/
click on Live Video.

Sandra K   February 18th, 2008 8:33 am ET

Julie killed herself and the jury will see that. IMO

Rudy   February 18th, 2008 9:57 am ET

Let the medical board look at the doctor for writing a prescription without seeing the patient. a patient that he described as the “most frantic” he has ever seen and to give more medicine to a killer to put into the body of Julie Jensen

Don   February 18th, 2008 12:38 pm ET

not surprising that Mark Jensen is not taking the stand, no one would want to be cross examined by Robert Jambois. That was a Perry Mason moment in court, when the doctor was asked to take a drink.
I can’t believe court is in session today on a holiday and we miss the tv coverage.

Jim   February 18th, 2008 3:36 pm ET

Was there a container of antifreeze in the house? If not it is not likely the wife would would have gotten rid of it. It is not likely she would commit suicide and want to frame her husband and then get rid of the antifreeze container.

suzy   February 18th, 2008 3:39 pm ET

On the surface, it seemed that Mr. Albee is doing a great job in his closing argument. However, if you think about it for a moment, he is absolutely helping the prosecution. He just spent considerable time pointing out trial testimony of witnesses who said Julie was angry, frustrated, etc. at finding out that her husband was having an affair. Not only is anger and frustration completely different than sadness and depression, but it ONLY points to her being angered by Mark’s affair, which would only naturally mean that she was giving Mark a hard time (to say the least) about his affair. If she was giving him a hard time about it, it would ony make sense that HE would want it to end.
So Mr. Albee went on and on about how even Mark’s own sister said Julie was angry about Mark having an affair. Who wouldn’t be???
A mother’s anger does not lead to sadness and suicide.
They had children together, which makes Mark’s affair an even more severe betrayal–betrayal of Julie AND the kids. Mothers protect their children, and in situations where the mother and child are betrayed by the father, the mother is more likely to protect her children rather than ensure they have no parent.

Donna   February 18th, 2008 4:42 pm ET

Mark Jensen killed Julie and now he and his lawyer are killing her again by this attack on her character. Mark and Kelly deserve each other. I feel sorry for the 2 boys. It’s too bad that Julie’s brother didn’t have any influence on their lives.

Mary   February 18th, 2008 5:24 pm ET

Sanda K. Just wondering what planet your from?!?!?!

Roadrunner   February 18th, 2008 9:00 pm ET

Albee spent most of his close trying to fix the jury’s attention to what a, “low-life” Dillard is but I see he’s just a minor piece to the pie. Go ahead and discount him as a liar. Put the package together with Mark’s affair and deadline with Kelly, the computer searches on poisons, etc. occurring in the evenings and weekends rather than daytime while he was working, his hard-drive at work ends up getting destroyed and most significantly, what spouse would take the request of their gravely ill loved one to heart and not get them medical help! He is one cold soul to watch her slowly suffer the way she did–I’m so glad she’s released from her pain.

Pat   February 18th, 2008 9:02 pm ET

Don,
it was on CNN http://www.cnn.com/video/
click on live video…. you can’t beat the
In Session anchor’s but you can watch both….
There will be plenty of time for the replay of
the Two excellent closing, during deliberations….. BUT you haven’t seen Robert Jambois, until you see his rebuttal closing….. right up there with Allen Jackson.
set your TVO….. you don’t want to miss a word

MBreezer   February 18th, 2008 9:10 pm ET

That letter is not a letter written by a woman who is scared. That letter reads like a very calculated communication. I would not be surprised at all if she did set him up.

Lisa Cameron   February 18th, 2008 9:43 pm ET

I think that it is utterly possible that this woman killed herself and framed her husband for her murder. If she could not have him than she was going to make sure that noone else could either. I know that the DA considers this defense utterly rediculous, but I do not put anything past a scorned woman. I believe that she laid the ground work for these accusations against him deliberately and methodically. When I look into his eyes I do not see the eyes of a killer, rather I see the eyes of a man that is scared, and fighting for his life. Rather than let him go to another woman, she committed suicide and framed him for her death. Her ultimate revenge against him!

Creed, Memphis, TN   February 18th, 2008 9:55 pm ET

Ruby, you are absolutely correct! I think the “family” physician that gave Mark Jensen the prescription for Ambien, a Schedule IV Controlled Substance, should be reported to the medical entity that governs physicians. That physician had no right to prescribe any medication to any patient without seeing them. Especially, prescriibing a schedule IV controlled substance to a patient he describes as “frantic”. I hope this is not his “norm” for writing prescriptions. I know this is a strong statement, but this physician may have played a major role in helping Mark Jensen commit murder. I hope this physician will think long and hard about this.

katherine franklin   February 18th, 2008 10:37 pm ET

The reporters could not cover everything you had to watch it live either on cnn. live or channel 12 online. I believe Julie killed herself.

cheryl   February 19th, 2008 8:35 am ET

I have watched this trial entirely on cnn.com/crime since the beginning. Based on all the testimony you are able to see and all attorney arguments outside the presence of the jury without interruption, I would have to come back with a Not Guilty verdict. The states entire case rested soley on Aaron Dillard and I believe he scammed the Mr. Jambois like he scanned all his other victims…
I think Mr. Albee did an excellent job defending Mr. Jensen since alot of what he had to defend didnt exist anymore (notes, letters, pictures, internet history)….I believe he placed reasonable doubt in my mind, and I can believe that Julie Jensen was depressed and suicidal…she had the opportunity to say “help me” in those 3 days to her neighbor with the “note” and she would be alive today.

Angela   February 19th, 2008 9:12 am ET

I have only 1 question. After HIS BOYS were pleading for their dad to take mom to go to the hospital, why on earth didn’t he do it? He’s a SICK, SICK, SICK man. You know Kelly knows the real truth. Why do you think she was granted immunity?

Rudy and Creed, your comments about the prescription, come on, the medical board? There have been times that i’ve gotten a prescriptions over the phone, without seeing my regular physician. She once prescribed me xanax (over the phone) when my brother-in-law committed suicide. If you have a very good medical relationship with your family physician, there are times they will “bend” the rules.

Sue   February 19th, 2008 10:27 am ET

I have watched this trial from day 1. On that day I decided that I would pretend to be a juror and take all of the instructions from the judge literally so that I could be fair to both sides. When all was said and done and the closing arguments finished I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Mark Jensen was as guilty as can be. All the evidence confirms that belief. Anyone who is in a comatose state as Julie was could not have gotten out of bed and been able to do research on the computer about her health issues. At that point she probably wasn’t even aware of what those conditions really were. I hope that this case doesn’t end with yet another murderer being allowed to walk away free as a bird. We’ve had too many of those kind of trials as of late.

marc, IL   February 19th, 2008 12:52 pm ET

I’m a firm beleiver of innocent until proven guilty. The prosecution saved the best for last (closing argument), he was able to put all the pieces together quite well, and unfortunatley for the defense this case is closed. Done deal. In Illinois we also have a saying, if it walks like a duck, quack like a duck, it’s…..guilty!

Donna   February 19th, 2008 2:29 pm ET

You people that believe Julie killed herself and framed her husband have either not watched the trial or have no common sense. So she framed her husband and while she was comatose in the few hours before death, got up and double deleted the computer search so – it would be harder to frame him?

kerry   February 19th, 2008 11:51 pm ET

Katherine Franklin or KF—(in another post you wrote: Free Mark Jensen…You must have personal ties with him or family. How could you say such a thing when this man would not take his very sick wife to the Dr…..he sure went for Ambien/on her behalf….Be reasonable!

Nonnie   February 19th, 2008 11:56 pm ET

Was she faking being comatose? She called her neighbor…not to say I’m being poisoned, but to tell her not to stop by.

Theresa   February 20th, 2008 3:52 pm ET

Waiting patiently for the verdict. Hope Lady Justice gets this one right!

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