Mark Jensen sentenced to life in prison without parole for 2nd time in 1998 antifreeze murder

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- For the second time, a Kenosha County judge sentenced Mark D. Jensen to life in prison without parole for the murder of Julie Jensen in 1998.

Julie Jensen was found dead in her Pleasant Prairie home in 1998. A jury in 2008 found Mark Jensen guilty for the murder after prosecutors argued he killed Julie, his wife, with antifreeze, Ambien and suffocation.

A key piece of evidence at the first trial in 2008 was a letter Julie wrote and delivered to a friend saying if she was found dead, she suspected her husband was her killer.

But the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled the letter could not be used as evidence, vacating the conviction and ordering a new trial.

A new jury in February of this year found Mark Jensen guilty of first-degree intentional homicide.

At a sentencing hearing Friday, April 14, family of Julie Jensen asked the judge to give Mark Jensen a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole.

"I respectfully ask the court today to show no mercy for Mark Jensen," Paul Griffin, one of Julie Jensen's brothers, said during his witness statement. "Why you might ask? Because he showed no mercy to his wife, my sister, Julie Jensen."

Mark Jensen spoke at the sentencing hearing, asking the judge for parole eligibility, citing a desire to help his elderly parents and be in contact with his three children, two of which he had with Julie.

"I want to be with them in whatever way they need to help them heal," Jensen said. "Please grant parole eligibility so the family and I can move forward and heal."

"Twenty-five years later, we're finally coming to a resolution," Judge Anthony Milisauskas said.

Milisauskas cited evidence provided during the trial and the impact of Jensen's actions for his reasoning to sentence Jensen to life in prison without parole.

Mark Jensen is 63 years old.

After the hearing, prosecutors said they are confident there will be no more trials, but they believe Jensen will seek appeal efforts in the future.

"His emphasis was on closure, I think that was just for sentencing. I don't think that's true, and I think he will appeal," Assistant District Attorney Carli McNeil told reporters. "I think those were just words that didn't mean anything."