A man who was convicted of poisoning his wife, then smothering her with a pillow, will spend life in prison without parole.
Kenosha County Judge Bruce Schroeder says the wickedness and cruelty with which Mark Jensen murdered his wife "speaks to the content of his character." During a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, the judge said people like Jensen need to be removed from society.
The 48-year-old Jensen was convicted last week for the 1998 murder of his wife, Julie. The conviction carried a mandatory life sentence, but the decision about parole was left up to the judge.
The case will be appealed and could be impacted by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in a California case. It involved statements the victim made to police about her boyfriend, similar to a letter Julie Jensen left behind pointing a finger at her husband if something happened to her. That evidence was allowed at trial.
Jensen offered no statement during his sentencing.
WRJN's Janet Hoff contributed to this report.