Dateline NBC “Secrets in Pleasant Prairie” October 12 2023 Recap & Preview
In an all-new one-hour episode of Dateline titled “Secrets in Pleasant Prairie,” set to air on Thursday, October 12 at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT, the investigation into the poisoning death of Wisconsin mother-of-two Julie Jensen takes an unexpected turn. Detectives discover that Julie had written a letter just days before her death, which pointed to a possible suspect.
The episode will be reported by Andrea Canning and features interviews with key individuals involved in the case, including Pleasant Prairie Police Department Captain Barry Ollila, former Kenosha County District Attorney Bob Jambois, Private Investigator Dave Ellis, coworkers of Julie’s husband Mark Jensen, and others.
The story is set in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and promises to unveil intriguing details about this puzzling case.
What Happened to Julie Jensen & Mark Jensen?
Mark Jensen was accused of murdering his wife, Julie Jensen, on December 3, 1998. The case gained notoriety for the admission of a letter written by Julie Jensen before her death, expressing suspicion about her husband’s intentions.
Julie Jensen, prior to her death, conducted an investigation into her husband’s activities, checking his planner, photographing a note, and documenting her concerns. She entrusted the letter to a neighbor with instructions to deliver it to the police if anything happened to her. In the letter, she expressed her belief that she would never take her own life and requested that the police consider her husband a suspect if she were to die.
Mark Jensen was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in 2008 and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. However, his first conviction was overturned following legal appeals.
During the trials, the prosecution argued that Mark Jensen poisoned his wife with antifreeze and subsequently suffocated her. The defense, on the other hand, contended that Julie Jensen was a depressed woman who had taken her own life and framed her husband.
A critical element of the trial was the controversial use of Julie Jensen’s letter as evidence. The Wisconsin Supreme Court allowed its admission based on the “forfeiture by wrongdoing” doctrine, asserting that a defendant waives the right to confront a witness if they caused the witness’s absence.
Mark Jensen’s initial conviction was overturned in 2013, citing violations of his Constitutional right to confront witnesses. However, the state appealed the decision, and in 2015, the United States Court of Appeals upheld the district court’s ruling.
In 2016, prosecutors decided to retry Jensen for his wife’s murder. After several legal proceedings and appeals, including the reinstatement and reversal of his conviction, Mark Jensen was found guilty in his second trial in 2023. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole once again in April 2023.
