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Local NewsJensen Trial: Mark's Cell Mate TestifiesBy Katie DeLong
ELKHORN - Friday was a very big day in the Mark Jensen trial.
Mark Jensen’s cell mate testified Jensen admitted he killed his wife.
Aaron Dillard says he and Mark Jensen became friends while in custody at the Kenosha County Jail. Dillard says after several days of talking about the Jensen case, Mark Jensen finally admitted he killed his wife.
Aaron Dillard was in the same cell as Mark Jensen.
He thought the Jensen case was interesting, and spent a lot of time talking with Mark about it.
"He was telling me that his wife was crazy, that she was insane, that she would self medicate herself," Dillard said.
Dillard says Jensen maintained his innocence for a couple days, but eventually told Dillard he poisoned his wife Julie and suffocated her when the poison didn't kill her.
"That’s the point when he rolled her over, sat on her, and shoved her neck into the pillow until she died," Dillard said.
Dillard says Jensen also admitted telling Ed Klug about his plan.
"He said he got drunk, and (bleeped) up, and mouthed off to Klug when he was drunk," Dillard said.
The defense spent several hours pointing out Dillard’s long criminal record, and why the jury shouldn't believe a word he says.
Aaron Dillard is no longer an inmate. He was let out of jail after agreeing to testify in this case. The defense says Dillard only testified to get out of jail early.
Julie Jensen’s friend started crying on the stand earlier Friday, as she described how Julie felt in the days leading up to her death.
Malgorzata Wojt lived next door to the Jensen’s.
She got very emotional as she testified that Julie Jensen was afraid for her life. Wojt described Julie Jensen as a loving mother, who enjoyed gardening, baking and sewing.
Wojt says Julie loved staying home with her children, and was upset that her husband Mark wanted her to get a job.
Wojt testified Julie started talking about problems in her marriage in the weeks before she died, and that she was afraid Mark was trying to kill her.
"I said why don't get you a divorce? And she said ‘Mark would kill me before he would let me get a divorce,’" Wojt said.
Wojt also testified that Julie gave her several rolls of film to hold onto because she didn't want Mark to find it.
Julie later gave that film to police.
Wojt was told the pictures were of poison Web sites Julie Jensen found on her family's home computer.
Wojt also testified that she offered to help Julie, but Julie refused it.
The defense is trying to prove she didn't need help, because she was never in danger, and committed suicide.
One of Mark Jensen's former cell mates from the Kenosha County Jail also took the stand. Aaron Dillard testified that he and Mark Jensen became friends while inside the Kenosha County Jail. Dillard said at first, Jensen said he didn't kill his wife, but over time, admitted it.
Dillard says Jensen told him he put anti-freeze in juice, and gave it to his wife Julie several times. Jensen allegedly said Julie started getting really sick, and the couple's kids were worried. Dillard testified Jensen said Julie wasn't sick enough to die, and he got worried because he promised their kids he would take her to the hospital if she wasn't better. Dillard says while the kids were at school, Mark Jensen sat on his wife's back, and suffocated her until she stopped breathing.
Dillard said Jensen was emotionless when he talked about killing his wife, but was very emotional when talking about his children.
The defense says Dillard made the whole story up to get out of jail. The prosecution offered him a deal to testify against Mark Jensen, and now Dillard is a free man. But the prosecution also says Dillard knows a lot of details about the case that only police and the attorneys know.
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