Jensen v. Clements, No. 14-1380 (7th Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CaseTwo weeks before her death, Julie Jensen gave a sealed envelope to her neighbors, stating that if anything happened to her, they should give the envelope to the police. It contained a handwritten letter, stating that her relationship with her husband had deteriorated and that “I ... fear for my early demise.” Julie made similarly statements in voicemails left with the police and to others. A search of the Jensens’ home computer yielded internet searches for suicide and poisoning, including a search for “ethylene glycol poisoning.” Ethylene glycol (antifreeze) was found in Julie’s system. The search also revealed that Jensen was having an affair. Jensen was charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Experts disagreed about the cause of death. The trial court ruled that Julie’s letter was admissible. After the Supreme Court decided Crawford v. Washington, (2004), Jensen moved for reconsideration. The Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted “a broad forfeiture by wrongdoing doctrine.” On remand, the court found by a preponderance of the evidence that Jensen killed Julie, causing her absence from trial, and had forfeited his right to confrontation with respect to the letter. The Seventh Circuit affirmed a grant of habeas corpus relief: the Wisconsin court’s determination reflected an unreasonable application of the harmless error standard. Rrroneous admission of Julie’s letter and statements to the police had a substantial and injurious effect in determining the guilty verdict.
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