Twenty-five years is a long time to live in a ghost story. For David and Douglas Jensen, the two sons of Julie Jensen, the "antifreeze murder" isn't a true-crime documentary or a headline. It's their life. When Julie Jensen died in her Pleasant Prairie home in 1998, David was 8 and Douglas was only 3.
They grew up in the shadow of a "letter from the grave" and a father who insisted he was innocent.
Today, those two boys are men. And honestly, they couldn't be on more different paths when it comes to the man convicted of killing their mother.
Where Are David and Douglas Jensen Now?
The 2023 retrial of Mark Jensen brought the family back into the scorching heat of the public eye. People always wonder what happens to the kids in these cases once the cameras leave. In this case, the brothers have taken starkly different stances on their father's guilt.
Douglas Jensen, the younger son who was just a toddler when Julie died, has distanced himself from his father. During the 2023 sentencing, he didn't just stay silent. He filed a victim impact statement that was—to put it bluntly—devastating. Douglas described a childhood fueled by "fear and suspicion."
He’s 28 now. He’s married. He works in social services, helping others navigate their own traumas.
Basically, Douglas has chosen to move on without Mark Jensen. He told the court that his mother was "erased" from his life. He has no real memories of her, just the heavy identity of being "the kid from that case" in Kenosha. He even asked the judge for the maximum sentence.
On the flip side, David Jensen has stayed by his father's side. David was 8 when his mother passed, old enough to have "fond memories" of the family before everything shattered. He testified for the defense in 2023, describing his father as a supportive, loving figure who cared for them after Julie died.
It’s a messy, tragic dynamic. One son sees a murderer; the other sees a victim of a "wrongful" conviction.
The Step-Mother Dynamic: Life With Kelly Jensen
After Julie's death, Mark didn't wait long to move on. He married Kelly LaBonte Grieman, the woman he was having an affair with at the time of the murder. She’s the one who actually raised David and Douglas.
This is where the story gets even more complicated for the sons. They grew up in a household where Mark and Kelly were the primary parents. For David, that unit represented stability. For Douglas, it eventually felt like a facade.
When Douglas reconnected with his mother's side of the family as an adult, an uncle told him he had Julie's eyes. That moment seemed to be a turning point. It’s hard to imagine the psychological weight of realizing the people who raised you might have been keeping a dark secret for decades.
A Split Legacy in the Courtroom
The 2023 retrial was legally unique because the famous "letter from the grave" was thrown out. The prosecution had to prove Mark poisoned Julie with antifreeze and smothered her using only circumstantial evidence and witness testimony.
- David’s Perspective: He asked for parole eligibility for his father. He focused on the man who raised him for years while the case wound through appeals.
- Douglas’s Perspective: He called the crime "inconceivable." He chose to stand with his mother's brothers, who have fought for 25 years to keep Mark behind bars.
Why the Jensen Case Still Matters
The case of Julie Jensen changed Wisconsin law. It went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court over the "Confrontation Clause." But for the sons, the legal jargon doesn't matter much.
What matters is the reality of 2026. Mark Jensen is 63 years old and serving life without parole at the Oshkosh Correctional Institute. He'll likely die there.
David continues to visit and support him. Douglas has found a way to build a life that is his own, separate from the tragedy that defined his youth.
It’s a reminder that there is no "right" way to survive a tragedy like this. Some children of trauma cling to the only parent they have left. Others realize that the truth is worth the price of the relationship.
If you're following this case, the best way to honor Julie Jensen is to respect the privacy these two men are trying to maintain. They didn't choose to be part of a landmark legal battle; they were just kids who lost their mom on a cold December day in 1998.
Next Steps for True Crime Followers:
If you want to understand the legal nuances that kept this case alive for 25 years, look into the Crawford v. Washington ruling. It explains why Julie’s letter was so controversial. You can also find the full 2023 trial transcripts through the Kenosha County Clerk of Courts to see the full context of David Jensen's testimony.