Jennifer Sebena to Get Another Look from Memorial Group

The National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund will meet April 3 to consider adding the slain Wauwatosa officer to a wall honoring officers killed in the line of duty.

The organization in charge of a national memorial to fallen officers will reconsider its decision to exclude slain Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena next week, according to an advocacy group. A message on the Facebook page of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association says that the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund will meet April 3 to discuss the matter. Today’s TMJ4 first reported the news Monday. The organization declined to include Sebena because she was a victim of domestic violence; the result was a significant outcry from Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, the WPPA and and others. Sebena was shot and killed while on duty Christmas Eve 2012. Her husband, Benjamin Sebena, has been charged with first-…

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Jon C

1:27 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Dude, go through a war, get blown up a couple of times in a Humvee, watch some of your best friends die and then tell me you aren't messed up afterwards. War messes with the best of us and we can never go back to who we were (and FYI its penalty).   more ›

Report: Ben Sebena Got Special Treatment; Officer, Deputies Suspended

Todays TMJ 4 reports that Ben Sebena, charged with first-degree homicide in the shooting death of Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena, has gotten preferential treatment in jail.

A ranking officer and several deputies of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department could be fired for giving special treatment to Benjamin Sebena, accused of killing his wife, Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena, according to Today's TMJ4. The station reported Thursday night that a lieutenant and four correctional officers provided or allowed candy and possibly other amenities to be given to Sebena while he is on secure watch at the County Jail. County Sheriff David Clarke is contemplating firing the officers, according to the TMJ4 report, which could not be independently confirmed at the hour. Benjamin Sebena stands charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the murder of his wife in the early morning of Christmas Eve, and is…

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atthec44

11:27 am on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

If you’re in jail, you aren’t entitled to benefit from a simple act of kindness.   more ›

Benjamin Sebena Pleads Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity

Sebena, charged with killing his wife, Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena, officially changed is plea on Friday. His trial is set to begin July 8.

Benjamin Sebena, charged with killing his wife, Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena, has changed his plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. There had been speculation that he would change his plea from not guilty to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, and point to post-traumatic stress disorders as the underlying cause.  The plea sets up a two-phase trial, first for jurors to determine whether he is guilty, and then if found guilty, for them to assess his mental state at the time of the crime. The trial is expected to begin July 8. The charge against Benjamin Sebena, first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon, carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without possibility of parole…

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Benjamin Sebena Returns to Court Friday

It's possible that the defense for Benjamin Sebena, charged in the murder of Jennifer Sebena, could take this opportunity to change its not guilty plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect based on a diagnosis of PTSD.

Benjamin Sebena will appear in court Friday for the fourth time since his arrest in the shooting death of his wife, Jennifer Sebena, who was on duty as a Wauwatosa police officer when she was killed during the early morning hours of Christmas Eve. While the hearing is billed only as “further proceedings,” there are some possibilities and some likelihoods. The only remark made about this hearing by presiding Judge David Borowski at Sebena’s last appearance, his arraignment on Jan. 24, was that he would “expect to set a trial date.” That, presumably will happen — if nothing else does happen first. But Sebena’s defense, led by attorney Michael Steinle, could do a number of things, among them, changing their plea. On Jan. 24, Sebena pleaded …

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Benjamin Sebena Murder Trial Could Have National Repercussions, Experts Say

A criminologist said the case of the shooting of Wauwatosa police officer Jennifer Sebena is not cut-and-dried.

Benjamin Sebena Murder Trial Could Have National Repercussions, Experts Say

A criminologist said the case of the shooting of Wauwatosa police officer Jennifer Sebena is not cut-and-dried.

WAUWATOSA, WI—To the legal layperson, the case of the murder of Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena may appear to be open and shut. Jennifer’s husband, Benjamin Sebena, admitted to investigators in statements that he had stalked her for days, had lain in wait for her on Christmas Eve morning, and shot her five times in the head, according to charging documents. The two guns presumed used to kill her—one of them her service weapon, the other a rare type that matches a shell casing found at the scene—were found hidden in the Sebenas’ basement ceiling. His plea of not guilty last week tells us only that there will be a trial. Based on his admission alone, but also with a seeming preponderance of physical evidence against him, what …

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Benjamin Sebena Pleads Not Guilty in Wife's Murder

Case of the killing of Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena will go to trial.

Benjamin Sebena pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to the Christmas Eve murder of his wife, Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena. At his arraignment before Judge David Borowski, Benjamin Sebena again appeared strapped in a wheelchair and wearing a security vest, as he has in every appearance since his arrest and charging. He did not speak; his attorney, Michael Steinle, entered the plea on his behalf. In the very brief proceeding, Steinle made no mention at this stage of a possible defense of not guilty by reason of insanity or mental defect. The not guilty plea means the case will go to trial, with further proceedings to set a trial date scheduled for March 1. The charge against Benjamin Sebena, first-degree intentional homicide by …

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Randy1949

1:57 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013

He won't get a 'free pass'. He will be in some kind of custodial care for a very long time. If anything, people who are adjudged mentally ill spend more time in captivity than those who 'pay their debt to society' and are released.   more ›

Benjamin Sebena Waives Preliminary Hearing; Arraignment Set

The 30-year-old waived a preliminary hearing on Thursday. He is next in court on Jan. 24.

Benjamin Sebena waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court in the case of the shooting death of his wife, Wauwatosa Police Officer Jennifer Sebena and was bound over for trial. In a preliminary hearing, a defendant could challenge the evidence contained in the criminal complaint against him and force police, the medical examiner or other witnesses to testify to the facts presented in it. Benjamin Sebena, in waiving his hearing, agreed to those essential findings. With that, a judicial court commissioner found probable cause that a crime was committed and bound Sebena over for trial. Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Mark Williams is representing the state, and Sebena's attorney is …

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Deb Strzelecki

12:49 pm on Saturday, January 5, 2013

This was the most extreme demonstration of domestic violence. The horrific way it was done would have been publicized if the victim was a police officer or not. The victim was ambushed. Remember Brookfield from a couple of months ago? I'm in law enforcement and DV is way too common. A very, very complex issue.   more ›

Benjamin Sebena Had Been Stalking Wife for Days Before Shooting: Complaint

Husband of slain Wauwaotsa police officer Jennifer Sebena admitted to police that he waited in hiding for her near Fire Station No. 1 for hours, and shot her when she left the building after taking a break, court records state.

After initially telling police he was at home at the time his wife was murdered, Benjamin Sebena ultimately admitted he had stalked her for several days before killing her on Christmas Eve, court documents show. Sebena was charged Thursday with first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of his wife, Wauwatosa police officer Jennifer Sebena, while she was on duty. Benjamin Sebena became a suspect almost immediately, and his plot to kill his wife unraveled quickly, according to the details of police reports distilled into the criminal complaint charging him with her murder. He left shell casings at the scene, including one from a rare type of 9mm ammunition fired by only a few models of handguns — and more ammunition of that …

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