Judge: Blaine Man Showed Lack Of Remorse After Killing Wife

ANOKA COUNTY, MN — A Blaine man was given a longer sentence after killing his wife because he displayed a lack of remorse, according to the judge in the case. Anoka County District Judge Dyanna Street sentenced Matthew Jansen, 47, to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in March to second-degree intentional murder.

Anoka County prosecutors had requested a longer than usual sentence, and Judge Street agreed to it.

"It is particularly cruel for children to lose their mother, and a family to lose their loved one, at the hands of someone who is supposed to emotionally support a family, not violently tear it apart," said Anoka County Attorney Tony Palumbo in a news release.

"The emotional impact was made worse here because the victim had attended her mother’s funeral just that morning."

Mary Jo Jansen was in the process of leaving her husband when he shot and killed her, police said.

At the scene of the killing, Matthew Jansen told police, "I can’t believe I did it" and "I guess I don’t have to worry about a divorce now," according to the criminal complaint.