Memos Detailing Effects of Military Combat Give Sebena Chance at Parole

Benjamin Sebena, the Iraq War veteran who gunned down his wife, a Wauwatosa police officer, could have a chance at parole after memos were filed Tuesday detailing the psychological and physical effects of his tours in combat, WISN reports.

Sebena faces a life sentence when he appears before a judge on Friday, online court records show. On Christmas Eve, Sebena shot his wife, Jennifer Sebena, as she took a break from work outside a Wauwatosa fire station.

Sebena’s lawyer, Michael Steinle, filed the sentencing memos to demonstrate Sebena's sacrifices during his military service and how they affected his mental state and led him to take his wife's life, according to Patch media partners WISN. 

The memos claim Sebena killed 68 people during his military service, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Steinle said Sebena became suicidal, and his wife told him if he committed suicide, she would too. Sebena decided to kill her first.

"He could not bear his wife losing her access to heaven if she killed herself as a result of his own suicide," the memo said according to WISN. 

After taking his wife's life, Sebena went home and tried to kill himself, but his guns wouldn't fire. He decided to wait for police, and planned to shoot at their squad tires in hopes they'd fire back and kill him. 

Steinle initially pursued an insanity plea, but doctors said his mental condition did not support the plea. In June, he pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide in the death of his wife.