Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Oak Lawn, IL: Vet accused of killing wife weeps as prosecutors outline case

Iraq war veteran Joseph Jesk of Oak Lawn accused of shooting wife to death

By Lolly Bowean and Megan Twohey, Tribune reporters

9:49 PM CST, March 1, 2010




With about 20 relatives and friends looking on Monday, Joseph Jesk's face turned red, he hung his head and then wept out loud as prosecutors described how he shot and killed his wife.

The 23-year-old Iraq war veteran was charged with first-degree murder after shooting Heather Jesk in the basement of their Oak Lawn home Saturday night, about six weeks after he was discharged from the Army, officials said.

A soldier who served with Jesk said he spoke with him about a week ago and that Jesk indicated he was having trouble adjusting to life on the home front.

The friend, a specialist in Jesk's unit who asked that his name be withheld, said that when the couple lived together near a military base, he saw the volatility in their relationship, made worse by alcohol abuse.

Officials said the couple had been quarreling Saturday, and that "alcohol was definitely a factor" in the slaying of Heather Jesk, the mother of 2-year-old and 11-month-old children.

Prosecutors said the shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. Saturday after the family returned to their home in the 4600 block of West 101st Street after a fundraiser for Joseph Jesk's uncle.

The couple, family members and a friend were watching television when Heather and Joseph Jesk walked down to the basement, said Assistant State's Attorney Marleem Nava. The friend followed the couple, but then returned upstairs because he "feared for his life," Nava said.

Just as he got upstairs, the family heard a single gunshot, Nava said.

The friend and Joseph Jesk's sister went to the basement and discovered Heather Jesk, 23, shot in the forehead and lying in blood, Nava said. They saw Joseph Jesk leave the house through a side door.

Reached at his home Monday, the friend called the situation "hard" and declined to comment further.

As Nava described the shooting, Joseph Jesk let the tears flow to the floor. Heather Jesk's father covered his face and cried quietly as friends and relatives wept, hugged and shook their heads.

Jesk's attorney Michael F. Clancy said the shooting was a "tragic accident." After it occurred, Jesk called police and was walking toward the police station when he was arrested, Clancy said.

Jesk enlisted in the Army in 2007 and underwent special training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma before becoming a cannon crewmember with the 3rd Battalion 16th Field Artillery based in Fort Carson, Colo., said Shari Lawrence, an Army spokeswoman.

The unit deployed to Iraq in September 2008, Lawrence said, and returned to Colorado on July 31, 2009.

Lawrence would not comment on what Jesk did in Iraq or why he was discharged. She would not confirm whether Jesk had been promoted to a sergeant while in Iraq, as stated by a friend who served in the unit.

The Army Times reported Jesk had been selected for a promotion to sergeant in August 2009.

"If he was promoted and then demoted, that's a disciplinary action and therefore not public record," Lawrence said.

Clancy said Jesk was discharged Jan. 13.

"He did not receive a dishonorable discharge," Lawrence said. "But a lot of people think that if it's not dishonorable, it's honorable. That's not the case. There are different degrees of discharge."

Jesk's attorney said the recently returned veteran had no intention of hurting his wife.

"They were very much in love," said Clancy.

Jesk lived his entire life in Oak Lawn, Clancy said. The couple were raising their children together and had recently closed on a new condominium, he said. Jesk has no criminal background and police had no prior contact with the couple, authorities said.

Clancy said the couple's parents were working together to care for the children.

Judge Joan O'Brien set Jesk's bail at $1 million.

At one point, Mayor Dave Heilmann had said he was told by police that Jesk had not been acting normal and "had been pointing guns at people since he returned."

Clancy said the statement was unfounded. Heilmann declined to comment further Monday.

"From time to time, he had been upset," Clancy said of Jesk's reaction to the war. "A lot of young men that are coming back from Iraq have been upset" about what is happening there, he said.

Two soldiers who served with Jesk said he did not see combat action in Iraq.

After he was discharged, Jesk tried to keep an upbeat attitude, his friend said. He was looking forward to reuniting with his family and hoped to get a job in law enforcement or as a security guard.

But when the friend talked to Jesk a week ago, he was disappointed he had not found a job and voiced annoyance at his wife, the friend said. "His voice didn't sound normal," he said.

Tribune reporter Kristen Schorsch contributed to this report.

lbowean@tribune.com

mtwohey@tribune.com

Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune

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