Trial Delayed for Northfield Man Accused of Burglary, Killing Family Dogs

A 30-year-old Northfield man accused of stabbing, choking and beating dogs to death has been given a small reprieve. 

Matthew David Jensen faces 10 felony charges: Five for burglary, four for torturing animals, and one charge of fifth-degree drug possession. On June 14, he pleaded not guilty to all.

He was scheduled to face a jury trial this upcoming Monday, but according to a recent article in the Northfield News Jensen's trial has been delayed for three months. The new trial date is Dec. 9. 

Jensen questioned the validity of the case against him in a handwritten note to the judge, filed on June 7, though he stopped short of directly protesting innocence. He told the judge that he posed no risk to public safety if released, and added that he believed another person could have been responsible for the rash of break-ins that occurred in May.

"There were multiple, four I believe, break-ins only a few blocks away from the ones I'm being accused of after I was already in custody, the night after in fact," Jensen wrote in a letter requesting a reduction in bail.