No one is more shocked about the rape and kidnapping charges pending against Snellville businessman David Jansen than his wife of 24 years.
"She said this was not the husband and father that she had known," divorce attorney Margaret Washburn said Monday of her client, Christy Lynn Jansen. "They have known each other for 33 years. This was totally unexpected."
Christy Jansen thought her husband was away on a business trip until an Atlanta Police officer showed up on her doorstep last week, Washburn said.
That's when Christy Jansen, 46, learned what her husband allegedly kidnapped a 24-year-old woman in Atlanta on Tuesday, drove her to a rented cabin near Gatlinburg, Tenn., and raped her. Police said the kidnapping was foiled when a pizza deliveryman who brought Jansen dinner several hours later saw the captive woman and called 911.
Washburn said that Jansen's wife had noticed his demeanor becoming more withdrawn and less active in the past four or five years. Washburn said it was not a change that Christy Jansen saw as a warning sign, and she did not know what brought on the change.
The Jansens have two children, a son, 22, and an 18-year-old daughter. She filed for divorce on Friday in Gwinnett County Superior Court.
Washburn said that her client didn't know her husband's destination when he left their Snellville home on Memorial Day to go on a "business trip." Jansen is an implementation engineer for Conyers software company Vertafore and earns $70,000 a year, divorce records show.
"She did ask, but he didn't tell her," Washburn said.
After police came to the house, Christy Jansen contacted her husband's office and was told no business trip had ever been scheduled, Washburn said.
Jansen's attorney, Donald A. Bosch of Knoxville, declined to comment Monday. Bosch's secretary said he would be issuing a statement later this week.
It is unclear if Jansen is still working at Vertafore. A spokeswoman for Vertafore declined to comment on Monday, saying the company does not comment on past or current employees.
Police said the victim was jogging on Montgomery Ferry Road near the Morningside community in Atlanta around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday when David Jansen pulled up in a Dodge Charger. The woman recognized Jansen as a former client of the business that she owned with her husband.
Jansen, 46, allegedly convinced her to climb inside to check out the car's interior, then bound her and drove her to a remote cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Police said Jansen cut off the victim's clothing and raped her twice before she was rescued.
Washburn said that Jansen has not contacted his wife since he left and they have been unable to serve him with divorce papers. A judge issued a mutual restraining order on Friday requiring the couple to stay 500 feet away from each other.
Washburn said David Jansen's "well-to-do" brother in Alpharetta was responsible for posting his bail on the $800,000 bond in Sevier County, Tenn., last week.
Christy Jansen is declining all interview requests for the time being, Washburn said.
"She is taking a little R&R and just trying to let things calm down and figure out what her next move is," Washburn said. "This is not something that you wake up to every day."
Staff reporter Megan Matteucci contributed to this report.
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