Michelle Kehoe (FOUND GUILTY on all 3 counts) 10/26/08 From Jesup, IA [Archive]

Grande

10-27-2008, 02:06 PM

Updated December 14. 2007 10:41PM
Passers-by pull woman, two sons from river in Iowa City
By Jennifer Hemmingsen
The Gazette
jennifer.hemmingsen@gazettecommunications.com

IOWA CITY - Four passersby jumped into the icy Iowa River to rescue a woman and her two small children after a car plunged into the water at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Michelle Kehoe, 33, of Coralville, was driving south into town on Dubuque Street when she became distracted by her young sons — 6-year-old Sean and 1-year-old Seth — and lost control of the car. It hit a curb, left the road and plunged into the river.

It happened just north of the Park Road bridge, Iowa City Fire Capt. Jerry Blank said.

Several witnesses sprang into action. Josh Shepherd of Iowa City, Cory Rath of Cedar Rapids, Steve McGuire of Iowa City and Mark Petersen of North Liberty went into the water and pulled the mother and two boys out before the car sank to the bottom of the river, Iowa City police said. Several other witnesses helped before paramedics arrived.

McGuire, a University of Iowa professor, told The Gazette he was riding his bicycle north on the path beside Dubuque Street when he saw the top half of a red station wagon sticking out of the river.

“Then I saw somebody in the water, and I saw people on the sidewalk and along the bank,” he said. “I laid down my bike and ran to the bank of the river, tried to take a second to figure out whether I should get in the water.”

McGuire, 49, said he thought of the 50-foot rule he learned as a lifeguard, growing up in Kansas City: 50 percent of people can swim 50 feet in water colder than 50 degrees before they become hypothermic. He thought the woman looked to be about 30 feet from shore. He jumped in the river and swam.

When he reached Kehoe, she was incoherent. “I said, ‘You’re going to be OK. I’ve got you. We’re going to get out of here.’ I was saying that as much to convince myself as anything.”

He grabbed her by the coat, reached underneath her arm and pulled.

“When I got her up onto the bank, she was saying something I couldn’t understand,” he said. “She said, ‘My babies.’ I thought they were still in the car — then someone said, ‘They’re OK, they’re out.’”

They got Kehoe to a warm car, where her children were waiting, he said. Emergency crews arrived less than a minute later.

“They were cold, but as far as I know, everybody’s OK — the ... rescuers and the three people who got rescued,” Blank said.

The Kehoes were taken to University Hospitals in Iowa City, where they were treated for exposure to the elements. The rescuers declined medical treatment.

This is the third time McGuire has fished someone out of the river. The first time was during a flood in April 1993. “A student lost his hat, went to pick it up, stepped wrong and was swept off the bank,” he said.

In October 2003, someone came to his house, at Eastmoor and Normandy drives, to tell him a person was in the river and needed help. That time, McGuire ran across City Park in his shorts and T-shirt to reach the river.

“This was the most drastic, I think because of the temperature of the air and the water,” he said. “I really had to just make up my mind that I was going to go in because I knew how cold it was. I was worried about if I could make it out.”

McGuire, who teaches in the UI College of Liberal Arts and the School of Art and Art History, said it’s just a coincidence that he’s three times a hero.

“If the situation presented itself three times to most people, most people would have three times gone into the water,” he said. “You see somebody and you’re that close and you know they could die — you just decide there is nothing to do but take a chance.”

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071214/NEWS/71214004/1006/news

PinkPony

10-27-2008, 03:49 PM

Updated October 27. 2008 11:09AM
Police at 'crime scene' involving missing wife, two kids
By Sara Stewart, reporter
KCRG-TV 9

LITTLETON - Buchanan County authorities have set up a barricade around a crime scene in Littleton, just north of Jesup.

The barricade is surrounding what locals call Hook and Liner Pond, the area where the van of a missing woman and her children may have been found.

This morning, Gene Kehoe came to Coralville police concerned about his wife, Michelle, and two sons, Sean, 7 and Seth, 2. Authorities told TV9 they were last seen at the Kwikstar in Jesup on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., on the surveillance camera.

TV9 spoke with Gene Kehoe this morning. He said that his wife had gone up to a house in Littleton and authorities were on the way there. He sounded distraught and concerned.

Once we arrived at the crime scene just after 9:00 a.m. Monday, authorities told us to back up and leave. They said "it's a crime scene with evidence".

Neighbors who were in that area before it was barricaded tell TV9 someone was taken in an ambulance then taken away by life flight helicopter on Monday morning. Some neighbors saw the car in the woods as early as 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

There have been several agents and officers in and out of this crime scene.

You may remember Michelle Kehoe was in the news last December, when she lost control of the family vehicle while driving, hit a curb, and ended up in the Iowa River.

You see the car being pulled out of the river below in a Gazette photo from December 19th of last year.

She told the Gazette she became distracted by her two sons in the car with her and went into the river.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081027/NEWS/710279940/1006/news

There are alot of things going through my mind right now. I hope this doesn't play out like I think it's going to.

PP

Breezy

10-28-2008, 01:30 AM

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081027/NEWS/710279940/1006/news

Child found dead as mom, brother injured

LITTLETON - Seth Kehoe, 2, was found dead in the family van near Littleton, in Buchanan County, this morning, authorities said here this afternoon.

His mother, Michelle Kehoe, and brother, Sean Kehoe, 7, were injured and had surgery at Eastern Iowa hospitals – Michelle in Iowa City and Sean in Waterloo.

Their situation was revealed at a news conference this afternoon in a case that started with a report of Kehoe and the boys being missing on a trip to Sumner.

Buchanan County investigators said Michelle went to a rural residence shortly before 8 o’clock this morning and said her children were in danger.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has been called into this case but authorities said at a news conference this afternoon they did not think the public was in danger.

A lot of questions remain to be answered. Chief among them, how did Seth die and what happened to his brother and mother.

Authorities say did say the family van was parked near a pond, but was not ever submerged in water.

Authorities said Michelle left the family home in Coralville at 11 a.m. Sunday for Sumner but never arrived. They last were seen around 12:30 p.m. in Jesup, authorities said. Buchanan County officials asked that anyone who saw the family’s Volkswagen Eurovan after then to contact the Sheriff’s Office.

Buchanan County authorities have set up a barricade around a crime scene in Littleton, just north of Jesup, near what locals call Hook and Liner Pond.

This morning, Gene Kehoe told Coralville police he was concerned about his wife, Michelle, and two sons, Sean, 7 and Seth, 2. Authorities said they were last seen at the Kwikstar in Jesup on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., on the surveillance camera.

KCRG-TV9 spoke with Gene Kehoe this morning. He said his wife had gone up to a house in Littleton and authorities were on the way there. He sounded distraught and concerned.

Coralville police issued an alert, although indications of foul play were not evident immediately.

Neighbors who were in the area before it was barricaded told TV9 someone was taken in an ambulance then taken away by life flight helicopter on Monday morning. Some neighbors saw the car in the woods as early as 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Michelle Kehoe was in the news in December when she lost control of the family vehicle while driving, hit a curb, and ended up in the Iowa River.

She told the Gazette she became distracted by her two sons in the car with her and went into the river.

The Iowa City Council in January honored four men who pulled Kehoe and her sons from the river: Steve McGuire and Josh Shepherd of Iowa City, Mark Petersen of North Liberty and Cory Rath of Cedar Rapids

TigressPen

10-28-2008, 07:55 AM

I sure hope the police can straighten all this out. Why if she went to a home and said her children's lives were in danger, did she leave that home and go elsewhere? I'm thankful the older son is still living. So very sad about the baby. :1222423:

Faith

10-28-2008, 08:39 AM

Kehoe family found

2-year-old dead; brother, mother injured

A 2-year-old Coralville boy was found dead and his mother and 7-year-old brother are injured after they were reported missing Sunday night.

At a news conference Monday afternoon, Buch-anan County Attorney Allan VanderHart said that Michelle Kehoe, 35, the mother of 2-year-old Seth Kehoe and 7-year-old Sean Kehoe, left with the two boys from their Coralville home at 11 a.m. Sunday and headed to Sumner.

The family never made it to Sumner and was last seen at 12:30 p.m. Sunday near Jesup.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, Michelle Kehoe went to a home at 305 River Road Blvd. in Buchanan County. She was injured and said that her sons "were in danger," according to a news release.

A 2002 white Volkswagen Eurovan that Michelle Kehoe had been driving was found near Hook N Liner Pond near the community of Littleton.

Authorities found Seth Kehoe dead near the minivan and found Sean Kehoe seriously injured in the rear of the minivan.

Courtney Greene, spokeswoman for Iowa Department of Public Safety, declined to provide information about the nature of the injuries to any of those involved. However, she said Michelle and Sean Kehoe's injuries required surgery.

She said Sean Kehoe was transported to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo, and Michelle Kehoe was transported to University Hospitals.

Representatives at both hospitals declined to provide any information about the patients.

Greene said there was no accident involving the van.

The investigation into the case is ongoing and is being handled by the state Division of Criminal Investigation and the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department.

Greene said that there is "no risk to the public" associated with the case.

Coralville Police Sgt. Doug Carden said Eugene Kehoe, Michelle's husband, called police at 8:43 p.m. Sunday to report that his wife and two children were missing.

A phone message left at the Kehoe residence Monday was not returned. A reporter that went to the Kehoe residence, 1464 12th Ave. in Coralville, Monday afternoon was told by a woman that opened the door to "go away."

Neighbor Tim McAleer, 1380 12th Ave., said he often saw the family going for walks.

"I had conversations with them when they were going back and forth. They looked like a lovely family," he said.

McAleer said he was "very, very surprised" when he heard the news.

According to public records, the Kehoes lived at the Coralville residence since 1998.

University Hospitals spokesman Tom Moore said that Michelle Kehoe has been employed as a pharmacy technician at the hospital since June 1999.

Michelle Kehoe made headlines in December 2007, when four men rescued her and her two children after her car plunged into the Iowa River.

Police said that Kehoe was driving southbound on North Dubuque Street toward Kimball Road when she became distracted by her two sons. The vehicle hit the curb, left the roadway and plunged into the river.

Kehoe and her children were rescued by four passersby who jumped into the river to help.

Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said the investigation into the 2007 case will not be reopened.

"At this time, I don't see any reason to reopen it. They're two separate events. They were 10 months apart," he said.

Authorities are looking for information from anyone who saw the family's minivan after it left Coralville on Sunday. Anyone with information should call the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department at 319-334-2568

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081028/NEWS01/810280328/1079

Faith

10-28-2008, 08:47 AM

Iowa boy found dead, mother and brother hurt
Updated: 1 hr ago

LITTLETON, Iowa -- A toddler was found dead and his mother and older brother injured Monday, a day after the father and husband reported them missing.

The prosecutor in Buchanan County, Iowa, says a number of scenarios are being investigated in the death of two-year-old Seth Kehoe.

His mother, Michelle and seven-year-old brother Sean, both have serious injuries. The nature of the injuries isn't being disclosed.

Michelle Kehoe's husband, Eugene, called police Sunday night to report his wife and children had been missing since they left their Coralville home earlier in the day.

On Monday morning, investigators say sheriff's deputies were called to a home about 70 miles from Coralville, when Michelle Kehoe went to a house and told the residents that "the children were in danger."

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=528186&catid=14

Faith

10-28-2008, 08:47 AM

I'm waiting to see what happened here before moving the thread. Something isn't right here.

Claudia

10-28-2008, 09:34 AM

I'm waiting to see what happened here before moving the thread. Something isn't right here.

You can say that again. How weird.

Grande

10-28-2008, 09:34 AM

I'm waiting to see what happened here before moving the thread. Something isn't right here.

NP Faith, thank you!! Something is clearly not right...

I will keep Gene in my thoughts today. I cannot imagine what he is going through as we speak.

RIP Seth Kehoe.

TigressPen

10-28-2008, 09:53 AM

I agree, something doesn't feel right about this case at all. I have so many questions. Did she harm the children and herself? Did he? A stranger? Why leave the safehaven where she went to say her children were in danger?

packy

10-28-2008, 10:24 AM

This is very strange.

annalyzer

10-28-2008, 11:07 AM

What's that Munchausen by proxy syndrome or whatever? Attention seeking?

foxfarmboxers

10-28-2008, 11:34 AM

What's that Munchausen by proxy syndrome or whatever? Attention seeking?

I thought this as well Annalyzer, but then I thought...If it was Munchausen By Proxy, wouldn't the father be aware of numerous Dr/Hospital visits pertaining to the children? And IF indeed, the father was so concerned, wouldn't the aforementioned have been discussed with LE?

Another thing I was wondering, is whether maybe the mother was suffering from Post Partum Depression, and maybe the kids were crying, fussing, in the car, and she felt she was going to "snap", and stopped to report that her children were in danger (by her)....

JMO

Breezy

10-28-2008, 11:38 AM

I'm waiting to see what happened here before moving the thread. Something isn't right here.

I agree....

Faith

10-28-2008, 11:39 AM

What's that Munchausen by proxy syndrome or whatever? Attention seeking?

Fabricated or induced illness (FII), or factitious disorders, originally and more commonly known as Munchausen syndrome or Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), are insidious disorders in which injury is deliberately and gradually inflicted upon a person usually for gaining attention[1] or some other benefit[2].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchausen_syndrome_by_proxy

Faith

10-28-2008, 11:42 AM

The Iowa Division of Criminal Information is still seeking information from the public about the events that led to the death of two-year-old Seth Kehoe.

An autopsy on Seth Kehoe was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. today.

The DCI is not releasing any new information about their investigation into what happened to the Kehoe family, including whether charges are currently being pursued.

“We’re trying to be strategic about what information we’re releasing,” said Department of Public Safety spokesperson Jessica Lown. “At this point, we don’t want to show the cards we have in our hand, so to speak. Since we don’t have anybody in custody, we want to keep all of our options open to our agents.”

According to DCI and the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department, Michelle Kehoe, 35, the mother of Seth and 7-year-old Sean Kehoe, left with the two boys from their Coralville home at 11 a.m. Sunday, headed to Sumner.

The family never made it to Sumner and was last seen at 12:30 p.m. Sunday near Jesup. Shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, Michelle Kehoe went to a home at 305 River Road Blvd. in Buchanan County. She was injured and said that her sons “were in danger,” according to a news release. A 2002 white Volkswagen Eurovan that Michelle Kehoe had been driving was found near Hook N Liner Pond near the community of Littleton.

Authorities found Seth Kehoe dead near the minivan and found Sean Kehoe seriously injured in the rear of the minivan.

Lown said the DCI would not be releasing any details on the Kehoes’ injuries or how they were injured. Lown said she doesn’t want to “jeopardize the investigation,” by releasing that information.

Sean Kehoe was transported to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo, and Michelle Kehoe was transported to University Hospitals. Representatives from those hospitals said they had no information.

Lown said the DCI is still seeking information from anyone who might have seen Michelle Kehoe or her children between when they were spotted in Jesup and when Kehoe went to the home in Buchanan County.

“If anyone spotted the van, if anyone had contact with the family during that time frame; we’re asking them to come forward and talk to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department,” Lown said.

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081028/NEWS01/81028002/1079

Faith

10-28-2008, 11:48 AM

For Seth :1222423:

Faith

10-28-2008, 11:57 AM

Updated October 28. 2008 10:48AM
Authorities continue Kehoe death investigation
The Gazette

LITTLETON - Authorities from the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation this morning are continuing to gather evidence at the scene in what is currently being labeled a death investigation.

Jessica Lown, spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, said investigators are conducting interviews and doing a ground search of the tall grassy area where Seth Kehoe was found dead Monday morning outside the Kehoe family van.

"They're just trying to make sure that they're dilligent about collecting all possible evidence," Lown said.

His mother, Michelle Kehoe, 35, and his brother, Sean Kehoe, 7, were seriously injured in the same incident. Michelle Kehoe was taken to University Hospitals and Sean Kehoe was taken to Covenant Medical in Waterloo, where they received surgery for their injuries. When called for information, neither hospital would release information on their conditions. The nature and severity of Kehoe's injuries also have not been releasesd.

Little other information has been released about how the family, which had been traveling from Coralville to Sumner around noon Sunday, ended up off course in a remote wildlife area, or how and why at 8 a.m. Monday, an injured Michelle Kehoe went to a home on nearby River Road Boulevard and told the resident that her children were in danger.

Lown said the autopsy on Seth Kehoe is being conducted today. Authorities will determine based on the evidence whether they will treat this as a murder investigation.
She said the investigation should continue on the ground for at least another day.

Members of the Division of Criminal Investigation, Buchanan County Sheriff's Office and Iowa State Patrol are involved in the investigation.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081028/NEWS/810289990/1006

Faith

10-28-2008, 11:58 AM

LITTLETON, IOWA: Toddler dead; others hurt

A toddler was found dead and his mother and 7-year-old brother injured Monday, a day after the father and husband had reported them missing, authorities said.

The mother, Michelle Kehoe, and son Sean underwent surgery, the state Division of Criminal Investigation said Monday night.

Buchanan County Attorney Allan VanderHart said no charges have been filed, and it was too early to consider anyone a suspect.

http://www.freep.com/article/20081028/NEWS07/810280362/1009/NEWS07

annalyzer

10-28-2008, 12:41 PM

Fabricated or induced illness (FII), or factitious disorders, originally and more commonly known as Munchausen syndrome or Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), are insidious disorders in which injury is deliberately and gradually inflicted upon a person usually for gaining attention[1] or some other benefit[2].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchausen_syndrome_by_proxy

I know I asked in the form of a question Faith but it's not that I don't know what it means but wondering if it's possible this mother has it.

Faith

10-28-2008, 12:52 PM

I know I asked in the form of a question Faith but it's not that I don't know what it means but wondering if it's possible this mother has it.

I know, I posted the definition in case anyone reading was wondering what it was. Her husband would be able to answer that question. Something surly isn't normal here. I want to see the autopsy report on the child.

annalyzer

10-28-2008, 12:57 PM

I know, I posted the definition in case anyone reading was wondering what it was. Her husband would be able to answer that question. Something surly isn't normal here. I want to see the autopsy report on the child.

Injuries requiring surgery? Wonder if they are stab wounds. Wish LE was releasing more info on this.

Faith

10-28-2008, 01:04 PM

Injuries requiring surgery? Wonder if they are stab wounds. Wish LE was releasing more info on this.

I'm afraid this is a case that nothing would surprise me.

Faith

10-28-2008, 03:34 PM

Investigators say little about Littleton case

Associated Press
12:03 PM CDT, October 28, 2008

IOWA CITY, Iowa - State investigators won't reveal many details surrounding the death of a toddler and injuries suffered by his mother and brother in Littleton because police are still trying to piece together what happened.

Division of Criminal Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Lown says details about the death of Sean Kehoe and injuries to his mother Michelle and brother Seth are being kept private while investigators pursue "a variety of options."

The family was last seen Sunday at a Jesup convenience store. That night, Eugene Kehoe reported his wife and children missing.

Early Monday, Michelle Kehoe walked into a Littleton home with injuries and sought help.

Investigators say she and Seth Kehoe underwent surgery, and their conditions were not available Tuesday.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-missingfamily-inv,0,6023814.story

lost indie

10-28-2008, 03:38 PM

Investigators say little about Littleton case

Associated Press
12:03 PM CDT, October 28, 2008

IOWA CITY, Iowa - State investigators won't reveal many details surrounding the death of a toddler and injuries suffered by his mother and brother in Littleton because police are still trying to piece together what happened.

Division of Criminal Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Lown says details about the death of Sean Kehoe and injuries to his mother Michelle and brother Seth are being kept private while investigators pursue "a variety of options."

The family was last seen Sunday at a Jesup convenience store. That night, Eugene Kehoe reported his wife and children missing.

Investigators say she and Seth Kehoe underwent surgery, and their conditions were not available Tuesday.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-missingfamily-inv,0,6023814.story

Early Monday, Michelle Kehoe walked into a Littleton home with injuries and sought help.

This is the part that is confusing me. She walked in and left or what?

annalyzer

10-28-2008, 03:43 PM

Early Monday, Michelle Kehoe walked into a Littleton home with injuries and sought help.

This is the part that is confusing me. She walked in and left or what?

I took it as they then went back to the children at the car. :shrug1:

TigressPen

10-28-2008, 03:46 PM

Early Monday, Michelle Kehoe walked into a Littleton home with injuries and sought help.

This is the part that is confusing me. She walked in and left or what?

I wondered about all that also. In early reports the article stated that her husband told LE that she went up to Littleton, then later the town name changed. I am wondering if she called him from the house or had the persons there call him and he reported her missing after she left that house. So many questions aren't being answered. I can understand why LE is being so tightlipped though. Media speculation can hurt the investigation.

Faith

10-28-2008, 05:49 PM

JUST IN: Child's Death Now Classified as Homicide
By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Oct 28, 2008 at 4:24 PM CDT

Story Updated: Oct 28, 2008 at 4:24 PM CDT

LITTLETON - Seth Kehoe's death has been ruled a homicide. Autopsy results released on Tuesday show that Seth died from sharp force injuries to the neck.

Seth was found dead in rural Buchanan County on Monday morning. His mother and seven-year-old brother were taken to area hospitals with injuries.

Michelle Kehoe, 35, and her two sons, Seth, 2 and Sean, 7, were reported missing by husband and father Gene Kehoe on Sunday evening. He told police that they were traveling from their home in Coralville to visit family in Sumner, but they never arrived.

Officials say that around 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, an injured Michelle Kehoe went to a nearby residence to get help. She said her sons were in danger.

Seth was found dead near his family's minivan in a wooded area on Monday morning. Sean was found inside the family’s minivan with injuries. Michelle and Sean were taken to local hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Officials would not elaborate on the extent of Michelle and Sean's injuries, but did say that each required surgery and that Michelle was air lifted to Iowa City.

The two boys and the family's van were found in an area that locals call Hook and Liner Pond, near the Buchanan County town of Littleton. Allan Vanderhart, Buchanan County Attorney, said the van was pulled off the road near the pond. To his knowledge, nothing has been recovered from the pond.

Vanderhart said they are ruling nothing out. He said that no arrests have been made and no arrest warrants have been issued. Vanderhart said that authorities do not believe the public is at risk.

If you saw Michelle Kehoe or the family's white 2002 Volkswagen Eurovan between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, you are asked to call the Buchanan County Sheriff at 319-334-2568.

Michelle and her sons were seen on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., on the surveillance camera at the Kwikstar in Jesup.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/33465109.html

Faith

10-28-2008, 05:53 PM

I wonder what condition the mother was in when she went and asked for help?

Faith

10-28-2008, 05:54 PM

Boy found dead; mother, brother hurt

LITTLETON, Iowa -- A 2-year-old Coralville boy is dead and his mother and 7-year-old brother are injured after police found them Monday in a remote area near Littleton in northeast Iowa, authorities said.

Buchanan County Attorney Allan VanderHart said all three suffered serious injuries but wouldn't disclose the nature of the injuries.

VanderHart said Seth Kehoe was found dead near the family's minivan. His 35-year-old mother, Michelle Kehoe, and brother Sean Kehoe underwent surgery in Waterloo hospitals.

http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=220855

Faith

10-28-2008, 05:55 PM

sarahhod

10-28-2008, 06:20 PM

Associated Press - October 28, 2008 5:34 PM ET

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - An autopsy has found that a toddler found dead in Littleton died of cuts to his neck.

The state medical examiner's office on Tuesday ruled 2-year-old Sean Kehoe's death a homicide.

Kehoe, his mother Michelle and 7-year-old brother Seth were found early Monday when Michelle Kehoe walked into a Littleton home with injuries and sought help.

The family was last seen Sunday at a Jesup convenience store. That night, Eugene Kehoe reported his wife and children missing.

Investigators say Michelle and Seth Kehoe underwent surgery. Their conditions were not available Tuesday.

Investigators haven't made public many details of the incident, saying they're looking at several possible scenarios.

http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9254271&nav=menu110_2

This is really strange. Maybe she was running from hubby who tried to kill them all?(but then why report them missing) or maybe she had a mental breakdown and tried to kill herself and the children but for some reason only one baby died?

Strange wording "he died of CUTS to his neck"

I dont know what to think.

RIP Sean, another baby taken way to soon :1222423:

Faith

10-28-2008, 06:32 PM

This is really strange. Maybe she was running from hubby who tried to kill them all?(but then why report them missing) or maybe she had a mental breakdown and tried to kill herself and the children but for some reason only one baby died?

Strange wording "he died of CUTS to his neck"

I dont know what to think.

RIP Sean, another baby taken way to soon :1222423:

I believe there is a reason LE aren't releasing any details.

Grande

10-29-2008, 10:59 AM

Updated October 29. 2008 7:41AM
'Sharp injuries to the neck' killed 2-year-old
By Stephen Schmidt and Gregg Hennigan
The Gazette
stephen.Schmidt@gazcomm.com
gregg.hennigan@gazettecommunications.com

http://i37.tinypic.com/30mwq45.jpg
Michelle Kehoe, Sean Kehoe, Seth Kehoe, and Eugene Kehoe.

Two-year-old Seth Kehoe of Coralville, whose body was found Monday near Littleton in northeastern Iowa, died of “sharp force injuries to the neck” in what was ruled a homicide Tuesday following an autopsy.

John Kraemer, director of forensic operations for the Iowa state medical examiner, would not release any more information about how the injuries happened, but explained the terminology.

“It means that a sharp object was used to create those injuries,” Kraemer said. “That is about all I can release right now.”

Little else was revealed Tuesday during the second day of an investigation by the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office and the state Division of Criminal Investigation in an incident that also resulted in serious injuries to Seth’s mother, Michelle, and brother, Sean.

Authorities have said they do not believe members of the public are at risk from anyone connected with the case, and have not released any information on possible suspects.

Seth, his mother, Michelle Kehoe, 35, and his brother Sean, 7, were traveling from their home in Coralville to Sumner Sunday when they ended up off course in a remote area.

Gene Kehoe reported his wife and two children missing to the Coralville Police Department at 8:45 p.m. Sunday.

At 8 a.m. Monday, an injured Michelle Kehoe went to a home on River Road Boulevard and told the resident that her children were in danger.

Michelle and Sean Kehoe were seriously injured. Michelle Kehoe was taken to University Hospitals and Sean Kehoe was taken to Covenant Medical in Waterloo, where they underwent surgery. Neither hospital would release information on their conditions. The nature and severity of the injuries also have not been disclosed.

Jessica Lown, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, said investigators conducted interviews Tuesday and a ground search of the grassy area southeast of Littleton where Seth Kehoe was found dead Monday morning outside the Kehoe family van.

“They’re just trying to make sure that they’re diligent about collecting all possible evidence,” Lown said.

Courtney Greene, public information officer for the Department of Public Safety, said the Kehoes’ van was moved off site to a warehouse Tuesday morning and is being processed for evidence.

People who know the Kehoes reacted to the news Tuesday.

Sean Kehoe is a first grader at Regina Catholic Elementary School in Iowa City, whom Principal Celeste Vincent described as “a very nice, wonderful little boy.”

Seth Kehoe was signed up to attend the school’s day care/preschool when he turned 3, she said. She described Gene and Michelle Kehoe as “very nice people.”

Students have been told that Sean is in the hospital, Vincent said, and school officials are working with the Grant Wood Area Education Agency critical incident team to plan how to best deal with the situation.

“We’re doing a lot of praying,” she said.

Michelle Kehoe and the two boys were supposed to be going to Sumner on Sunday, authorities have said. Sumner Mayor Gary Walke said he doesn’t know exactly who the Kehoes were to be visiting, but he has talked to residents who know the family.
“We’re very upset and very sorry about what’s happened,” he said. “Anything like this is just an unspeakable tragedy when young children are involved.”

Michelle Kehoe was in the news in December when she lost control of the family vehicle while driving in Iowa City and ended up in the Iowa River. She told The Gazette she was distracted by her sons and veered off the road.

Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said he reviewed Monday the report from the December crash and didn’t see anything that would lead him to second-guess the conclusion that Kehoe lost control of her car.

On Tuesday, one of the men who pulled the family from the icy river said he had no doubt the December crash was unintentional.

Cory Rath of Cedar Rapids said he was driving behind Kehoe on Dubuque Street when her car suddenly veered off the road. He said it hit a snow bank that was so big no one would think a vehicle would have made it through it and into the river.

“I just don’t think you can plan something like that,” Rath said. “And if it was planned, you wouldn’t choose that spot.”

Rath said he talked with Gene Kehoe on Monday morning and offered his help. He said Kehoe told him the police were trying to find Michelle by getting a location on her cell phone.

“He was obviously upset and (there was) not much I could offer,” Rath said.

The situation has been particularly hard on Rath because he pulled Sean from the river and he has two children the same ages as the Kehoe boys.

“I’m deeply grieved by what has happened,” he said.

Last January, the Iowa City Council honored Rath and the three other men who pulled Michelle, Sean and Seth Kehoe from the river. Michelle Kehoe spoke at the event and said that, at the time of the accident, she and her children were heading to the library to check out books on the meaning of Christmas.

“Our family has experienced firsthand the true meaning of Christmas this season,” she said through tears as she thanked the men and called them heroes.

Funeral services for Seth Kehoe have tentatively been scheduled for Saturday at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Iowa City.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081029/NEWS/810299997/1006/news

packy

10-29-2008, 11:05 AM

LE saying that they don't believe members of the public are at risk. . .seems that they think they know who is responsible.

Faith

10-29-2008, 11:14 AM

LE saying that they don't believe members of the public are at risk. . .seems that they think they know who is responsible.

That's what I get from the article also. I see Michelle was injured when she went to the house to ask for help. Sean, 7, is alive, we do not know his condition but he is old enough to tell LE what he saw.

Amusedtdth

10-29-2008, 12:00 PM

I don't like the way things are looking here...I'm beginning to feel that Mom may have some issues..I truly hope I'm wrong..
imo

:1222423: for Seth

Prayers for Michelle and her son Sean on a speedy recovery and to family and friends in this time of grieving...

Nut44x4

10-29-2008, 01:38 PM

I see red flags all over this....

Faith

10-29-2008, 05:48 PM

Mother reports she and kids were attacked
Ashton Shurson - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 10/29/08 Section: Latest News

The mother of a 2-year-old Coralville boy who was killed earlier this week reportedly told authorities that her and her two children were attacked.

According to the Associated Press, Division of Criminal Investigation agent Jeff Jacobson said Michelle Kehoe told authorities Monday that her and two sons were attacked by a man with a knife.

One son, Seth Kehoe, died from "sharp injuries to the neck" and another son, 7-year-old Sean Kehoe, was seriously injured. Michelle Kehoe was also injured in the alleged attack.

The three Kehoe family members were found near Littleton, Iowa Monday after Michelle Kehoe went to a nearby residence to tell occupants of the home that her children were in danger.

Eugene Kehoe reported his wife and two sons missing on Sunday.

http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2008/10/29/LatestNews/Mother.Reports.She.And.Kids.Were.Attacked-3513503.shtml

Faith

10-29-2008, 05:49 PM

Mother tells police she and kids were attacked

Associated Press
12:03 PM CDT, October 29, 2008

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The mother of a toddler found dead in the woods near Littleton has told investigators that she and her two sons were attacked by a man with a knife.

Division of Criminal Investigation agent Jeff Jacobson says that Michelle Kehoe told police officers at the scene on Monday about the alleged attack.

The mother's account sheds some light on a case in which authorities aren't releasing much.

Condition reports are still not available for Michelle Kehoe and 7-year-old Sean Kehoe. An autopsy on Tuesday found that 2-year-old Seth Kehoe died of cuts made with a sharp instrument.

They were discovered when Michelle Kehoe walked to a Littleton house on Monday and asked for help, saying her children were in danger.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-missingfamily-att,0,5106306.story

Faith

10-29-2008, 05:55 PM

Kehoe family investigation continues

October 29, 2008

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is continuing its investigation into the homicide of 2-year-old Seth Kehoe, but is not releasing any new details on the case.

There was also no new information on Kehoe’s mother, Michelle Kehoe, or 7-year-old brother, Sean Kehoe. A representative from Covenant Medical Center, where Sean was treated, said they did not have any information on his condition. University Hospitals spokesman Tom Moore said there was no information available for Michelle Kehoe.

The three were reported missing Sunday by Michelle Kehoe's husband, Eugene Kehoe, who told authorities his wife and sons were traveling to Sumner to see family. However, they never arrived.

DCI spokesperson Jessica Lown said agents are continuing to analyze the data they have gathered in their first two days of investigation. No charges have been filed and Lown said no time frame has been established for when such an action might be taken.

“The agents make a real concerted effort not to do something like that,” Lown said. “When you’re an investigator, you don’t want a deadline looming. You need time, space and freedom to do a really good investigation.”

The State Medical Examiner on Tuesday ruled that Seth Kehoe died as a result of “sharp force injuries to the neck.” The medical examiner and DCI officials have declined to elaborate on that ruling, except to say the injuries were caused by a sharp object or instrument.

According to the DCI and the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department, Michelle Kehoe, 35, left with the two boys from their Coralville home at 11 a.m. Sunday to travel to Sumner. The family was last seen at 12:30 p.m. Sunday near Jesup.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, Michelle Kehoe went to a home at 305 River Road Blvd. in Buchanan County. She was injured and said that her sons "were in danger," according to a DCI news release Monday. A 2002 white Volkswagen Eurovan that Michelle Kehoe had been driving was found near Hook N Liner Pond near the community of Littleton.

Authorities found Seth Kehoe dead near the minivan and found Sean Kehoe, a first-grader at Regina Elementary School, seriously injured in the rear of the minivan.

DCI Special Agent in Charge Jeff Jacobsen said on Tuesday Michelle Kehoe told investigators that she and the boys were abducted by a man with the knife. However, authorities have insisted throughout the investigation that the public is not at risk.

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081029/NEWS01/81029002&s=d&page=2#pluckcomments

annalyzer

10-29-2008, 06:11 PM

I wish we would hear the condition of the 7 year old boy. I bet he has a lot to tell if he survives.

PinkPony

10-29-2008, 09:11 PM

I wish we would hear the condition of the 7 year old boy. I bet he has a lot to tell if he survives.
Me too, anna.

There is definitely something very wrong here. imo

PP

Faith

10-29-2008, 09:21 PM

What happened near Littleton? 1 dead; mom, other child injured

LITTLETON, Oct 28, 2008 (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- VLKAY | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Michelle Kehoe said she was going to visit relatives in Sumner after leaving her Coralville home Sunday.

She loaded her two sons into the family Volkswagen Eurovan and left, making a stop at the Kwik Star convenience store in Jesup along the way.

Kehoe and her children never made it to Sumner.

Buchanan County authorities found the mother and older son, Sean, age 7, suffering from injuries after they were called to the edge of Littleton -- about 25 miles short of their destination -- Monday morning.

The youngest son, 2-year-old Seth, was found dead.

Michelle Kehoe was flown by air ambulance to Iowa City for treatment, and Sean was taken to a Waterloo hospital.

Now investigators are trying to find answers to explain how the 35-year-old mother and her sons ended up in the woods off of River Road Boulevard and how they were injured.

"So far no arrests have been made, and authorities have no reason to believe the public at large is at risk from anyone connected with this incident," said Allan VanderHart, Buchanan County Attorney.

He said law enforcement were still processing the scene.

"The investigation is very early. We are entertaining a number of possibilities ... The death needs to be investigated, and it could have been the result of any number of scenarios. It's just not possible at this point to say that we have any one scenario that we're ruling out," he said.

He declined to elaborate on the scenarios they are pursuing.

Also troubling is the fact that rescuers pulled Kehoe and her children from the icy Iowa River in Iowa City last December.

In that incident, Kehoe told authorities her Volkswagen Passat entered the water when she was distracted by the boys.

VanderHart said he had heard about the Iowa City incident but didn't have any specific information about it.

"Whatever incident that entailed has no bearing on this investigation," VanderHart said.

Local residents describe "Hook N Liner" pond, the area where the van was discovered Monday, as an out-of-the-way stretch of wilderness that's a good place for hunting and fishing.

But its not an area the people from out of town would stumble across by accident.

"I was surprised. This is a nice, quite little town," said Joel Van Nevele, a local resident, who noticed some of the roads near the scene were blocked off Monday morning.

Phyllis Fox-Moore, who lives about one-half mile from the pond, said area residents probably wouldn't notice a van parked near the pond.

"People take their dogs to exercise in those woods, people fish there," Fox-Moore said.

Marie Schares, a bar owner in Littleton, said she saw a helicopter ambulance meet a ground ambulance in nearby Jesup at about 8 a.m. on Monday, then saw another ground ambulance race by with its lights flashing a few minutes later.

VanderHart said Kehoe's van was pulled off the road toward the pond. He said the nothing has been recovered from the water.

VanderHart said they haven't been able to find any prior connections between Kehoe and the Littleton and Jesup areas.

He asked anyone who may have seen Michelle Kehoe or the family's white Volkswagen van between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning to call the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office.

Kehoe's husband, Eugene Kehoe, told investigators his wife and children left Coralville about 11 a.m. Sunday. They were supposed to be headed to Sumner, VanderHart said.

They were spotted in Jesup at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, he said.

Coralville police began asking the public's assistance in locating the trio and their vehicle after they failed to arrive at their destination.

Then at 8 a.m. Monday Michelle Kehoe turned up wounded at a home at 305 River Road Blvd. -- about half a mile from the pond -- seeking help. She told residents there that her sons were in danger, VanderHart said.

Sean was found in the van suffering from serious injuries. Seth's body was found near the van.

Both Sean and Michelle Kehoe underwent surgery, although VanderHart didn't disclose the nature of their wounds.

The Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are assisting with the investigation.

Anyone with more information is asked to call the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office at 319-334-2568.

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1979838/

Faith

10-29-2008, 09:25 PM

I'm just curious- why didn't the mom drive the van for help?

Was it a real kidnapper harming them and she got away?

annalyzer

10-29-2008, 10:02 PM

I'm just curious- why didn't the mom drive the van for help?

Was it a real kidnapper harming them and she got away?

I seriously doubt she could get away on foot from someone who was hell bent on killing them all.

Pandabear

10-29-2008, 10:34 PM

I sure hope we hear more on this soon. I'd really like to know what injuries the mother had.

Faith

10-29-2008, 10:55 PM

I seriously doubt she could get away on foot from someone who was hell bent on killing them all.

Those are my thoughts also. :blondblush113268230

grammybears

10-30-2008, 02:27 AM

packy

10-30-2008, 06:29 AM

I seriously doubt she could get away on foot from someone who was hell bent on killing them all.

My thought too unless someone left them all for dead. But they aren't saying she was robbed unless I missed it, so who knows. . .

sarahhod

10-30-2008, 06:37 AM

My thought too unless someone left them all for dead. But they aren't saying she was robbed unless I missed it, so who knows. . .

Hi Packy, :happy0207:

Yes I never thought of that but I guess it is possible that they were left for dead and Michelle came to?

I wonder why they took Michelle and her son to seperate hospitals? Is that a normal procedure?

Maybe she just had a mental breakdown and tried to commit suicide and take her sons with her?:0009:

Whatever the reason, it's very sad. :1187603408.CR.Mothe

annalyzer

10-30-2008, 06:53 AM

Hi Packy, :happy0207:

Yes I never thought of that but I guess it is possible that they were left for dead and Michelle came to?

I wonder why they took Michelle and her son to seperate hospitals? Is that a normal procedure?

Maybe she just had a mental breakdown and tried to commit suicide and take her sons with her?:0009:

Whatever the reason, it's very sad. :1187603408.CR.Mothe

Often people are taken to different hospitals depending on the severity of their injuries, or certain kinds of injuries such as burns would be sent to a burn center.

TigressPen

10-30-2008, 07:04 AM

I still have numerous questions about this case. The 'attacker' didn't rob her or take her vehicle or sexually assault her or the boys (at least a sexual attack isn't being reported) so what was the purpose of harming her or the babies. I pray Sean lives and can tell what happened. If it was her husband, surely she would've told.

sarahhod

10-30-2008, 07:05 AM

Often people are taken to different hospitals depending on the severity of their injuries, or certain kinds of injuries such as burns would be sent to a burn center.

Ahh Thanks Anna, I wasnt sure whether that was normal procedure or whether they had seperated mom and child due to taking statements.

sarahhod

10-30-2008, 07:30 AM

Obituary for Seth Kehoe

http://i34.tinypic.com/jj5mvo.jpg

http://www.funeralquestions.com/obits/lensing/memorial.asp?listing_id=118487

Rest in Peace Seth :1222423:

Amusedtdth

10-30-2008, 09:15 AM

This is a really strange case. If I did not know better I would say it is a cross between the Darlie case in Texas where 2 of her children were stabbed to death and the Dianne Downs story. There is just something that seems odd to me.
I have read about cases where the mother of the children accuses a strange man of committing the crime. I really hope in this case I am wrong. But I am not sure what to think with all the reports that have come out.

I will be very interested to know of the injuries of the older son and the mother.

I pray that they do pull through and the LE is able to piece together this case.

Lets not forget Susan Smith...Blamed it on "black men" who carjacked her car...what really ticks me off is these woman and I'm not saying this applies to this case but they deceide they don't want their children and maybe even want to kill themselve but seem to only get as far as the children and either don't injure themselve enuf to cause death or just plain chicken out and it the innocent child that pays...women like this well:madranting94dp:
jmo

Amusedtdth

10-30-2008, 09:22 AM

Obituary for Seth Kehoe

http://i34.tinypic.com/jj5mvo.jpg

http://www.funeralquestions.com/obits/lensing/memorial.asp?listing_id=118487

Rest in Peace Seth :1222423:

:1187603408.CR.Mothe look at that PRECIOUS FACE. Breaks my heart.
RIP with God little angel you deserved so much more..:1222423:

TigressPen

10-30-2008, 09:22 AM

Obituary for Seth Kehoe

http://i34.tinypic.com/jj5mvo.jpg

http://www.funeralquestions.com/obits/lensing/memorial.asp?listing_id=118487

Rest in Peace Seth :1222423:

When I think of the horror this beautiful child must have experienced I just want to cry.

RIP, Seth. The arms of angels hold you now. :1222423:

Grande

10-30-2008, 09:23 AM

Obituary for Seth Kehoe

http://i34.tinypic.com/jj5mvo.jpg

http://www.funeralquestions.com/obits/lensing/memorial.asp?listing_id=118487

Rest in Peace Seth :1222423:

Now I know what an angel looks like...

Rest in Peace little guy :1222423:

Claudia

10-30-2008, 09:32 AM

Now I know what an angel looks like...

Rest in Peace little guy :1222423:

:cray:

RIP Seth....

Faith

10-30-2008, 10:07 AM

Faith

10-30-2008, 10:10 AM

Officials report: Man with knife was involved in Kehoe incident
Ashton Shurson - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: Metro

The mother of a 2-year-old Coralville boy who was killed earlier this week told authorities Monday that a man with a knife was involved in the incident, officials said Wednesday.

However, Michelle Kehoe, 35, didn't specifically mention that there was an "attack", said Jeff Jacobson, an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agent.

Despite still-foggy information, authorities maintained Wednesday the public is not at risk.

Jacobson declined to answer any further questions but said authorities are looking into "every phase of the investigation."

On Monday, officers found Seth Kehoe dead at "Hook 'N' Liner Pond" in Littleton, Iowa, near his family's minivan, police reported. An autopsy revealed he died from cuts to the neck.

Police also found his 7-year-old brother, Sean Kehoe, inside the vehicle suffering from serious injuries. Michelle Kehoe, the boys' mother, was also injured.

Amid unanswered questions, the Kehoe family was characterized as the "most easygoing family" by some who know them.

Aimee Cornelius, who works at Apple Tree Children's Center - where both Kehoe boys attended daycare - said the family was always smiling. Seth Kehoe attended the center before his death, and Sean Kehoe attended daycare for one summer before he entered first grade, Cornelius said.

"Michelle was so happy," Cornelius said. "She always had a smile on her face, and she's the most caring, loving mother."

She said both Michelle and Eugene Kehoe are very involved with their children, describing each as very happy.

The family is also very active in the Regina Catholic Elementary School, Cornelius said. Sean Kehoe is a first-grader at the school, and Seth Kehoe was to have been a preschooler when he turned 3.

Michelle Kehoe and Sean Kehoe underwent surgery Monday; they were in stable condition Tuesday, said Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Wolfgram.

After being reported missing Sunday night by father and husband Eugene Kehoe, Michelle Kehoe reportedly went to a residence near the pond around 8 a.m. Monday and told occupants her children were in danger. She was also injured at the time, but told police after they responded to the incident that a man with a knife was involved.

Jessica Lown, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, said authorities have no reason to believe anybody connected to the incident intends to hurt anyone in the area.

When asked to specifically comment why no one is in danger, she would only say, "Evidence has led us to believe this."

"I encourage Buchanan County to have faith in their law enforcement," Lown said. "We have absolutely no reason to withhold information."

As the investigation continues, she said, there is no timeline for arrests.

"We want to give [investigators] the freedom without the pressure of imposing a timeline," Lown said."

http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2008/10/30/Metro/Officials.Report.Man.With.Knife.Was.Involved.In.Ke hoe.Incident-3515815.shtml

queenbee

10-30-2008, 10:13 AM

I am trying to figure this case out and I am so confused I dont understand what happened at all :shrug1: There is something very weird about this case my heart goes out to that little angel boy:1187603408.CR.Mothe

Faith

10-30-2008, 10:15 AM

IOWA CITY - Investigators today are investigating claims Michelle Kehoe reportedly made to emergency responders about her “boys in the van” and “a man with a knife.”

Jeff Jacobson, a Division of Criminal Investigation agent, confirmed that Kehoe made these comments. He and others are investigating the suspected murder of Seth Kehoe, 2, of Coralville, and serious injuries suffered by his mother Michelle Kehoe, 35, and brother Sean, 7.

Authorities were shedding little light on the case’s mysterious circumstances.
“They’re working on analyzing the information they have already gathered, but at this point in time they don’t have any information they feel they can release to the public without jeopardizing the investigation,” said Jessica Lown, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Lown said investigators don’t feel this was a random act of violence or that the public is in danger. “We don’t believe there was some crazy person running around who would go and potentially attack another family,” she said.

As of Wednesday, no criminal charges had been filed, although Jacobson said he met with officials from the Buchanan County Attorney’s and Iowa Attorney General’s offices about possible charges. Jacobson confirmed two search warrants were issued Tuesday but declined to say any more about them.

He also would not comment on whether investigators are treating Michelle Kehoe as a suspect, saying only that investigators are considering all possible angles.

At 8 a.m. Monday, a badly injured Michelle Kehoe went to a home on River Road Boulevard near Littleton, in Buchanan County, and told the resident of her children were in danger. Seth was found dead near the family’s minivan, which was parked next Hook N Liner Pond. Sean was found seriously injured inside.

An autopsy report released Tuesday by the state medical examiner revealed that Seth Kehoe died from neck injuries inflicted by a sharp instrument.

On Monday, Sean Kehoe was taken to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo and Michelle Kehoe was taken to University Hospitals in Iowa City. Both received surgery for their injuries, authorities said, but no other information on their conditions was being released.

Lown confirmed Wednesday afternoon both still were alive.

Seth Kehoe’s funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/NEWS/810309997/1006

Faith

10-30-2008, 10:20 AM

I will feel much better when LE speaks to Sean, hopefully they already have. I can't help but think the worst and I'm trying not to.

Roamer

10-30-2008, 10:33 AM

Lilly

10-30-2008, 11:10 AM

I think you and I (and several others) are on the same page, Faith, and it's infuriating and disgusting. I just don't see a complete stranger stabbing little kids. I think the father knew she was troubled and that's why he called authorities. IMHO

IA Faith and Roamer. I haven't commented because LE hasn't said who they suspect. All I have is my opinion that something doesn't sound right with the mother.

Praying for the Kehoe family and little Seth - RIP :1222423:

Pandabear

10-30-2008, 11:16 AM

I'm thinking the worst too Faith. I hope more information is forth coming soon on this. I also hope that they have Sean protected while he's in the hospital.

I wish I could grab that baby up and run with him so that nobody could have hurt him. He has the face of an angel.

RIP sweet little one.:1222423:

Faith

10-30-2008, 05:21 PM

Kehoe Family Releases Statement, Press Conference at 4:00pm

By Mike Wagner

Story Created: Oct 30, 2008 at 12:37 PM CDT
Story Updated: Oct 30, 2008 at 4:00 PM CDT

IOWA CITY - Buchanan County authorities have scheduled a 4:00 p.m Thursday press conference in this case, watch it LIVE here on KCRG.com (javascript:openPopup('http://www.kcrg.com/news/streaming/10476432.html?video=pop&t=a','video','scrollbars=yes,width=800,height=630, screenx=15,screeny=15');).

The following statement was released Thursday by members of the Kehoe family:

We deeply appreciate the prayers, thoughts and kind words of so many people during this family tragedy. We also want to thank the many first responders, emergency personnel, and volunteers for their quick action and care. A visitation for Seth will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday, October 31 at St. Wenceslaus Church in Iowa City. Seth’s funeral will be held Saturday, November 1, at 10:00 a.m.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

The Kehoe Family

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/33583729.html

Faith

10-30-2008, 05:23 PM

Updated October 30. 2008 4:03PM

Coralville mother accused of murdering son
The Gazette

INDEPENDENCE - Michelle Kehoe, the subject of much speculation since police said her 2-year-old son was murdered, is accused of first-degree murder in that son's death. She also is charged with attempted murder and child endangerment.

Buchanan County authorities made that announcement at a news conference here this afternoon. The Gazette's Stephen Schmidt is at the news conference and will file updates for GazetteOnline today.

Michelle Kehoe, 35, of Coralville, is accused of killing Seth Kehoe, 2, on Sunday, authorities said. Michelle was hospitalized for injuries in the incident, as was another son, Sean, 7.

Reports earlier this week indicated that Michelle Kehoe told emergency responders Monday about her "boys in the van" and "a man with a knife."

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, Buchanan County Attorney's Office, Iowa Attorney General's Office and state Division of Criminal Investigation have been working on the case since Michelle Kehoe showed up at a rural home at 8 a.m. Monday to say her children were in danger. This was at a home on River Road Boulevard near Littleton, in Buchanan County.

Seth was found dead near the family's minivan, which was parked next to Hook N Liner Pond. Sean was found seriously injured inside.

An autopsy report released Tuesday by the state medical examiner revealed that Seth Kehoe died from neck injuries inflicted by a sharp instrument.

Sean Kehoe was taken to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo and Michelle Kehoe to University Hospitals in Iowa City.

Seth Kehoe's funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Iowa City.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/33583729.html

Faith

10-30-2008, 05:26 PM

BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Kehoe Charged with Murder

BREAKING: Michelle Kehoe Charged with Murder
By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Oct 30, 2008 at 4:03 PM CDT

Story Updated: Oct 30, 2008 at 4:22 PM CDT
INDEPENDENCE - Michelle Kehoe has been charged with 1st degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing injury.

Allan Vanderhart, Buchanan County Attorney, announced the charges in a Thursday afternoon press conference.

Vanderhart says that arrest warrants have been issued, but will not be served until Michelle Kehoe's treatment has been completed.

State investigators say Michelle initially told police a man with a knife attacked them.

Sunday night, Gene Kehoe of Coralville reported his wife and two sons were missing after they had left to visit family in Sumner. The three turned up Monday morning in rural Buchanan County.

Law officers found two-year-old Seth dead from cuts to his neck and Michelle Kehoe and her seven-year-old son Sean had serious injuries.

Officers found the family's mini-van in a dense, wooded area intended for hunting near the town of Littleton on Monday.

Authorities haven't released information on Michelle's or Sean's condition.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/33596469.html

Faith

10-30-2008, 05:26 PM

http://media.kcrg.com/designimages/BIM_icon_video_fff.gif Watch The Video (javascript:openPopup('%2Fr%3F19%3D950%2632%3D2601 %267%3D96376%2640%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.kcrg.co m%252Fnews%252Flocal%252F33596469.html%253Fvideo%2 53DYHI%2526t%253Da%2641%3DVideo%2BBREAKING%253A%2B Michelle%2BKehoe%2BCharged%2Bwith%2BMurder%2618%3D 0.40078205840895853','video','scrollbars=yes,width =800,height=700,screenx=15,screeny=15');)

Michelle Kehoe Charged: Watch Press Conference (http://www.kcrg.com/home/related/33597664.html?video=pop&t=a)

Faith

10-30-2008, 05:32 PM

BREAKING: Michelle Kehoe Charged with Murder

Michelle Kehoe has been charged with 1st degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing injury.

Claudia

10-30-2008, 05:32 PM

Faith

10-30-2008, 05:36 PM

Saw that coming. Makes me sick. Poor babies. You have to wonder though, why she didn't finish the job on the other son. A 7 yr old could certainly bust her, I don't get it.

My thoughts on that are she thought he was dead. She probably panicked and ran for help. Just guessing. I can't begin to place myself in that position.

Faith

10-30-2008, 05:37 PM

I am looking for the affidavits.

packy

10-30-2008, 05:45 PM

It did seem it was coming to this just by the way the police said they had reason to believe no one else was in danger and the whole case seemed so strange. How sad.

Prayers for all of the family and may the little angel rest in peace now.

Claudia

10-30-2008, 05:47 PM

My thoughts on that are she thought he was dead. She probably panicked and ran for help. Just guessing. I can't begin to place myself in that position.

I know you meant "can't", right? :71526:

sarahhod

10-30-2008, 05:51 PM

Thanks Faith for all the great links.

Grande, Sorry about the picture, I didnt realise it would come out so big.

sarahhod

10-30-2008, 05:57 PM

Faith

10-30-2008, 05:58 PM

I know you meant "can't", right? :71526:

Og Gosh yes, I will change that. :71526:

Faith

10-30-2008, 06:12 PM

I had a horrible feeling this would be the outcome, how terrible.:1187603408.CR.Mothe

Michelle must have been in a terribly dark place mentally to do this surely, all indications are that she was a great mum:0009:

I couldnt imagine ever harming a hair on my children's head let alone taking their lives.

Me either Sarah, Michelle has to have some sort of mental problem. I will pray for her.

Sean will have a tough time in life. Bless his heart he will need a lot of counseling.

Faith

10-30-2008, 06:22 PM

Arrest Warrants Issued in Kehoe Death, Injury Investigation
Buchanan County, IOWA -Today, at approximately 1:00 p.m., arrest warrants were issued for 35 year old Michelle Kehoe. Based on evidence collected at the crime scene and witness statements, she will be charged with one count of Murder in the First Degree, one Count of Attempt to Commit Murder and one count of Child Endangerment Resulting in Serious Injury. Michelle Kehoe will be arrested and charged upon her discharge from the hospital.

The arrest warrants and pending charges are a direct result of a 3-day long investigation that began when Michelle Kehoe and her two sons, two year old Seth Kehoe and seven year old Sean Kehoe, after having been reported missing, resurfaced in Littleton, Iowa on Monday morning, October 27, 2008. When law enforcement and medical personnel arrived at “Hook N Liner Pond,” the location Michelle provided, Michelle and Sean were both suffering injuries. Seth was found dead at the scene. An autopsy later revealed Seth died of sharp force injuries to the neck.

At the scene of the crime, investigators recovered duct tape and a knife. During the investigation Sean Kehoe stated that his mom had driven the van to the location, duct taped his eyes, nose and mouth, and removed him from the van. He also stated that his mom was the one who gave him the cut on his neck. While being interviewed by investigators, Michelle stated that she had purchased duct tape and a knife one month prior. She also stated that she put duct tape on Seth’s eyes, mouth and wrists and that it all happened within 5 minutes and prior to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, 2008.
To view a copy of the Complaint & Affidavit for all three charges, visit:

Murder in the First Degree (http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2008/10-30-2008_KehoeMurdFirst.pdf)
Attempt to Commit Murder (http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2008/10-30-2008_KehoeAttpMurd.pdf)
Child Endangerment Resulting in Serious Injury (http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2008/10-30-2008_KehoeChildEnd.pdf)

This investigation was conducted by the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Iowa State Patrol.
IT SHOULD BE NOTED A CRIMINAL CHARGE IS MERELY AN ACCUSATION AND THE SUSPECT IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL AND UNLESS PROVEN GUILTY.

http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2008/10-30-2008_KehoeArrest.htm

Faith

10-30-2008, 06:28 PM

Police: Kehoe killed son, admitted to crime

Buchanan County authorities have charged Michelle Kehoe with first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old son, Seth, the Buchanan County attorney said this afternoon at a news conference.

Buchanan County Attorney Allan Vander Hart also said Kehoe faces an attempted murder charge for allegedly trying to kill her other son, 7-year-old Sean Kehoe. She also faces a charge of child endangerment causing injury.

Michelle Kehoe remains at University Hospitals where she is being treated for injuries. She will be placed under arrest once she is ready to be discharged from the hospital. VanderHart did not give any information about her condition or the condition of Sean Kehoe.

According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department, Michelle Kehoe left with the two boys from their Coralville home at 11 a.m. Sunday to travel to Sumner. The family never made it to Sumner and was last seen at 12:30 p.m. Sunday near Jesup. Michelle Kehoe's husband, Eugene, reported them missing on Sunday night.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, Michelle Kehoe went to a home at 305 River Road Blvd. in Buchanan County. She was injured and said that her sons "were in danger," according to a DCI news release Monday. A 2002 white Volkswagen Eurovan that Michelle Kehoe had been driving was found near Hook N Liner Pond near the community of Littleton.

Authorities found Seth Kehoe dead near the minivan and found Sean Kehoe, a first-grader at Regina Elementary School, seriously injured in the rear of the minivan.

Michelle Kehoe was taken to University Hospitals and Sean Kehoe was taken to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo. No information on their respective conditions has been made public, but authorities did say that University Hospitals security has Michelle Kehoe under watch until her release into custody.

Court documents filed to secure search and arrest warrants paint a grim picture of the events that led to the death of Seth and the injuries to Sean and Michelle.

According to the search warrant affidavit, the Buchanan County Sheriff's office dispatch received a 911 call from a resident in the Littleton area on Monday morning. The caller said Michelle Kehoe was at the caller's home suffering from injuries and claiming that an unidentified man had abducted her and her children. EMS and law enforcement personnel responded and later located the Kehoe van.

They found the body of Seth Kehoe a short distance from the van. Sean Kehoe was found in the van with knife wounds to his neck that later required surgery under general anesthesia. Duct tape was found in and around the van, and a knife was found in the pond.

Investigators also found a handwritten note that detailed, among other things, an abduction of Michelle Kehoe and her children in progress in the Jesup area.

When investigators interviewed Michelle Kehoe, however, she said that she had written the note.

In her interview with investigators, Kehoe initially repeated her earlier statement about being abducted. Later, however, she said she had written a similar note about a month earlier, and that she had rewritten the note on Sunday morning. She also said she had purchased duct tape and a knife about a month ago.

Also in the interview, according to court records, Michelle Kehoe described hurting the children in a five-minute span just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday. She said that she started with Sean because he was older, and put duct tape on his eyes, mouth and wrist and pulled him out of the back of the van. She said Seth was left inside the van.

Investigators said that Sean Kehoe told them in an interview that he heard Seth call out, and saw his mother hurting Seth. Sean said that at no time was anyone in the van or in the area where they had stopped, other than the boys and their mother.

The Iowa State Medical Examiner ruled on Wednesday that Seth Kehoe died of wounds to his neck made by a sharp instrument.

Authorities said that Michelle Kehoe said she couldn't offer an explanation of why she did what she did. She said that she couldn't face anyone and that she wanted to die or be locked up where she couldn't hurt anyone else.

Vander Hart declined to provide details on what investigators believe happened between 1:30 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday when Michelle Kehoe went to the nearby home to ask for help.

Also, he didn't comment on whether Michelle Kehoe's wounds were self-inflicted or defensive or a combination of both.

Michelle Kehoe and her two boys made headlines in 2007 when they were rescued from the Iowa River when the vehicle they were driving went off Dubuque Street and into the water. The crash was ruled an accident, and Iowa City Police has said since Seth's death that they have no reason to believe otherwise.

A funeral for Seth Kehoe is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. A visitation for the will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday, also at St. Wenceslaus.

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/NEWS01/81030012/1079

Faith

10-30-2008, 06:47 PM

Snippets from the affidavit Murder in the First Degree (http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2008/10-30-2008_KehoeMurdFirst.pdf)

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/page1-2.jpg

Faith

10-30-2008, 06:51 PM

Snippets from the affidavit- Bond- Murder in the First Degree (http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2008/10-30-2008_KehoeMurdFirst.pdf)

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond.jpg

annalyzer

10-30-2008, 06:51 PM

I knew it. :mad:

Faith

10-30-2008, 06:54 PM

Snippets from Attempt to Commit Murder (http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2008/10-30-2008_KehoeAttpMurd.pdf)

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/page2-2.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond2.jpg

Faith

10-30-2008, 06:59 PM

Lilly

10-30-2008, 08:01 PM

This one says the same as the others- the bond is different

Child Endangerment Resulting in Serious Injury (http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2008/10-30-2008_KehoeChildEnd.pdf)

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond3.jpg

Why aren't they holding her without bond I wonder? I hope she stays in jail or a secure mental facility. Poor Sean.. he must be terrified.

PinkPony

10-30-2008, 09:09 PM

I wonder if the husband knew of Michelle's issues?

Faith

10-31-2008, 12:09 AM

Why aren't they holding her without bond I wonder? I hope she stays in jail or a secure mental facility. Poor Sean.. he must be terrified.

I'm thinking there is a bond set for each charge. There should be no bond IMO

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond2.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond3.jpg

Faith

10-31-2008, 12:16 AM

I wonder if the husband knew of Michelle's issues?

Surely he had to, huh? I can't imagine him not knowing.

Faith

10-31-2008, 12:20 AM

In a criminal complaint, Michelle Kehoe and her seven-year-old son, Sean, explain what happened early Sunday afternoon in a dense wooded area near Littleton in rural Buchanan County. Investigators say Sean told them his mother duck taped his eyes, nose, and mouth before taking him out of the family's mini van and cutting his neck with a knife. He tells investigators his mother then hurt his two-year-old brother Seth, who died at the scene of sharp force injuries to the neck.

Michelle reportedly tells authorities she also duct taped Seth's eyes, mouth, and wrists. But investigators still don't know why all that allegedly happened in the secluded area.

I just can't get this out of my mind. How could she?

Faith

10-31-2008, 02:12 AM

Updated October 30. 2008 11:25PM

INDEPENDENCE - UPDATE Even after a three-day investigation, no one can explain why Michelle Kehoe attacked her own children.

Or why the 35-year-old Coralville woman drove to a remote location near the small town of Littleton, applied duct tape to the wrists and eyes of her children, and then attacked them with a knife — apparently planning a fake kidnapping for more than two months.

Perhaps Michelle Kehoe doesn’t know herself, an affidavit released Thursday shows.

What became more clear Thursday afternoon during a news conference in the Buchanan County Courthouse is what authorities think happened Sunday afternoon near the Hook N Liner Pond. That’s where Michelle’s 2-year-old son, Seth, was found dead the next day outside the family’s minivan. His brother, Sean, 7, was found wounded inside.

Buchanan County Attorney Allan Vander Hart said authorities are prepared to charge Michelle Kehoe with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment resulting in a serious injury once she is released from treatment of her injuries from University Hospitals.

Vander Hart would not comment about much of the details of the case, stressing that Michelle Kehoe deserves her fair day in court.

“Premature disclosure of evidence jeopardizes that,” he said. “I cannot speculate on a motive. I cannot speculate on the condition on the defendant or the surviving child. I cannot speculate on the impact of the community.”

Vander Hart said the possibility of a competency hearing preceding would have to be decided by the defense attorney representing Michelle Kehoe.

Affidavits and criminal complaints released by authorities at the news conference depict a grisly scene. On Monday morning, the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office dispatch received a 911 call from a resident in Littleton. Emergency responders who arrived at the scene encountered a severely injured Michelle Kehoe, who told them an unidentified male had kidnapped her and her children, according to the documents.

Medical personnel arriving at the family’s minivan, using information Michelle Kehoe had given them, found Seth Kehoe dead and Sean Kehoe injured. Duct tape was found on the scene, and a knife was found in the nearby pond. Inside the van was a handwritten note describing a kidnapping of Michelle and her children by a man in Jesup.

Investigators later interviewed Sean, who said his mother drove the van to that location and duct taped his eyes, nose and mouth and removed him from the van, according to the documents. He told investigators she later cut him on the throat, and that he saw her hurting his brother, Seth.

When confronted, Michelle Kehoe at first stuck with the story she had first told responders, but then admitted to buying the duct tape two months ago and the knife one month ago. She also said she wrote the fake abduction note a month ago and rewrote it Sunday morning.

She said she took Sean out of the van and duct taped him first because he is older.

According to the criminal complaint, Michelle Kehoe said she applied the duct tape and cut her sons throats at about 1:25 p.m. She was unable to explain to the investigator why she did it, investigators wrote in an affidavit. She said she could not face anyone now, and wanted to die or be locked up where she couldn’t hurt anyone else.

An autopsy Tuesday revealed that Seth Kehoe had died from sharp force injuries to the neck. His brother, Sean, survived, requiring surgery at the Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo for his injuries.

Sean Kehoe out of the hospital

B.J. Franklin, a victim advocate for the Horizons Survivor’s Program who is representing the Kehoe family, said Thursday Sean Kehoe is out of the hospital and with his family. She said he is doing well as far as his physical health is concerned.

Franklin said the family is doing the best they can during this difficult situation. “There’s been a lot of interest in regards to what happened,” she said. “They just want the media to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”

Michelle Kehoe and her two boys were rescued from an icy Iowa River last December in a dramatic scene attracting news attention after Michelle hit a curb and drove off the road into the river.

However, Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said Thursday nothing can be gained by reopening the investigation into that accident. He said no evidence exists that Kehoe intentionally drove her vehicle into the Iowa River, although he understands why people would speculate now that she did.

“Short of her saying that to an investigator, there isn’t any way to prove it.”

Seth Kehoe’s funeral has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Wenceslaus Church in Iowa City.

Coralville mom charged with killing son

Michelle Kehoe, the subject of much speculation since police said her 2-year-old son was murdered, is accused of first-degree murder in that son's death.

She also is charged with attempted murder and child endangerment causing injury.

Buchanan County authorities made that announcement at a 4 o'clock news conference here this afternoon.

Michelle Kehoe, 35, of Coralville, is accused of killing Seth Kehoe, 2, on Sunday, authorities said. Michelle was hospitalized for injuries in the incident, as was another son, Sean, 7.

In a released statement, investigators say they found duct tape and a knife at the scene of the crime near Littleton in Buchanan County.

In that release, police say Sean Kehoe told investigators that his mom, Michelle Kehoe, had driven the van to that location and duct taped his eyes, nose and mouth and removed him from the van.

Sean Kehoe then told the investigators that his mother cut him on the neck, which caused an injury that required surgery.

The media release also says that Michelle Kehoe, while being interviewed by investigators, said she purchased the duct tape and knife one month prior.

Buchanan County Attorney Al Vander Hart, during a press conference, said he could not reveal many details about the investigation, saying authorties wanted to assure a fair trial. “Premature disclosure of evidence jeopardizes that," he said.

“I cannot speculate on a motive. I cannot speculate on the condition on the defendant or the surviving child. I cannot speculate on the impact of the community.”

Vander Hart added: “An accusation is not proof. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to their day in court.”

Reports earlier this week indicated that Michelle Kehoe told emergency responders Monday about her "boys in the van" and "a man with a knife."

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, Buchanan County Attorney's Office, Iowa Attorney General's Office and state Division of Criminal Investigation have been working on the case since Michelle Kehoe showed up at a rural home at 8 a.m. Monday to say her children were in danger. This was at a home on River Road Boulevard near Littleton, in Buchanan County.

Seth was found dead near the family's minivan, which was parked next to Hook N Liner Pond. Sean was found seriously injured inside.

An autopsy report released Tuesday by the state medical examiner revealed that Seth Kehoe died from neck injuries inflicted by a sharp instrument.

Sean Kehoe was taken to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo and Michelle Kehoe to University Hospitals in Iowa City.

Seth Kehoe's funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Iowa City.

Michelle Kehoe's previous appearance in the news, in December, is now well documented. That is when she lost control of the family vehicle while driving in Iowa City, hit a curb, and ended up in the Iowa River.

She told The Gazette at that time she became distracted by her two sons with her in the car and went into the river.

Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said this afternoon there is “nothing to be gained” by reopening the investigation into the December accident. He said no evidence exists that Kehoe intentionally drove her vehicle into the Iowa River, although he understands why people would now speculate that she did.

When asked whether people might want to know whether the December accident was a previous attempt to harm her children and herself, Kelsay said, “Short of her saying that to an investigator, there isn’t any way to prove it.”

Sean is a first grader at Iowa City Regina Elementary School.

Kehoe family issues statement about murder

"We deeply appreciate the prayers, thoughts and kind words of so many people during this family tragedy. We also want to thank the many first responders, emergency personnel, and volunteers for their quick action and care. A visitation for Seth will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday, October 31 at St. Wenceslaus Church in Iowa City. Seth’s funeral will be held Saturday, November 1, at 10:00 a.m.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support."

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/NEWS/810309997/0/FRONTPAGE

Claudia

10-31-2008, 08:19 AM

I'm thinking there is a bond set for each charge. There should be no bond IMO

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond2.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/HFTM2/bond3.jpg

I agree. There should be NO bond.

Lilly

10-31-2008, 09:49 AM

I agree. There should be NO bond.

Thanks for pointing out that could be bonds for each charge, Faith :)

Sean Kehoe.. that poor boy.. I can't imagine what he's feeling and thinking right now. I wonder if his father had any idea. I could say that he should know if his wife was acting strange or was violent, but then we never know really. This is one of those cases where I wonder if the mother was suffering from PPD or a mental illness. If so, he might have been totally in the dark :mad:

Claudia

10-31-2008, 09:54 AM

Thanks for pointing out that could be bonds for each charge, Faith :)

Sean Kehoe.. that poor boy.. I can't imagine what he's feeling and thinking right now. I wonder if his father had any idea. I could say that he should know if his wife was acting strange or was violent, but then we never know really. This is one of those cases where I wonder if the mother was suffering from PPD or a mental illness. If so, he might have been totally in the dark :mad:

I agree. I don't think these things are always obvious. Her turmoil could have been completely internal & she apparently put up a good front. She planned this a month ago, and yet the people at the daycare center said she came in happy & appeared a loving mother. She hid it well.

Faith

11-01-2008, 01:39 PM

Mother charged with murdering 2-year-old son

http://images.townnews.com/communitynewspapergroup.com/content/articles/2008/10/31/oelwein_daily_register/news/doc490b12c305497036300037.jpg

Michelle Kehoe and her son, Sean.

By Jack Swanson

Published: Friday, October 31, 2008 9:54 AM CDT

LITTLETON - The mother of a 2-year-old boy who was found dead in a wooded area near Littleton Monday, has been charged with her son’s murder. The toddler died after his throat was slashed.

Arrest warrants were issued Thursday, Oct. 30, for Michelle Kehoe, 35, of Coralville.

A press release from the Department of Public Safety said that based on evidence collected at the crime scene and witness statements, she will be charged with one count of Murder in the First Degree, one Count of Attempt to Commit Murder and one count of Child Endangerment Resulting in Serious Injury.

The arrest warrants and pending charges are a direct result of a 3-day long investigation that began when Michelle Kehoe and her two sons, 2-year-old Seth Kehoe and seven year old Sean Kehoe, after having been reported missing, resurfaced in Littleton, Iowa on Monday morning, Oct. 27. When law enforcement and medical personnel arrived at “Hook N Liner Pond,” the location Michelle provided, Michelle and Sean were both suffering injuries. Seth was found dead at the scene. An autopsy later revealed Seth died of sharp force injuries to the neck.

Michelle and Sean were both transported to hospitals where they underwent surgery for their wounds. Michelle Kehoe will be arrested and charged upon her discharge from the hospital, authorities said Thursday.

At the scene of the crime, investigators recovered duct tape and a knife.

During the investigation Sean Kehoe stated that his mom had driven the van to the location, duct taped his eyes, nose and mouth, and removed him from the van. He also stated that his mom was the one who gave him the cut on his neck.

While being interviewed by investigators, Michelle stated that she had purchased duct tape and a knife one month prior. She also stated that she put duct tape on Seth’s eyes, mouth and wrists and that it all happened within five minutes and prior to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The three were apparently on their way to visit relatives in Sumner and had left Coralville about 8 a.m. The boys’ father and Michelle’s husband Eugene Kehoe reported his family missing about 8 p.m. that night after they failed to arrive at their destination. They were last seen in Jesup about 12:30 p.m., Sunday, prior to the incident on Monday.

Michelle Kehoe had been involved in a life-threatening situation with her children last December . She was driving a car with her two sons when it plunged into the icy Iowa River. In that incident, the children and mother were rescued by bystanders. At the time, Michelle said her sons had distracted her while she was driving, causing her to lose control of the car.

http://communitynewspapergroup.com/articles/2008/10/31/oelwein_daily_register/news/doc490b12c305497036300037.txt

Faith

11-01-2008, 01:44 PM

Seth was laid to rest this morning. he's now in God's hands.

http://www.sincerefeelings.net/pictures/gods_hands.jpg

PinkPony

11-01-2008, 06:13 PM

Seth was laid to rest this morning. he's now in God's hands.

http://www.sincerefeelings.net/pictures/gods_hands.jpg

Oh how beautiful, Faith.

Thank you

PP

Pandabear

11-02-2008, 07:29 PM

Please forgive me, but I don't feel any sympathy for this woman...this "mother" and I use the term lightly. If she was mentally capable of planning to murder her children for over 2 months yet act like everything was okie dokie to the rest of the world, buy duct tape and a knife to do the deed, write a bogus kidnapping note, then LIE and blame it on a stranger, then she was mentally competent enough to know she needed help and enough to reach out for it.

I am so sick of hearing about parents, especially mothers, who kill their innocent children. If they don't want them, then they should just pack and walk away and never look back. I know that there are parents out there who are mentally ill, I just don't think that Michelle Kehoe is one of them. Yes, I'll wait for the 'rest of the story' to come out, but I honestly don't think I'll change my mind on this. It was too well planned for me to think she didn't know EXACTLY what she was doing and that it was wrong.

It breaks my heart to know that Sean was lying there in a pool of his own blood from 1:30 one day until after 8 the next morning. He knew his mother was the one that did that to him, and I can't imagine him ever getting over that. Sorry for the rant, but my heart is just sick of these murdering parents.

Faith

11-04-2008, 10:09 AM

Depression is expected defense in boy's death

November 4, 2008

Iowa City, Ia. — Postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis will probably be considered as a defense for a Coralville mother accused of murdering her 2-year-old son and injuring her 7-year-old son last month, the prosecutor said.

Michelle Kehoe, 35, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment based on allegations that she placed duct tape over her sons' faces and cut their necks with a knife Oct. 26 in a remote area near Littleton in northeast Iowa.

Kehoe's attorney has not yet been identified, but Buchanan County Attorney Allan Vander Hart said he expects the defense attorney will say Kehoe was suffering from postpartum depression or psychosis when she allegedly harmed her children.

Postpartum depression has gained exposure in recent weeks after the Iowa Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Heidi Anfinson of Des Moines, convicted of drowning her 2-week-old son, Jacob, in Saylorville Lake in 1998. The court ruled Anfinson's lawyer should have submitted evidence about her depression and other postpartum issues.

Medical experts offer a range of explanations for the mood swings and anxiety that can follow childbirth. Robin Kopelman, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa, said depression can get worse after the birth of a child because of disruption of sleep and social schedules.

Postpartum psychosis, a rarer condition, can cause a mother to be delusional and at increased risk for suicide or homicide, Kopelman said.

"Whenever a woman harms her children in some way, her mental health is brought into question," Kopelman said. "It's difficult for most people to imagine a mother harming her child."

Although postpartum depression usually begins within weeks of childbirth, women can suffer from the disorder for several years if it is not treated, Kopelman said.

Michelle Kehoe and her children were found the morning of Oct. 27 after she walked to a nearby house and said a man had abducted her and her children.

They had left Coralville to visit relatives in Sumner but never arrived on Oct. 26. Michelle's husband, Eugene Kehoe, contacted authorities.

Sean Kehoe, 7, told investigators that his mother placed duct tape over his face and cut his neck with a knife. The boy said he heard his younger brother, Seth, 2, call out and saw his mom hurting him, police affidavits stated.

Michelle Kehoe later recanted her story about the abduction, police said.

She told investigators that she didn't know why she hurt her children, but that she wanted to die or be locked up so she couldn't hurt anyone else, affidavits said.

Michelle Kehoe and Sean Kehoe underwent surgery for their wounds. Michelle Kehoe is still at U of I Hospitals under strict security. Patient confidentiality laws have made it impossible for officials to learn her condition, Vander Hart said. She is expected to be taken into custody after she leaves the hospital.

Sean attended his brother's funeral Saturday in Iowa City.

Investigators may interview Sean again to find out more about what happened in the 18 hours between the alleged attack and Michelle Kehoe's report to the neighbors, Vander Hart said.

"Right now, we're sort of leaving him alone so he can grieve with his family," Vander Hart said.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081104/NEWS01/811040376/-1/NEWS04

Faith

11-04-2008, 10:09 AM

:madranting94dp:

Faith

11-04-2008, 12:24 PM

Kehoe charged with three crimes, including first degree murder
http://jesupcitizenherald.com/ShowPicture/4051/ (http://jesupcitizenherald.com/ShowPicture/4051/)

http://jesupcitizenherald.com/images/corner.jpg Published in the Citizen Herald November 5, 2008

The tranquility of the small town of Littleton was devastated Monday morning, Oct. 27, when the body of two-year-old Seth Kehoe was found near his family’s minivan. This was the beginning of a bizarre and tragic story which has now concluded with charges being brought against the toddler’s 35-year-old mother.

Michelle Kehoe of Coralville and her two sons, Seth, 2, and Sean, 7, reportedly left their home Sunday morning, Oct. 26, to visit Michelle’s mother, Marilyn McMillen of Sumner. At approximately 12:30 p.m. Sunday, the van was seen at the Jesup Kwik Star. Kehoe’s husband, Gene, reported his wife and sons missing at around 8 p.m. that night.

On Monday morning, at 8 a.m., ambulance crews and sheriff’s deputies arrived in Littleton after Michelle Kehoe walked up to a house at 305 River Road Boulevard, asking the residents for help and stating her children were in danger. At that time, the emergency responders believed they were investigating a car accident.

What they found, instead, was 2 year old Seth Kehoe, dead of sharp force injuries to his neck, and an injured 7 year old Sean Kehoe sitting inside the van, also suffering from neck injuries. Michelle was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Sean was taken to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo. Both underwent surgery, and Sean was released from the hospital.

Questions answered
Initially, Kehoe told authorities she and her sons had been abducted and attacked by an unidentified man. Duct tape was found in and around the van and a knife was found in the Hook-N-Liner pond a short distance from the van. Within a short period of time, however, her story unraveled, as Sean Kehoe revealed a more chilling tale.

According to Sean, his mother put duct tape over his mouth, nose and eyes and took him out of the van. His neck was then cut. Sean told investigators his mom was the one who gave him the cut, according to John Turbett, an agent with the Division of Criminal Investigation.

Sean also told investigators that he heard his brother call out and saw his mom hurting the 2-year-old. Sean said there was never anyone else in the area or in the van.

Kehoe Confesses
Michelle Kehoe changed her story when faced with what Sean had revealed to authorities. She admitted to attempting to kill her young sons by covering their eyes with duct tape and then slashing their throats. Kehoe admitted to buying duct tape two months earlier and a knife about a month ago. She also told investigators she took Sean out of the van and duct taped him first because he is older.

Kehoe also told investigators she had written a note a month ago detailing their “abduction” near Jesup. She said she rewrote the note on Sunday and that handwritten note was found in the minivan, according to authorities. The note described the kidnapping of Michelle and her children by a man in Jesup.

She said the slashing to her sons took place at 1:25 p.m. Sunday. Kehoe did not account for what happened between the time of the slashing until the next morning when she asked that the authorities be notified. She was unable to explain why she did it, and said she could not face anyone now, and wanted to die or be locked up where she couldn’t hurt anyone else.

Earlier Incident
Kehoe and her two boys were rescued from the Iowa River last December when Kehoe reportedly hit a curb and her van went off the road into the river. There is no evidence that Kehoe intentionally drove her vehicle into the river, and there is no way to prove it, according to Iowa City police Sgt. Troy Kelsay. She said at that time she became distracted by her two sons with her in the car and went into the river. The event drew widespread media interest when four men dove into the freezing water to rescue Kehoe and her sons. These men were recognized a month later for their bravery. The Iowa City Council honored the four men who pulled Michelle, Sean and Seth from the river. Michelle spoke at the event and said, at the time of the accident, she and her children were heading to the library to check out books on the meaning of Christmas.

“Our family has experienced firsthand the true meaning of Christmas this season,” she said tearfully as she thanked the men and called them heroes.

Charges to be Filed
According to Buchanan County District Attorney Allan Vander Hart, Kehoe will be charged with first degree murder, attempted murder, and child endangerment resulting in serious injury when she is released from treatment at University Hospitals. Funeral services were held for Sean Kehoe on Saturday, Nov. 1, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Iowa City with burial at Oakland Cemetery.

http://jesupcitizenherald.com/Stories/4051/

Pandabear

11-04-2008, 01:34 PM

She was unable to explain why she did it, and said she could not face anyone now, and wanted to die or be locked up where she couldn’t hurt anyone else.

Too bad she didn't just kill herself and let her babies live. Harsh? Yes, but it's how I honestly feel.

Lilly

11-04-2008, 07:30 PM

Too bad she didn't just kill herself and let her babies live. Harsh? Yes, but it's how I honestly feel.

Understand where you're coming from Pandabear! I have mixed feelings about this one. I had PPD after my second child and it was rough. I had some pretty scary thoughts, and didn't understand where they were coming from. BUT.. I knew the thoughts were abnormal and went to my Dr. immediately for treatment. I can't understand a parent not preventing harm to their children.... I have say "there but for the grace of God go I" because I don't "get" it. How can she know after the fact that her actions were wrong, but not know it during two months of planning and while murdering her child? :shrug1: Very, very sad.

sarahhod

11-05-2008, 06:16 AM

Prosecutor not predicting Kehoe defense strategy

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081104/NEWS/811049959/1006

By Stephen Schmidt
The Gazette
stephen.Schmidt@gazcomm.com

INDEPENDENCE - Buchanan County Attorney Al Vander Hart said today he is not making any predictions on what defense strategy Michelle Kehoe's attorneys will use in a future trial, including if they will use postpartum depression or psychosis as a defense.

"I'm assuming that is something that her defense attorneys would consider," Vander Hart said. "But I'm not predicting anything."

Michelle Kehoe, 35, of Coralville has not been assigned legal representation after she was accused of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment with injury last Thursday after allegedly attacking her two childen near the small town of Littleton. This will have to wait until she is arrested following her release from University Hospitals.

Vander Hart said he has no information on when this release will take place.

Michelle Kehoe's son Seth, 2, was found dead near a pond outside of her minivan last Monday and his brother Sean, 7, was found severely injured inside the vehicle. Michelle also was found at the scene with severe injuries that required medical attention.

According to an affidavit released last Thursday, Sean Kehoe told investigators that his mother duct taped their wrists and eyes and then attacked both siblings with a knife. Michelle Kehoe later admitted to investigators that she had committed the crime, according to affidavit, as well as writing a fake abduction note that was found in the van.

Pandabear

11-05-2008, 09:26 AM

Understand where you're coming from Pandabear! I have mixed feelings about this one. I had PPD after my second child and it was rough. I had some pretty scary thoughts, and didn't understand where they were coming from. BUT.. I knew the thoughts were abnormal and went to my Dr. immediately for treatment. I can't understand a parent not preventing harm to their children.... I have say "there but for the grace of God go I" because I don't "get" it. How can she know after the fact that her actions were wrong, but not know it during two months of planning and while murdering her child? :shrug1: Very, very sad.

I understand Lilly. I suffered from PPD after my son was born, and like you say, I knew what I was feeling wasn't normal and I reached out to my doctor for help. If PPD was her problem, I find it hard to believe that she'd been suffering for over 2 years and nobody noticed a change in her or she didn't care enough about herself or her family to seek help.

How in the name of everything holy could this woman take a knife and kill that baby that looked like an angel? How could she leave her other baby to lie in his own blood for all those long hours? I'll never understand it....never.

sarahhod

11-05-2008, 09:56 AM

I understand Lilly. I suffered from PPD after my son was born, and like you say, I knew what I was feeling wasn't normal and I reached out to my doctor for help. If PPD was her problem, I find it hard to believe that she'd been suffering for over 2 years and nobody noticed a change in her or she didn't care enough about herself or her family to seek help.

How in the name of everything holy could this woman take a knife and kill that baby that looked like an angel? How could she leave her other baby to lie in his own blood for all those long hours? I'll never understand it....never.

ITA Panda, I also suffered badly from PPD and was on medication for quite sometime, but prior to being on medication not once and I mean not once did I even comtemplate killing my child. I couldn't understand how I could love my child so much but feel the way I did. Luckily I am way over that now.

To me, this was a premeditated murder, two months is along time to plan and think about killing your children. Surely SOMEBODY must have noticed a drastic change in her, my mum and DH noticed right away something wasn't right with me.

Also, im very suspicious now of the earlier incident when she went into the lake. Was this another attempt to murder her children and kill herself, if so that was back in December IIRC, that is 10 months ago, along time for PPD to go unnoticed.

I think she knew exactly what she was doing.

Claudia

11-05-2008, 10:05 AM

ITA Panda, I also suffered badly from PPD and was on medication for quite sometime, but prior to being on medication not once and I mean not once did I even comtemplate killing my child. I couldn't understand how I could love my child so much but feel the way I did. Luckily I am way over that now.

To me, this was a premeditated murder, two months is along time to plan and think about killing your children. Surely SOMEBODY must have noticed a drastic change in her, my mum and DH noticed right away something wasn't right with me.

Also, im very suspicious now of the earlier incident when she went into the lake. Was this another attempt to murder her children and kill herself, if so that was back in December IIRC, that is 10 months ago, along time for PPD to go unnoticed.

I think she knew exactly what she was doing.

ITA.... she planned this in advance. I also wonder about the incident in December, I bet it was a failed attempt.

nicky

11-05-2008, 11:08 AM

There are alot of things going through my mind right now. I hope this doesn't play out like I think it's going to.

PP

PP I agree, I don't think the first one was an accident. Those poor children. This woman should have gotten some help, I'm thinking.jmo

nicky

11-05-2008, 11:38 AM

nicky

11-05-2008, 11:44 AM

I didn't have ppd, but I do suffer from depression and insomnia and it does strange things to me, but never have I considered harming my child. Someone would have noticed if she were depressed. By all accounts that isn't it. I would love to know if there is another person she was intrested in other than her husband. I think this was premeditated and that she did not intend to kill herself but be the "victim". I hope her son gets the help he will so desperatly need. I don't think he will ever get over this. I'm praying for them!

Lilly

11-05-2008, 04:23 PM

I understand Lilly. I suffered from PPD after my son was born, and like you say, I knew what I was feeling wasn't normal and I reached out to my doctor for help. If PPD was her problem, I find it hard to believe that she'd been suffering for over 2 years and nobody noticed a change in her or she didn't care enough about herself or her family to seek help.

How in the name of everything holy could this woman take a knife and kill that baby that looked like an angel? How could she leave her other baby to lie in his own blood for all those long hours? I'll never understand it....never.

:confused: I don't know about depression and what it does. I think I've heard of people having psychotic episodes, but this was premeditated. I too find it hard to believe she's had PPD for two years and nobody noticed. I knew immediately what my thoughts were. I was having scary thoughts about something happening to my DD, but not once did I want to harm either of my kids. It was strange.... we lived on the second floor and I'd think "what if I trip on the stairs and drop her down them?" I was petrified to walk down the stairs with her for fear that would happen. My Dr. said it was a chemical imbalance that sent my worrying/motherly instincts into overdrive.

I feel soooo sorry for this family :( Especially Sean.

Amusedtdth

11-06-2008, 12:15 PM

ITA.... she planned this in advance. I also wonder about the incident in December, I bet it was a failed attempt.

Those were my thoughts exactly..

Pandabear

11-11-2008, 11:45 AM

I haven't been able to find anything further on this. I wonder how little Sean is doing. :1222423:

Pandabear

11-11-2008, 11:52 AM

More photos....

http://www.kcrg.com/features/33362019.html

Emyo

11-11-2008, 04:56 PM

More photos....

http://www.kcrg.com/features/33362019.html

So the husband Gene is almost twenty years older than Michelle. Sure don't see the age difference in the family photo. Looks like the first marriage for both, too. So Gene was about 45 before he married Michelle.

I don't know what all that means but it just keeps nagging at me. The picture shows a very nice looking family : (

Faith

11-16-2008, 12:30 AM

Saturday, November 15, 2008 10:19 PM CST
Michelle Kehoe moved to Buchanan Co. jail
By Courier staff
INDEPENDENCE — Michelle Kehoe has been released from the hospital and transferred to Buchanan County to face charges of killing her 2-year-old son and injuring another son.

The Coralville woman was released from University Hospitals in Iowa City Saturday and was transported to the Buchanan County Courthouse in Independence, where she reportedly appeared in court for an initial hearing.

The hearing was held after business hours and was not open to the public.

A news release from Buchanan County officials said Kehoe, 35, is being held on $2.5 million bond in the Buchanan County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment resulting in serious injury.

Kehoe is accused of covering her son’s eyes with duct tape and cutting their necks with a knife. Her 2-year-old son Seth died, and her 7-year-old son Sean was injured.

Kehoe initially told authorities that an unidentified man attacked her family in a remote area near Littleton, but police later charged the mother with the crime.

Kehoe will be back in court Tuesday, Nov. 25. An attorney from the public defender’s office in Waterloo will represent her.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/15/news/breaking_news/doc491f9f5ed4e3d850726481.txt

Faith

11-16-2008, 06:27 PM

Sunday, November 16, 2008 12:43 PM CST
Kehoe, accused of killing child and injuring another, makes first appearance
By Courier Staff
INDEPENDENCE --- Michelle Kehoe has been released from the hospital and transferred to Buchanan County to face charges of killing her 2-year-old son and injuring another son.

The Coralville woman was released from University Hospitals in Iowa City Saturday and was transported to the Buchanan County Courthouse in Independence, where she reportedly appeared in court for an initial hearing.

The hearing was held after business hours and was not open to the public.

A news release from Buchanan County officials said Kehoe, 35, is being held on $2.5 million bond in the Buchanan County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment resulting in serious injury.

Kehoe is accused of covering her son's eyes with duct tape and cutting their necks with a knife. Her 2-year-old son Seth died, and her 7-year-old son Sean was injured.

Kehoe initially told authorities that an unidentified man attacked her family in a remote area near Littleton, but police later charged the mother with the crime.

Kehoe will be back in court Tuesday, Nov. 25. An attorney from the public defender's office in Waterloo will represent her.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/16/news/local/10770127.txt

Faith

11-16-2008, 06:28 PM

She's been in the hospital a long time, I wonder what her injuries were.

Faith

11-20-2008, 02:15 AM

Michelle Kehoe scheduled to be in court in a week
The Gazette

11/19/08

INDEPENDENCE - A preliminary hearing is scheduled a week from today at 9 a.m. for Michelle Kehoe, who was arrested and charged Saturday with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment resulting in serious injury.

Kehoe, 35, of Coralville, requested a public defender during her initial appearance in Buchanan County district court Saturday.

The court appointed attorneys Andrea Dryer and Julia Stoner, state public defenders from the Waterloo office, to represent Kehoe, Stoner confirmed Monday.

Kehoe was arrested Saturday after she was released from University Hospitals in Iowa City. She is accused of killing her 2-year-old son Seth, who was found near a pond outside Kehoe's minivan, and seriously injuring her 7-year-old son Sean on Oct. 27 near Littleton.

Sean told investigators that his mother duct-taped their wrists and eyes and attacked the siblings with a knife. Kehoe later admitted to investigators she'd written a fake abduction note, according to an affidavit.

She is being held in the Buchanan County Jail on $2.5 million bond.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081118/NEWS/711189943/0/BUSINESS

Amusedtdth

11-26-2008, 04:03 PM

She's been in the hospital a long time, I wonder what her injuries were.

I've seen pic of her at some hearing and her neck...looked to me like she really hacked away at it. I'll see if I can't find them somewhere on line.

Pandabear

11-27-2008, 06:26 AM

I'd love to see those pictures. This reminds me so much of Diane Downs and that makes me sick.

Amusedtdth

12-01-2008, 02:48 PM

http://media.kcrg.com/images/kcrg-tv9-news-michelle-kehoe-mug.jpg

Michelle Kehoe Pleads Not Guilty
By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Dec 1, 2008 at 11:27 AM CST

Story Updated: Dec 1, 2008 at 11:34 AM CST

BUCHANAN COUNTY - The Coralville mom accused of killing her child says she didn't do it.

Michelle Kehoe was scheduled to be arraigned in Buchanan County tomorrow morning. But court documents show she has filed a written plea of not guilty instead.

Kehoe is charged with first degree murder for allegedly killing her son Seth, 2, and attempted murder for allegedly injuring her Sean, 7.

Investigators believe Kehoe attacked her sons with a knife back in October in this dense wooded area of Littleton. She also faces a charge of child endangerment causing serious injury.
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/35315329.html

Faith

12-02-2008, 01:29 AM

Michelle Kehoe Pleads Not Guilty :faintTHUD:

She admitted to killing the child now she's pleading not guilty???? huh?

Michelle Kehoe pleads not guilty to killing son
Updated December 01. 2008 11:22AM

INDEPENDENCE - Michelle Kehoe, the Coralville woman accused of killing one son and injuring another, pleaded not guilty in an written arraignment turned into the Buchanan County Courthouse Nov. 26, according to online court records.

She is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and child endangerment causing serious injury for the alleged offenses.

Buchanan County District Attorney Allan Vander Hart said that once a judge reviews the plea, a pretrial date will be set.

Kehoe's arraignment set for tomorrow is canceled.

Kehoe drove her sons to a pond near Littleton on Oct. 26 and bound them with duct tape before cutting their throats, according to police. Kehoe's 2-year-old son, Seth, was killed in the reported attack and her 7-year-old son, Sean, was seriously injured.

Kehoe also injured herself in the attack, cutting her own throat, police said. She was arrested Nov. 15 after her release from University Hospitals.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081201/NEWS/712019931/1006

Faith

12-04-2008, 07:34 AM

Kehoe trial date set

Associated Press
1:15 PM CST, December 2, 2008

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa - Trial has been set for a Coralville woman accused of killing one son and trying to kill another.

Michelle Kehoe's trial is set for March 18 in Buchanan County. The 35-year-old faces is charged with first-degree murder, attempt to commit murder and child endangerment resulting in serious injury.

She pleaded not guilty last week.

Kehoe is being held in the Buchanan County jail under $2.5 million bond.

According to police, Kehoe told her husband she was taking her sons, 2-year-old Seth, and 7-year-old Sean, to visit relatives in Sumner on Oct. 26. They never arrived, and police allege Kehoe drove her sons to a pond near Littleton and bound them with duct tape before cutting their throats, killing Seth and leaving Sean seriously injured.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-missingfamily-tri,0,7858824.story

Pandabear

12-04-2008, 08:52 AM

Her wounds look superficial to me. She certainly didn't go deep enough to kill herself....surely not as deeply as she cut her children's throats. I have no sympathy for this woman. Everything she did from start to finish, to now pleading not guilty AFTER she has confessed, shows me that she knew, and knows, right from wrong and exactly what she was doing to those babies.

May she burn in hell.

JMO

gabby

12-10-2008, 05:39 PM

:1187603408.CR.Mothe Those poor kids!

Cloey

12-18-2008, 06:42 AM

WOW..... this is quite a story. People like her and Casey Anthony just don't compute in my brain.

Faith

01-13-2009, 12:18 PM

Kehoe's attorney wants more time to file motions

Associated Press - January 13, 2009 10:44 AM ET

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) - An attorney for a Coralville woman accused of killing one son and trying to kill another has asked for more time to file motions in the case.

Michelle Kehoe is charged with first-degree murder, attempt to commit murder and child endangerment resulting in serious injury.

She pleaded not guilty in late November and is being held in the Buchanan County jail under $2.5 million bond.

Police say Kehoe drove her sons, 2-year-old Seth, and 7-year-old Sean, to a pond near Littleton and bound them with duct tape before cutting their throats, killing Seth and leaving Sean seriously injured.

Kehoe's attorney filed a motion last week to extend deadlines to file motions and notices of defense in the case, which is scheduled to go to trial in March.

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9664568&nav=2HAB

Pandabear

01-13-2009, 01:17 PM

I sure hope this trial is televised.

Faith

03-11-2009, 12:33 PM

Updated March 11. 2009 8:59AM
Trial delayed for mom accused in death

The first-degree murder trial of Michelle Kehoe, the Coralville woman accused of killing one son and injuring another, has been delayed to give attorneys more time to prepare the case, online court records show.

A new trial date for the trial, which will be held in Buchanan County District Court in Independence, has not been set. A hearing to review where the case stands has been set for April 14.

Kehoe is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. She pleaded not guilty to the charges last year.

According to police accounts, Kehoe drove her sons to a pond near Littleton on Oct. 26 and bound them with duct tape before cutting their throats. Kehoe's 2-year-old son, Seth, died and her 7-year-old son, Sean, was seriously injured.

Kehoe is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. She submitted a plea of not guilty to the charges on Nov. 26.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090311/NEWS/703119919/1006

Heidi J.

03-12-2009, 01:10 AM

Roamer

03-12-2009, 07:51 AM

No sympathy from me, either.

Poor little babies.

Faith

04-17-2009, 07:03 PM

Kehoe trial delayed to Oct. 28
• April 15, 2009

INDEPENDENCE -- The trial of a Coralville woman accused of murdering her 2-year-old son and attempting to kill her 7-year-old son has been reset for Oct. 28.

Attorneys in the case of Michelle Kehoe met Tuesday in Independence at a status-review hearing before Buchanan County Judge Thomas Bower.

Michelle Kehoe, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Seth Kehoe, 2, and attempted murder and willful injury involving Sean Kehoe, 7. The trio was traveling to visit relatives in Sumner on Oct. 26 but never arrived. If convicted of first-degree murder, Kehoe faces a mandatory life prison sentence.

Michelle Kehoe was not present at the 70-minute hearing. Her husband, Eugene Kehoe, attended with a survivor's advocate. He did not make himself available to reporters.

Attorneys in the case argued over a no-contact order that Buchanan County Attorney Al VanderHart filed against Michelle Kehoe last week.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Prosser, who is prosecuting the case with VanderHart, said that continued contact between Michelle and Eugene Kehoe would do incalculable psychological harm to Sean Kehoe.

"His father is going to see the woman that sliced his throat and his brother's throat," Prosser said.

The no-contact order prevents Kehoe from having contact with Sean Kehoe and any relatives.

Andrea Dryer, a public defender from Waterloo who is representing Michelle Kehoe, has requested that the no-contact order be modified to continue to allow contact between Michelle Kehoe and her husband.

Dryer argued that Sean Kehoe was not being harmed by his father visiting his mother, who is in the Buchanan County Jail.

"There has been no harm that has occurred to the child by Mr. Kehoe visiting his wife here," Dryer said, adding that there is nothing to suggest that the boy has been harassed, threatened or influenced in any way.

Dryer told Bower that she thinks the state law allows for a judge to review and modify the no-contact order to allow for Eugene Kehoe to continue visiting his wife.

However, Prosser said that he "couldn"t possibly disagree more" that there is potential harm.

Prosser said there is no evidence to suggest that Eugene Kehoe isn't discussing the visits with Sean Kehoe and that there is no evidence to suggest that the boy isn't suffering psychological harm.

Prosser said he would invite the defense to present a psychiatric expert to argue otherwise.

Dryer maintained that Michelle Kehoe poses no threat to her son.

"She's been incarcerated for months," Dryer said.

Bower said he would issue a ruling at a later time.

Before the hearing held in open court, the attorneys met in Bower's chambers for about 40 minutes. After 30 minutes in open court, Bower announced that Michelle Kehoe would go on trial almost one year from the day she's accused of killing her son -- Oct. 28 -- and her final pretrial conference would be Oct. 13.

Bower ordered all discovery to be completed and motions to be filed by Aug. 14.
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090415/NEWS01/904150344/1079

Faith

04-17-2009, 07:05 PM

VIDEO: Michelle Kehoe trial set for October (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_2_0_t&usg=AFQjCNHjm-5uvRBw6LmDsM75J_Sx1CRPHw&sig2=aO5tlnwEqj5V1G7OSR8W7Q&cid=1333358543&ei=agrpSdiSDJuoM-6k4JYD&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gazetteonline.com%2Fapps%2Fpb cs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D%2F20090414%2FNEWS%2F7041 49906%2F1006)

The trial for Michelle Kehoe is set to being Oct. 28, approximately one year after one of her sons was murdered and the other seriously injured.

The Coralville woman is charged with first-degree murder, attempt to commit murder and child endangerment resulting in the death of her 2-year-old son and serious injury of his 7-year-old brother.

According to police accounts, Kehoe drove her sons to a pond near Littleton on Oct. 26 and bound them with duct tape before cutting their throats. Kehoe's youngest son, Seth, died and her older boy, Sean, was seriously injured. Kehoe also suffered self-inflicted injuries in the incident.

A no-contact order — which prohibits contact between the accused and anyone living with or related to Sean — was put in place late last week. Kehoe's lawyer then issued a request for modification of that order to allow visits with her husband, Eugene Kehoe.

The order was discussed at a status-review hearing in Independence today, but the matter was not resolved.

Kehoe's final pretrial conference will take place at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 13 before going to trial at the end of the month.

Video courtesy KCRG-TV9
http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090414/NEWS/704149906/1006

Faith

04-17-2009, 07:09 PM

Iowa woman wants to modify no-contact order

Associated Press - April 14, 2009 5:54 PM ET
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) - Trial for a Coralville woman accused of killing one son and trying to kill another has been scheduled for Oct. 28.

Michelle Kehoe is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment. She is accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, and attempting to kill her 7-year-old son, Sean, in rural Buchanan County last October.

A no-contact order, which prohibited contact between Kehoe and anyone living with or related to Sean, was put in place last week. Kehoe's attorney then asked to modify the agreement so she could have visits with her husband.

The request was discussed during a hearing Tuesday but the matter was not resolved.

Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/
http://www.kmeg14.com/Global/story.asp?S=10178610&nav=menu609_2_4

Faith

04-17-2009, 07:14 PM

Kehoe's lawyer seeks order change

April 14, 2009

The attorney for the Coralville woman accused of killing one of her sons and attempting to kill another last year wants the no-contact order against her client modified.

According to court documents, Andrea Dryer, who is representing Michelle Kehoe in her first-degree murder trial, is requesting that a judge modify a no-contact order issued last week to allow Kehoe to have contact with her husband. The no-contact order prevents Michelle Kehoe from having contact with her surviving son, but as written, prevents her from having contact with her husband.

"Mr. Kehoe wants to visit and maintain some contact with his wife," the document states.

Kehoe is accused of first-degree murder, attempted murder and willful injury. Dryer has requested that the no-contact order be discussed at a status hearing scheduled for today

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090414/NEWS01/904140310/1079/news01

Faith

04-17-2009, 07:15 PM

I don't know why her husband wants to visit her.

Heidi J.

04-17-2009, 09:07 PM

I don't know why her husband wants to visit her.

I don't know why he would call that monster his wife any longer:groan: That just makes me feel sick he would go see her. How can he not want to ring her neck Faith:45024:

grammybears

04-17-2009, 11:14 PM

I have never understood how the spouse of someone who killed a family member especially a child would want to stay in contact with such a person. My hubby told me one time if he ever did anything wrong and was in jail or prison he would not expect me to visit him infact he would be surprised if I did.

I suspect this husband may know exactly what was going on with his wife and that is why he called the authorities when she didn't show up when she was supposed to.
I understand the issues of mental illness and post partum but I do not understand not removing yourself from a situation where you might harm one of your own children. If this woman has such hatred and self loathing for herself why not commit suicide, instead of hurting her sweet children. I guess I will never understand the mindset.

Brighteyes413

04-25-2009, 10:20 AM

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/25/kehoe.mom.charged/index.html

Faith

04-25-2009, 11:44 AM

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/25/kehoe.mom.charged/index.html

Thank you for the link- Welcome to HFTM. :happy0207:

This case is tough for me. I do not understand how a mother can harm her children.

Faith

04-25-2009, 11:44 AM

Emyo

04-25-2009, 12:01 PM

Maybe he wants to ask her WHY? I think I would.

Form an earlier link it would appear that the husband has been visiting Kehoe. And the modification is to let it continue.

The no-contact order prevents Kehoe from having contact with Sean Kehoe and any relatives.

Andrea Dryer, a public defender from Waterloo who is representing Michelle Kehoe, has requested that the no-contact order be modified to continue to allow contact between Michelle Kehoe and her husband.

Dryer argued that Sean Kehoe was not being harmed by his father visiting his mother, who is in the Buchanan County Jail.

So, surely he has already asked her why. Or at the least somehow accepts the fact that Kehoe did it.
jmo

lost indie

04-25-2009, 12:37 PM

Faith

07-22-2009, 01:22 PM

Prosecutor reports big bill in murder case

Associated Press - July 22, 2009 1:04 PM ET

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) - The Buchanan County prosecutor says taxpayers will be on the hook for an additional $4,100 to try a high profile murder case.

Attorneys for Michelle Kehoe of Coralville earlier this year filed notice they intend to use insanity and diminished capacity as a defense.

Buchanan County Attorney Allan Vander Hart says as a result his office will have to pay for an independent psychiatric evaluation.

Kehoe has been examined by Dr. Michael Taylor of Des Moines, a prominent forensic psychiatrist. Officials say Taylor charged $3,605, or slightly more than $319 per hour for the examination.

Prosecutors allege that on Oct. 26, Kehoe drove her sons to a pond near Littleton and bound them with duct tape before cutting their throats. Sean Kehoe and the body of Seth Kehoe were found the next day.

Information from: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, http://www.wcfcourier.com

http://www.kttc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10770647

Pandabear

07-22-2009, 05:15 PM

I'm very anxious for this trial. I really hope that it's broadcast and we can follow it. This case just tears at my heart and I want to know 'why'.

sarahhod

08-20-2009, 07:33 PM

Attorney for Kehoe requests venue change

Lee Hermiston • Iowa City Press-Citizen • August 18, 2009

The attorney for the Coralville mother accused of murdering her 2-year-old son and trying to kill her other son has requested her client's trial be moved.

According to court documents, Michelle Kehoe's attorney, Andrea Dryer, filed a motion Friday for a change of venue from Buchanan County.
In another court document, Dryer lists Michelle's husband, Eugene Kehoe, as a potential witness to be called by the defense. Spousal privilege protects any private communication between husband and wife. A defendant can waive that right, but doing so allows the prosecution to cross-examine the spouse about the privileged conversation.
Kehoe, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Seth Kehoe and attempted murder and willful injury involving Sean Kehoe, 7. The trio was traveling to visit relatives in Sumner last Oct. 26 but never arrived.
In her motion, Dryer cites "the extensive pretrial publicity and commentary" of her client's case as reason to move the trial. Dryer said the coverage has affected her client's ability to get a fair and impartial trial in Buchanan County.
Requests for a change of venue have been met with mixed results in high-profile cases in recent years. In 2006, public defender Peter Persaud was successful in moving Roger Bentley's first-degree murder trial from Johnson County to Scott County. In 2007, Tom Diehl requested that a judge move Kyle Marin's first-degree murder trial from Linn County, but that request was denied.
Bentley was found guilty of raping and murdering 10-year-old Jetseta Gage and leaving her body in an abandoned mobile home in rural Johnson County. Marin was found guilty of murdering 18-year-old cousins Katrina Hill and Molly Edmondson in Edmondson's Cedar Rapids apartment.
In a document filed last month, Dryer also lists the witnesses she could call in the trial. Included in the list are two doctors and several of Kehoe's relatives. Dryer has said she will use a defense of insanity or diminished responsibility. Kehoe is scheduled to go to trial Oct. 28
If convicted of first-degree murder, Kehoe faces a mandatory life prison sentence.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090818/NEWS01/908180335/1079/news01

sarahhod

08-20-2009, 07:34 PM

Murder suspect seeking change of venue (http://www.woi-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10942856&nav=1LFX)

WOI - ‎Aug 17, 2009‎
AP - August 17, 2009 2:24 PM ET INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) - Attorneys for a Coralville woman have filed a motion seeking a change of venue for her trial in ...

Michelle Kehoe's Attorney Asks for Change of Venue (http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/53418227.html)

KCRG - Ashton Shurson (http://news.google.co.uk/news/search?ned=uk&hl=en&q=author%3A%22Ashton+Shurson%22&scoring=n) - ‎Aug 17, 2009‎
By Becky Ogann BUCHANAN COUNTY - The attorney for a woman accused of killing her son is asking a judge for a change of venue in her ...

Faith

08-24-2009, 02:16 PM

Venue changes difficult to get, attorneys say

Lee Hermiston • Iowa City Press-Citizen • August 24, 2009

The attorney for the Coralville mother accused of killing her 2-year-old son and attempting to kill her other son will go to court on Wednesday and argue for her client’s trial to be moved out of Buchanan County.

While there has been ample coverage of Michelle Kehoe’s alleged murder of her son last October, a University of Iowa law professor said the chances of Kehoe being granted a change of venue are not in her favor.

“It’s pretty rare to get it,” said professor Margaret Raymond.

Kehoe is accused of driving her sons, Seth and Sean, to rural Buchanan County on Oct. 26, 2008, under the auspices of taking them to visit relatives in Sumner. The mother and her children never returned that night. Instead, police have accused Kehoe of taping her sons’ eyes, noses and mouths and cutting their throats with a knife. Kehoe also cut her own throat.

The crime and subsequent court proceedings, as well as an incident in Dec. 2007 when Kehoe drove her car into the Iowa River with her children in the back, have since been covered extensively by the Press-Citizen and other media outlets. With that coverage in mind, Kehoe’s attorney, Andrea Dryer of the Waterloo Public Defender’s Office, requested the trial be moved out of Buchanan County.

Dryer could not be reached for comment.

Raymond said attorneys request a change of venue when the amount of press coverage of a case has made it so that it would be nearly impossible to select a jury that has no prior knowledge and has no prejudices towards the defendant. Raymond said the amount of coverage doesn’t have to be negative, but that doesn’t hurt.

“If you were a lawyer, the fact that the coverage is unfavorable would be helpful,” she said. “The fact that there’s a lot of (coverage) and everyone’s heard about the case, that’s when you’re going to make the strongest showing with the level of saturation.”

Change of venue requests can be hit or miss. In 2007, suspected murderer Kyle Marin requested his trial be moved out of Linn County. Marin was accused and later found guilty of killing two young women in a Cedar Rapids apartment. The request to move the trial was denied.

However, public defender Peter Persaud was successful in moving Roger Bentley’s rape and murder trial from Johnson County to Scott County in 2006.

“The goal is to get a fair and impartial jury,” Persaud said. “And, if the attorney believes there has been such a degree of publicity which makes it impossible for their client to get a fair trial, they ask to move to a county where the publicity hasn’t been so extensive.”

Persaud said it’s not just the degree of the publicity, but the nature of the coverage. An attorney must show that coverage of their client’s crime, criminal proceedings and past history is pervasive and inflammatory.

Part of that can include coverage of things not necessarily admissible in trial, such as criminal history, Persaud said. In Kehoe’s case, coverage of the 2007 car crash and speculation as to whether it was a suicide attempt, could improve her chances of having the trial moved.

Persaud said the goal isn’t to keep the press from covering criminal proceedings, but to find a jury that is insulated from stories and information not relevant for the trial.

Though he successfully moved Bentley’s trial to Scott County, Persaud originally wanted his client’s trial to be heard in Council Bluffs. When moving a trial, judges typically like to keep the trial in the same judicial district. When that isn’t possible, judges look for a community that would have a large jury pool that would not be exposed to a large amount of media coverage.

Kehoe, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Seth Kehoe and attempted murder and willful injury involving Sean Kehoe, 7. If convicted of first-degree murder, she faces a mandatory life sentence. She has pleaded not guilty by means of insanity or diminished capacity

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090824/NEWS01/90824005/1079/news01

Faith

08-26-2009, 03:27 PM

Michelle Kehoe Appears in Court
By Dave Franzman, Reporter
By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Aug 26, 2009 at 11:41 AM CDT

Story Updated: Aug 26, 2009 at 12:15 PM CDT

pics from video
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af35/missingpersonscases/Various%20Photos/k2.jpg

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af35/missingpersonscases/Various%20Photos/k1.jpg

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af35/missingpersonscases/Various%20Photos/k3.jpg

BUCHANAN COUNTY - The attorney for a Coralville woman accused of killing her two year old son and wounding her other son wants her trial out of Buchanan County.

Michelle Kehoe faces one count of first degree murder and another count of attempted murder. Police say Kehoe killed her son Seth by slitting his throat with a knife and also tried to kill her older son, Sean. That alleged knife attack happened last October in rural Buchanan County.

Wednesday's hearing was a motion hearing, not the trial itself which is now set for October 28th, so defendant Michelle Kehoe was not required to come to court. But Kehoe did appear in court, her first appearance since an initial appearance last year to hear the charges.

Both sides quickly disposed of some minor pretrial issues. The main argument turned to whether the trial should move elsewhere.

Kehoe's attorney says the publicity is so extensive, she wants the court to call a mock jury to see if potential jurors in Buchanan County are even able to offer a fair trial. Kehoe's attorney says one reason for a mock jury is all of the information on websites about the case and the potential impact of explosive comments.

"Name calling, directed profanity at Mrs. Kehoe, expressing their opinions about what should be done to her," said Andrea Dryer, Kehoe's Attorney.

Prosecutors don't want the trial moved out of Buchanan County and don't believe there is any reason that would require it. However if the judge is concerned, they said a mock jury would be preferable to a change of venue.

First Judicial District Judge Bruce Zager will take the arguments under advisement and submit a written ruling later.

watch video
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/55040212.html

Faith

08-26-2009, 03:32 PM

Kehoe's attorney requests mock jury

http://cmsimg.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=D5&Date=20090826&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=90826006&Ref=AR&Profile=1079&MaxW=318&Border=0

INDEPENDENCE – The attorney for Michelle Kehoe has asked a judge to consider assembling a mock jury panel to assess whether her client could receive a fair trial in Buchanan County.

Kehoe’s attorney, Waterloo-based public defender Andrea Dryer, argued before a judge Wednesday that there has been considerable media coverage of Kehoe’s alleged crimes and the subsequent court proceedings.

“We are concerned because there has been substantial media coverage in this case,” Dryer said.

In particular, Dryer noted comments on media articles that included name-calling, profanities, and opinions about actions that should be taken against Kehoe. Dryer said there are also articles that discuss the cost to taxpayers for criminal proceedings. The attorney said such articles could serve to inflame residents of Buchanan County, of whom the jury pool would be composed.

Kehoe, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her son Seth, 2, and attempted murder and willful injury involving her other son Sean, 7. The trio was traveling to visit relatives in Sumner Oct. 26, 2008, but never arrived. Authorities have accused Kehoe of taping her sons' eyes, noses and mouths and cutting their throats with a knife. Kehoe also cut her own throat, authorities said.

Michelle Kehoe, who was not present at court hearing in April, was present for Wednesday’s hearing. The hearing was scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m., but didn’t begin until around 10:42 a.m. after attorneys from both sides and the judge held a closed-door meeting.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Kehoe faces a mandatory life prison sentence.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Prosser, who is representing the prosecution along with Buchanan County Attorney Al Vander Hart, said the state resists both the request to move the trial and the request to assemble a mock jury.

Prosser said the state is not disputing there has been significant media coverage of Kehoe’s alleged crimes, but since coverage has been statewide and, in some cases nationwide, a fair trial is just as likely in Buchanan County as it would be in any other area of the state.

Prosser argued that a mock jury would be time-consuming, expensive and would not guarantee anything about the jury at the actual trial.

“Every jury panel is different,” Prosser said. “No two are alike.”

Prosser said the state’s preference would be to continue to trial and address any jury-related issues as they arise. However, Prosser said he would prefer the court assemble a mock jury instead of moving the trial.

The court will make a decision on the motion for change of venue and the request for a mock jury at a later time. A hearing has been set for Sept. 18 to consider other motions associated with the criminal proceedings.

Kehoe, who wore a white- and gray-striped shirt, black pants, sandals and her hair pulled back in a ponytail, sat expressionless through the short hearing. As she got up to leave, she looked back toward her husband, Gene Kehoe, who was sitting in the courtroom with several other people.

A no-contact order was issued against Michelle Kehoe in April, preventing her from having contact with her surviving son and any of his relatives, including her husband, who had been visiting her in jail. Kehoe's attorney argued there was no harm in Kehoe visiting with her husband. Prosecutors disagreed, however, arguing the continued contact between Michelle and Eugene Kehoe was doing "incalculable" psychological harm to the surviving son.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090826/NEWS01/90826006/1079/news01

Lilly

08-27-2009, 01:16 PM

Faith

09-01-2009, 11:59 PM

Mock jury ordered in Kehoe case

September 1, 2009 11:04 PM ET

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) - A Buchanan County judge has ordered a mock jury assembled to determine if sufficient prejudice exists to prevent Michelle Kehoe from getting a fair trial.

The 36-year-old Coralville woman is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old son Seth, and attempted murder and willful injury involving her other son, 7-year-old Sean. The three were traveling to visit relatives in October of last year, but never arrived. Authorities have accused Kehoe of taping her sons' eyes, noses and mouths and cutting their throats. They say Kehoe also cut her own throat.

According court records, Judge Bruce Zager ordered the Buchanan County Clerk's to gather the jury on Sept. 18.

At a brief hearing last week, Waterloo-based public defender Andrea Dryer asked Zager to grant the mock panel.

Information from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/

http://www.kttc.com/Global/story.asp?S=11030872

Faith

09-02-2009, 12:03 AM

Mock jury pool granted in Kehoe murder trial

Posted on Sep 01, 2009 by Admin.

Michelle Kehoe has been granted a mock jury pool, now set to begin examining the impartiality of jurors in Buchanan County on Sept. 18 at 8:30 a.m.

Kehoe is accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, by cutting his neck and attempting to kill her other son, Sean, also by cutting his neck, on Oct. 26 near a pond in Littleton. She also injured herself.

The Buchanan County attorney’s office said the pool will be treated like a jury during the selection process, typically consisting of around 50 people.

Both the defense and prosecutors will submit questions about the facts and circumstances in the case that the judge will select from. A questionnaire will be given to the pool and the judge will use the results of this mock jury pool to decide if the trial gets moved to a different venue.

Andrea Dryer, a Waterloo public defender, said last week in a pretrial hearing that Kehoe’s case warrants a mock jury pool because the extensive media coverage of the case has made it difficult to find an impartial jury to sit on the case.

Last month Dryer requested a change in venue due to the high publicity the case has generated.

Kehoe, 35, of Coralville, faces first-degree murder and attempted murder charges in Buchanan County.

Authorities said Kehoe told her husband, Eugene, she was taking the boys to visit relatives in Sumner but instead drove to Littleton, where she duct-taped their mouths before cutting them.

Last week during the hearing, assistant Iowa Attorney General Andrew Prosser told the court he’s against changing the venue and the use of a mock jury — saying simply reading or hearing about the case does not make a juror impartial.

http://gazetteonline.com/breaking-news/2009/09/01/mock-jury-pool-granted-in-kehoe-murder-trial

Faith

09-20-2009, 09:34 AM

Sunday, September 20, 2009 6:12 AM CDT
Mock jurors profess bias against Kehoe
By JOSH NELSON, josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com

INDEPENDENCE --- A majority of mock juriors indicated Friday they did not feel they could be fair to Michelle Kehoe if she stands trial for the death of one son and injury to another.

A majority of panelists called up for a mock jury pool at the Buchanan County Courthouse Friday said they may have reservations about whether they could be fair if they were on a real jury.

Just 14 jurors who had heard about the case said they could be fair and 34 said they couldn't be fair, said Andrea Dryer, Kehoe's defense attorney.

The hearing was held to determine whether enough prejudice exists in the county to warrant a change of venue.

District Court Judge Bruce Zager said he'll issue a ruling on the venue motion sometime next week.

"Significantly, what we learned was that there wasn't a single person who hasn't heard something about this case," Dryer said.

Kehoe, 35, of Coralville, is accused of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury.

She is accused of killing her 2-year-old son Seth at a pond near Littleton in October 2008. Her son Sean, 7, was found injured but alive nearby. The three were travelling to visit relatives in Sumner, but never arrived.

Kehoe was also injured severely during the incident and spent several weeks in the hospital.

Andrew Prosser, an assistant state attorney general, said he didn't think the results were strong enough to warrant such a move. Since the case received such widespread coverage, Prosser said moving the trial won't guarantee a pool without some knowledge of the case.

"We're going to get people like that no matter where we go," he said.

Prosser said he believed it was possible to impanel a jury if the county were to have "larger than normal" jury pool, possibly of 100 or more people.

Cory McBride, a mock jury participant from Independence, said he came into the proceedings with an open mind, but he also knew a bit about the case.

"It's hard not to have knowledge of it, just from the media, and around here, everything spreads pretty fast," McBride said.

Zager ordered the proceedings closed Thursday afternoon, in part to protect the anonymity of the jurors and because of concerns about potentially contaminating a jury pool for a future trial. Jurors participating in Friday's proceeding won't be required to serve again.

If enough prejudice is found, Zager could move the trial out of the region.

No alternative venues have been considered yet. But Zager said he'll likely consider a location away from major media outlets, including the KWWL-TV broadcast, the Courier's and the Cedar Rapids Gazette's circulation areas.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2009/09/20/news/local/11735203.txt

Faith

09-28-2009, 05:14 PM

Kehoe's trial moved to Grundy County

• September 28, 2009

The trial for the Coralville woman accused of killing her two-year-old son last October has been moved.

Michelle Kehoe’s first-degree murder trial has been transferred from Buchanan County, where the crime allegedly occurred, to Grundy County, according to online court records.

The ruling from Judge Bruce Zager comes just 10 days after a mock jury panel was convened to determine whether Kehoe could have a fair and impartial jury in Buchanan County. The trial was to be in Independence, but will now be heard in Grundy Center.

Kehoe, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her son, Seth, 2, and attempted willful injury involving her other son, Sean, 7. The trio was traveling to visit relatives in Sumner on Oct. 26, 2008, but never arrived. Authorities have accused Kehoe of taping her sons' eyes, noses and mouths and cutting their throats with a knife. Kehoe also cut her own throat, authorities said.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090928/NEWS01/90928010/1079/news01/Kehoe+s+trial+moved+to+Grundy+County

Faith

10-14-2009, 12:49 PM

Kehoe trial set for Oct. 28

NDEPENDENCE – Michelle Kehoe will go to trial in Grundy Center on Oct. 28, nearly one year after the Coralville mother allegedly killed her two-year-old son.

Kehoe, 36, of Coralville, had her final pretrial conference at the Buchanan County Courthouse today. The hearing was the final procedural matter to be heard in Independence as pretrial publicity led Judge Bruce Zager to move the trial to Grundy County at the request of Kehoe’s Waterloo-based attorney, Andrea Dryer.

Kehoe is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her two-year-old son Seth and attempted murder and willful injury of her son Sean, who was 7 at the time of the attack on Oct. 26. Police said the trio was traveling to Sumner under the auspices of visiting relatives, but never arrived. Authorities have accused Kehoe of taping her sons’ eyes, noses and mouths and cutting their throats with a knife. Kehoe also cut her own throat, authorities said.

Kehoe initially blamed the attack on a fictitious abductor and wrote a note in an attempt to authenticate her story. However, she later admitted to buying the knife and duct tape used in the attack months earlier.

Dryer and the prosecution – made up of Assistant Iowa Attorney General Andy Prosser and Buchanan County Attorney Al Vander Hart – met privately in Zager’s chambers for 45 minutes before meeting in open court.

The hearing consisted mostly of procedural matters, including the size of the jury panel, evidence and the sequestering of defense witnesses.

Zager said attorneys on both sides of the case have provided one another with the list of evidence to be introduced during the trial. The attorneys have agreed not to object to the evidence on a foundational basis, meaning witnesses will not need to be called to authenticate the nature of the evidence.

“There are no objections of that kind that have been pointed out to us,” Prosser said. “We have likewise been told several photographs defense intends to offer; we have no foundational types of objections to those.”

Dryer agreed, stating the attorneys agreed to focus on the actual issues of the case.

Zager said a total of 37 people will be called for jury selection. Each side will be able to eliminate 11 people, leaving a panel of 12 jurors and three alternates.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Kehoe faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091013/NEWS01/91013006/1079

Pandabear

10-14-2009, 02:03 PM

I wonder if any stations will carry this trial.

Faith

10-25-2009, 03:36 PM

I wonder if any stations will carry this trial.

I hope so. I want to see it.

Faith

10-25-2009, 03:37 PM

Kehoe murder trial begins Wednesday

Attention will focus on Grundy County District Court when Michelle Kehoe's trial for first-degree murder begins Wednesday.

Kehoe, 36, of Coralville, is accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, and injuring her 6-year-old son, Sean, in October 2008 at a pond near Littleton. She also spent several weeks in the hospital for injuries.

Kehoe also is charged with attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. She pleaded not guilty.

Her trial moved from Buchanan County after Judge Bruce Zager ruled sufficient evidence existed to believe media coverage would affect jury selection.

Despite concerns about widespread media accounts, the court will start with 37 jurors --- the average size of a jury pool --- when proceedings begin. The trial is expected to last up to two weeks.

Andrea Dryer, Kehoe's attorney, filed notices she intends to pursue an insanity defense. Kehoe has undergone two evaluations by state and defense experts.

Prosecutors sought to keep a variety of information related to Kehoe's past out of the trial, including an automobile accident in December 2007 involving Kehoe and her two children. Rescuers pulled Kehoe and the boys out of the Iowa River in Iowa City. At the time, Kehoe said the boys distracted her, which caused her to drive the car into the river.

The state's attorneys also tried to suppress testimony from witnesses related to Kehoe's religious beliefs and opinions about how much she loves her children, according to court documents.

Kehoe will be held in the Buchanan County Jail for the duration of the trial, Sheriff Bill Wolfgram said. Deputies will drive her to and from the courthouse in Grundy Center each day.

According to authorities, Kehoe was travelling to Sumner to visit relatives when her vehicle disappeared Oct. 26, 2008. The next morning, Kehoe showed up at a house near the Hook-N-Liner pond by Littleton. She had injuries and initially said she was the victim of a carjacking. According to authorities, she later admitted injuring the boys.

Seth's body was found near the pond. Sean was found wounded but alive. According to court documents, Kehoe bound her sons with duct tape and cut their throats with a knife.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_3e48f26a-d42a-5f29-9428-b4e7f9e5effb.html

Faith

10-27-2009, 12:27 PM

Sean has been dead a year now. You will get justice sweet angel. :1222423:

Faith

10-28-2009, 11:55 AM

Kehoe trial to open

The trial for a Coralville woman accused of killing one son and attempting to kill another will begin today.

Michelle Kehoe, 36, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and child endangerment causing serious injury.

The trial, which is expected to last up to two weeks, will be held at the Grundy County Courthouse in Grundy Center, Iowa. A judge allowed the venue to be changed from Buchanan County after concerns over pretrial publicity. The majority of members of a mock jury assembled in Buchanan County last month said they could not be unbiased if they were called to the jury for this case.

Authorities allege that Kehoe killed her 2-year-old son, Seth Kehoe, and tried to kill 5-year-old Sean Kehoe in October 2008.

Police arrested her on Nov. 5, 2008, after she was released from UI Hospitals and Clinics. A restraining order prevents her from contacting her son and anyone related to him.

Kehoe’s attorneys will argue an insanity and diminished-capacity defense.

Jury selection will begin today at 9 a.m. Opening statements are expected as early as Thursday morning.

http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/10/28/Metro/13959.html

Faith

10-28-2009, 05:06 PM

Kehoe's lawyer questions jury panel

• October 28, 2009

Jury selection in the Michelle Kehoe murder trial resumed at 1:30 p.m. today. Five new jury members were placed into the panel of 37 to replace five that had been dismissed.

Kehoe, 36, of Coralville is accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, and attempting to kill her then-7-year-old son, Sean on Oct. 26, 2008, near Jesup. Kehoe has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury.

The trial was moved from Buchanan County, where the crime allegedly occurred, to Grundy County due to pretrial publicity. Judge Bruce Zager is presiding over the trial. Buchanan County Attorney Al Vander Hart and Iowa Assistant Attorney General Andrew Prosser are prosecuting the state. Kehoe is being defended by Waterloo-based public defenders Andrea Dryer and David Stout.

Prosser continued his questioning of the panel, asking if anyone had any experience with a homicide, knew anyone accused of homicide or had any experience with child advocacy groups. He also asked about previous jury experience.

Prosser was also interested in whether people watched any version of the TV show CSI. Prosser said he was concerned about the shows because they are unrealistic.

"It's science and it's fiction," Prosser said. "That means it's made up."

Prosser asked members of the jury about their definitons of "proof beyond a reasonable doubt," "insanity" and if they thought establishing motive was important in a criminal case.

Some members of the jury thought that a motive should be established in finding someone guilty, but Prosser pointed out that there's not a crime in Iowa where the state has to prove motive.

He also asked members of the jury if they believed if there was not motive in a crime, it would mean the defendant is insane. Prosser told the jurors that Zeger would give them definitions of "insanity" and "beyond a reasonable doubt" and asked them if they would be able to put aside their preconceived definitions of those terms and apply the judge's definitions instead.

Prosser also gave members of the jury one final opportunity to tell him any reasons why they couldn't be on the final jury panel. However, no one spoke up.

Public defender Andrea Dryer then began her questioning. Dryer asked members of the panel whether they had studied law, law enforcement or psychology.

Dryer also asked members about their experience with family members or people close to them with mental illness. Many members of the jury commented that people they knew had experience with mental illness. Dryer asked those potential jurors if that experience would affect their ability to be a juror.

Only one person told Dryer that she felt mental illness treatment was ineffective "because I feel the doctors and lawyers have let him down," the woman said when speaking about someone close to her with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Then Dryer began asking each individual juror personal questions about their affiliations with any organizations or church groups, political parties, the last time they voted, and how they spent their free time.

At approximately 2:50 p.m., Judge Zeger called a break.

Kehoe has been present throughout the jury selection. She has not faced Prosser or the potential jurors during the selection process.

Once opening arguments are made, the prosecution will present its case, followed by the defense. The prosecution will then have an opportunity to rebut the defense’s case. Zager said the case is expected to last eight to 14 days.

If she is found guilty of first-degree murder, Kehoe would be sentenced to life in prison, a mandatory sentence in Iowa for a class-A felony.
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091028/NEWS01/91028011/1079/news01

Pandabear

10-28-2009, 09:35 PM

Faith, do you know if this trial is being carried anywhere live? I've searched but haven't come up with anything.

Faith

10-29-2009, 12:47 AM

Faith, do you know if this trial is being carried anywhere live? I've searched but haven't come up with anything.

I haven't heard but I sure hope so.

Faith

10-29-2009, 12:49 AM

UPDATE: Jury Seated in Kehoe Trial
By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Oct 28, 2009 at 11:49 AM CDT

Story Updated: Oct 28, 2009 at 6:22 PM CDT

GRUNDY CENTER - Jury was seated late Wednesday afternoon in the murder trial of Michelle Kehoe in Grundy County District Court.

Opening statements will be 9 a.m. Thursday with testimony following.

There are 12 jurors and three alternates for the trial.

Some of the significant decisions setting up the trial actually came last August.

That's when Kehoe's attorney argued many people in Buchanan County were so familiar with the case...or had opinions... the Coralville woman couldn't get a fair.

The judge even allowed the unusual step of calling a "mock jury" to consider pre-trial publicity. He later ruled the trial would move to Grundy Center.

The prosecution should present a fairly straight forward case, detailing how Michelle Kehoe was driving the family's minivan with the children inside when she went missing. Authorities found Kehoe and her children with knife cuts to the throat. That wound killed the youngest child.

The defense has indicated it will claim insanity. One University of Iowa Psychologist...not connected with the case, say the defense will probably try to get jurors to understand Kehoe's thinking.

"Imagine yourself in a situation where you would actually do that...try to imagine how she understood the world...maybe the defense will take the jury through that intellectual exercise," said Dr. Michael O'Hara, UI Clinical Psychologist.

The psychologist says the defense might claim postpartum depression or present evidence that Michelle Kehoe was prone to delusions.

That we won't know for sure until the defense begins later in the trial.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/66945147.html

Roamer

10-30-2009, 05:39 AM

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/29/iowa.michelle.kehoe.trial/index.html

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/3.0/1px.gif (http://www.mixx.com/submit/story?page_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2009%2FC RIME%2F10%2F29%2Fiowa.michelle.kehoe.trial%2Findex .html&title=Jury%20hears%20boy%2C%207%2C%20describe%20ho w%20mother%20attacked%20him%20and%20his%20brother&description=A%20mother's%20plot%20to%20blame%20a%2 0stranger%20for%20killing%20her%20sons%20went%20aw ry%20when%20one%20of%20the%20boys%20survived%20and %20told%20police%20how%20Michelle%20Kehoe%20cut%20 his%20throat%2C%20then%20moved%20on%20to%20his%20y ounger%20brother%2C%20an%20Iowa%20prosecutor%20sai d%20Thursday.&partner=CNN)http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/3.0/1px.gif (http://cnntweet.appspot.com/articles/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2009%2FCRIME%2F10%2F29% 2Fiowa.michelle.kehoe.trial%2Findex.html/Jury%20hears%20boy%2C%207%2C%20describe%20how%20mo ther%20attacked%20him%20and%20his%20brother/tweet/)

Jury hears boy, 7, describe how mother attacked him and his brother

By Emanuella Grinberg, CNN

October 29, 2009 8:15 p.m. EDT

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/CRIME/10/29/iowa.michelle.kehoe.trial/story.kehoe.in.session.jpg
Michelle Kehoe has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the knife attacks on her sons.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Michelle Kehoe slashed sons' throats, left them for dead, tried to kill herself, prosecutor says
Iowa jury hears tape of surviving boy telling police his mother cut him, hurt brother
Prosecutors say Kehoe hatched plan month before to blame attacks on stranger
Kehoe's lawyers have filed a notice of intent to present an insanity defense

(CNN) -- A mother's plot to blame a stranger for killing her sons went awry when one of the boys survived and told police how Michelle Kehoe cut his throat, then moved on to his younger brother, an Iowa prosecutor said Thursday.

Police found the 7-year-old covered in dried blood in the family van the morning of October 27, 2008, in a secluded area near a pond east of Littleton. Beside the van, his 2-year-old brother lay dead, his throat also slashed.

"She cut me," the boy said in a high-pitched voice in an audio recording that was played Thursday in Kehoe's first-degree murder trial.

Kehoe, of Coralville, Iowa, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Murder_and_Homicide), attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. Before the trial, her lawyers filed a notice of intent to present an insanity defense, according to court records.

Kehoe's lawyers chose to reserve their opening arguments for the start of their case.

Dressed in a blue and white striped blouse, Kehoe frowned as she listened to her son's voice on the recording, occasionally bowing her head.

The boy had locked himself in the van overnight after his mother slashed him and his younger brother the previous day and left them for dead, Assistant Iowa Attorney General Andrew Prosser said in his opening statement.

Kehoe then walked to a nearby pond and attempted to kill herself by slashing her throat with the same weapon, a camouflage-handle Winchester hunting knife she bought the month before, Prosser said.
When it became apparent she was not going to die, the prosecutor said, she staggered half a mile down the road to the nearest home and told a story she'd concocted weeks before of how a stranger abducted the family, killed her sons and tried to kill her.

But when authorities went searching for the stranger, they instead found her 7-year-old son in the car and his younger brother dead outside the driver's side.

"Do you know where you're injured at?" Deputy Stephen Peterson asked the boy in the recording.

"Just my throat," the boy said.

"Who did that to you?"

"My mom."

The boy said his mother also put duct tape over his eyes, nose and mouth, but that he pulled them off after his mother left him.

"She was hurting my baby brother," he said.

Kehoe began plotting the attack the month before with the purchase of the knife and the duct tape, Prosser said. She allegedly chose the date of the incident to coincide with when her husband, Gene, was scheduled to take a yoga class, telling him they were going to visit her mother at a nursing home in Sumner.

Police also say they found signs of a cover-up at the scene, including pieces of a first-aid kit scattered around the scene and a handwritten note documenting the attack, Prosser said.

The note detailed how a man broke into the car when the family stopped at a gas station and forced them to the area where the van was found.

Kehoe tried to fight him off with pepper spray but he knocked her unconscious, the note said, according to the prosecutor.

Police said Kehoe later told them she had written the note in the midst of the attack to explain what had happened to those who would find the scene, according to the prosecutor.

"And the note, which you'll see, ends with, 'Oh no, here he comes again...' " Prosser told the jury.

Kehoe faces life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder for her son's death.

Faith

10-30-2009, 07:40 AM

God bless his little heart for having to testify. :cray:

Faith

10-30-2009, 07:46 AM

Son’s Testimony To Convict Michelle Kehoe

Oct. 30, Iowa, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Michelle Kehoe is to be convicted of first degree murder and endangering children, on the basis of witness of her son [whom she had left for dead]. Michelle had been arrested for murder when her two year old son was found dead in a van that belonged to their family. His throat was slit. Beside him, there was his elder brother. His throat was also slit, but he was miraculously alive. This discovery was made on November 27, 2008, in an isolated area near Littleton.

After being arrested, Kehoe denied all allegations and said that the murder had been caused by a stranger. Police found a handwritten note that said that a stranger had stopped the family at the gas station and had forced them to go to the area where the boys were found. He had then committed the murders and knocked Michelle unconscious with a pepper spray when she had tried to defend herself and her sons. According to Andrew Prosser, Assistant Iowa Attorney General, after killing her younger son and attempting murder on the other, she had tried to kill herself by slashing her own throat. When she realized that she would not die, she went to a nearby home and narrated the story she had obviously carefully prepared.

Michelle’s plan went awry when the police recorded the testimony of Sean, her elder son. He said to the police that his mother had taped his mouth and eyes and had slashed his throat. He testified all the other evidences gathered by the police and assured that his mother had indeed killed his brother.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/sons-testimony-to-convict-michelle-kehoe_100267780.html

Faith

10-30-2009, 09:19 AM

Firefighter Testifies He Found Body of Iowa Toddler Allegedly Killed by Mother
http://www.foxnews.com/images/581802/1_62_kehoe_sean.jpg
Sean Kehoe
GRUNDY CENTER, Iowa — An emergency worker testified Thursday about finding the body of a murdered 2-year-old boy in brush near a northeast Iowa pond and a first-aid kit that the boy's brother used to try to help him.

Jesup firefighter Shawn Even testified during an emotional opening day of testimony in the first-degree murder trial of Michelle Kehoe, 36, in Grundy County. The Coralville woman is accused of killing her son Seth and injuring another son, 7-year-old Sean, near Littleton on Oct. 26, 2008.

Kehoe's public defender, Andrea Dryer, has said she intends to use insanity and diminished capacity as a defense.

Prosecutors said she covered her sons' faces with duct tape before she slit their throats.

Even testified Seth's body was found near the passenger side of the family's van, parked near the pond. He said Sean was sitting with his knees to his chest inside the van. Even told jurors Sean had a cut on his neck.

"He said that's from his mom," Even said.

Next to Seth's body was a first-aid kit, Even said. Sean told him that it was "from him trying to help his brother," Even said.

A recorded interview Sean Kehoe did with a state trooper was played for the jury as Kehoe and family members listened.

"Your mommy is the one who hurt you?" said Trooper Jim Smith.

"Yes," Sean said.

Smith said Sean was in the family van at the time looking in the direction of Seth's body.

Paramedic Rebecca Smith testified that Sean Kehoe had a cut several inches long and a half-inch deep.

He was taken to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo, where he told a Black Hawk County sheriff's deputy that his mother cut his throat.

Debra Hinde, who lives near the pond, testified that Kehoe came to her door about 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 27 with a cut on her neck and covered in blood.

"I opened the door and this person fell into my doorway," Hinde said.

Hinde testified that she called 911 as Kehoe crawled into her house. Kehoe later wrote two notes, one with her husband Gene's phone number and another that said, "A man killed my boys and tried to kill me."

Later she admitted to authorities that she cut her sons' throats after Sean told police what had happened.

Prosecutors said Michelle Kehoe began planning the killing up to two months before when she bought duct tape and a knife.

"Her elaborate and meticulous planning of the murder of her two children had thus began," said Andrew Prosser, an assistant state attorney general.

The trial was moved to Grundy County because of concerns she could not get a fair trial in Buchanan County.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,570491,00.html?test=latestnews

Faith

10-30-2009, 09:21 AM

Poor Seth :1187603408.CR.Mothe

LiveLaughLuv

10-30-2009, 09:38 AM

:madranting94dp:

Those poor children..:sad0119:

I sure hope there is no diminished capacity defense in this. This woman deserves nothing less than death, if that is an option.

An emergency worker testified Thursday about finding the body of a murdered 2-year-old boy in brush near a northeast Iowa pond and a first-aid kit that the boy's brother used to try to help him.

Hinde testified that she called 911 as Kehoe crawled into her house. Kehoe later wrote two notes, one with her husband Gene's phone number and another that said, "A man killed my boys and tried to kill me."

If she placed him in a pond, wrote a note suggesting some stranger did this, bought the knife and duct tape two months prior, suggests premediation to me. That would blow the diminished capacity defense right out of the water..No, don't think it will fly..:104511:

Sean had a first aid kit by his side, he tried to save his brother...:sad0119:

What determination and courage for this boy to stand up and testify against his mother. So glad he had that in him for he is the only eye witness, the survivor of his mothers actions against her boys...

God Bless Sean.:give_rose:

Rest in Peace Seth :1222423:

Faith

10-30-2009, 11:36 AM

Boy, 7, Tells Of Mother's Alleged Attack

Published on October 30, 2009
Jurors heard a recording of Sean being interviewed by Iowa State Patrol Trooper Jim Smith.

"She cut me," Sean said.

"Who hurt your brother?" Smith asked.

"My mom," the boy replied.

http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=62709&catid=60

P.I.Jane

10-30-2009, 11:09 PM

I can't imagine the thoughts that have gone through that poor child's head about what his mother did to him and his brother.

Watching the trial talk today it sure seems as though the insanity defense may work here. I'm not convinced of her being insane yet. Sounds as though her husband testying for the defense may shed a lot of light on that. If she is truly sick, such as Andrea Yates, then she needs to be hospitalized for a very long time. But, if not, then she needs to be punished to the extent of the law and beyond as far as I'm concerned.

Faith

10-31-2009, 01:47 PM

Kehoe interview dominates testimony

October 31, 2009

GRUNDY CENTER -- For much of her interview with Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Chris Callaway, Michelle Kehoe of Coralville maintained it was a mysterious abductor who hurt her and her sons.

Unable to verbally communicate because of a severed trachea, Kehoe wrote notes, answering Callaway's questions about the attack she maintained took place at a remote northeast Iowa woodland area. Then Callaway told Kehoe that her story didn't add up and that he and investigators knew what really happened.

Kehoe then wrote: "Please kill me or lock me up forever."

Kehoe, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 26, 2008, death of her 2-year-old son, Seth, near Littleton in northeast Iowa and attempting to kill her then-7-year-old son, Sean, before also cutting her own throat. The trio had left Coralville earlier that day to visit relatives in Sumner but never arrived. If convicted, Kehoe faces a mandatory life sentence.

Kehoe, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, also is charged with attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury.

The trial is taking place in Grundy County on a change of venue from Buchanan County. In his testimony Friday, Callaway said he tried to reassure Kehoe that she was loved and was a good mother, using Sean as an example.

Kehoe told Callaway she couldn't face her son, husband Eugene or family again.

"I don't know how to explain this to Gene or Sean -- the disease in my head," Kehoe wrote.

Members of Kehoe's family cried at times throughout Callaway's testimony.

Kehoe's confession to Callaway dominated the testimony Friday, which ended at noon. Other witnesses included an Iowa Department of Natural Resources officer who recovered the Winchester hunting knife Kehoe allegedly used in the attack against her sons and the sporting goods manager at Paul's Discount in Iowa City, where Kehoe allegedly bought the knife for $16.99.

Callaway interviewed Kehoe at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City two days after her son was slain.

During the questioning, Kehoe recounted the story of how a man climbed into her van as the children played at a park in Jesup, ordered them to drive and then attacked them.

It was the same story Kehoe detailed in a note found in her white Volkswagen van. The note was discussed and admitted into evidence on Thursday. Kehoe asked Callaway if investigators had found the note and even joked about writing so many notes.

"I'm always writing lists. Just ask my husband. Ha. Ha. Sorry," she wrote.

After admitting she hurt her sons, Kehoe described how she purchased the knife and duct tape a month earlier and described writing, and re-writing, the fictitious abduction letter.

"It's sickening isn't it?" She wrote to Callaway. "I don't want to see anyone. I don't want to face anyone. ... Then what? When do I go to psych? When do I get charged?"

But at the beginning of the interview at the hospital, Kehoe had a question of her own for Callaway.

"How are my boys?" she wrote.

To make Kehoe feel comfortable, Callaway told her a story of his days as an Iowa State Trooper when he investigated a crash involving a man who fell asleep at the wheel. The man's child was thrown from the vehicle and died. Callaway told Kehoe sometimes people make mistakes they wish they could take back.

Before getting her confession, Callaway asked Kehoe if there was anything she would like to tell Sean.

"I love him," she wrote. "I want to hold him in my arms."

Kehoe appeared to not show any emotion throughout Callaway's testimony. However, when she was brought into the courtroom Friday morning, she looked directly at her family, smiled and mouthed something to them.

The trial will not resume until Tuesday, when the state calls its final witness, State Medical Examiner Dennis Klein.

Judge Bruce Zager told the jury of nine women and six men that all evidence, including the defense's testimony, should be submitted by Wednesday. The case should be submitted to the jury after closing arguments on Thursday, Zager said.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091031/NEWS01/910310315/1079/Kehoe-interview-dominates-testimony

Faith

10-31-2009, 01:48 PM

Mother's admission dominates death trial

For much of her interview with an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agent, Michelle Kehoe of Coralville said a mysterious abductor had hurt her and her sons, jurors in her murder trial were told Friday.

Unable to talk because of a severed trachea, Kehoe wrote notes, answering Special Agent Chris Callaway's questions about the attack she said took place at a remote northeast Iowa woodland area. Then Callaway told Kehoe her story didn't add up and that he and investigators knew what really happened.

http://cmsimg.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=D2&Date=20091031&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=910310330&Ref=H3&MaxW=180&Border=0
Michelle Kehoe listens to testimony from prosecution witnesses during her murder trial Friday at the Grundy County Courthouse in Grundy Center.

According to testimony, Kehoe responded: "Please kill me or lock me up forever."

Kehoe, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the October 2008 death of her 2-year-old son, Seth, near Littleton in northeast Iowa and attempting to kill her then-7-year-old son, Sean, before cutting her own throat. The trio had left Coralville earlier that day to visit relatives in Sumner, but never arrived. If convicted, Kehoe faces a mandatory life sentence.

Kehoe, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, is also charged with attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury.

The trial was moved from Buchanan County, where the alleged crime occurred, because of pretrial publicity.

In his testimony Friday, Callaway said he tried to reassure Kehoe that she was loved and was a good mother. Kehoe told Callaway she couldn't face her family again.

"I don't know how to explain this to Gene or Sean - the disease in my head," Kehoe wrote.

Kehoe's confession to Callaway dominated the testimony Friday. Other witnesses included the sporting goods manager at Paul's Discount in Iowa City, where Kehoe allegedly bought the knife used in the attacks.

During the questioning by Callaway, Kehoe recounted the story of how a man climbed into her van as the children played at a park in Jesup, ordered them to drive and then attacked them.

It was the same story Kehoe detailed in a note found in her white Volkswagen van. Kehoe asked Callaway if investigators had found the note and even joked about writing so many notes.

"I'm always writing lists. Just ask my husband. Ha. Ha. Sorry," she wrote.

After admitting she hurt her sons, Kehoe described how she purchased the knife and duct tape a month earlier and described writing, and rewriting, the fictitious abduction letter, Callaway testified.

"It's sickening isn't it?" she wrote to Callaway. "I don't want to see anyone. I don't want to face anyone. ... Then what? When do I go to psych? When do I get charged?"

Before getting her confession, Callaway said he asked Kehoe if there was anything she would like to tell Sean.

"I love him," she wrote. "I want to hold him in my arms."

The trial will resume Tuesday, when the state calls its final witness, State Medical Examiner Dennis Klein.

Judge Bruce Zager told the jury of nine women and six men that all evidence, including the defense's testimony, should be submitted by Wednesday. The case should be submitted to the jury after closing arguments on Thursday, Zager said.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091031/NEWS/910310330/-1/LIFE04

P.I.Jane

11-02-2009, 07:26 PM

Faith, do you know if this trial is being carried anywhere live? I've searched but haven't come up with anything.

I've been watching it on TruTV starting with Ashleigh Banfield: Open Court at 9 am.

Pandabear

11-03-2009, 08:04 AM

Thanks!

LiveLaughLuv

11-03-2009, 08:16 AM

During the questioning, Kehoe recounted the story of how a man climbed into her van as the children played at a park in Jesup, ordered them to drive and then attacked them.

It was the same story Kehoe detailed in a note found in her white Volkswagen van. The note was discussed and admitted into evidence on Thursday. Kehoe asked Callaway if investigators had found the note and even joked about writing so many notes.

"I'm always writing lists. Just ask my husband. Ha. Ha. Sorry," she wrote.

[B]After admitting she hurt her sons, Kehoe described how she purchased the knife and duct tape a month earlier and described writing, and re-writing, the fictitious abduction letter.

"It's sickening isn't it?" She wrote to Callaway. "I don't want to see anyone. I don't want to face anyone. ... Then what? When do I go to psych? When do I get charged?"/[B]

But at the beginning of the interview at the hospital, Kehoe had a question of her own for Callaway.

"How are my boys?" she wrote.

(bolded in red)

Seems to me she doesn't have "psych" issues for she knew what she was doing, IMO, premeditated, not insane! She even was aware enough to try and blame a fictious man and a fictious abduction...and has the ability to ask how her "boys" are!

It is sickening...:madranting94dp:

Thanks PI Jane. I'll tune into TruTV and 9am...get a looksee at this trial.

TigressPen

11-03-2009, 11:20 AM

(bolded in red)

Seems to me she doesn't have "psych" issues for she knew what she was doing, IMO, premeditated, not insane! She even was aware enough to try and blame a fictious man and a fictious abduction...and has the ability to ask how her "boys" are!

It is sickening...:madranting94dp:

Thanks PI Jane. I'll tune into TruTV and 9am...get a looksee at this trial.

I haven't been able to listen to the trial today- last night as I was trying to fall asleep I kept hearing Sean say, 'she was hurting my brother' and decided to not watch this trial anymore. I am there for Sean and his brother Seth in my heart as the state tries to seek justice for them, but I just can't deal hearing it as the evidence unfolds right now.

LiveLaughLuv

11-03-2009, 11:52 AM

<<<snipped>>>>
"The natural defense to anticipate is insanity, because why would a mother kill her own child?" Levenson asked. "It certainly can be insanity, but it's not always the case. Perfectly sane people can do horrible things, and they do, every day."

Mothers can be motivated to kill their children by several factors, according to criminologist James Alan Fox, Lipman Family professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University.

Some act on genuine psychotic delusions, as jurors determined to be the case with Texas mother Andrea Yates, who told doctors she drowned her five children because God told her to do so. Others can be motivated by selfish reasons: Susan Smith's alleged motive for killing her children was that she perceived them to be an obstacle in her relationship with her boyfriend.

"It's a crazy thing to do, but crazy describes the behavior, not the mind," Fox said, adding that between 300 and 350 children have been homicide victims in 2008.

"It doesn't make sense to most of us, but that doesn't mean the state of mind of the person is mentally ill. You may know what you're doing and have very selfish motivations," he explained.

Kehoe said she couldn't explain why she did what she did, according to the affidavit. Police said she initially told a false but chilling tale of how a normal, two-hour Sunday drive to visit relatives was interrupted by a brutal attack on her family.

On that Monday morning in October, she showed up on the doorstep of a home in Littleton, claiming that a man she couldn't identify had abducted her and her children. The person who answered the door called 911, and sheriff's deputies located the van with Kehoe's help.

Initially, she denied involvement in the attacks and stood by the statement that she'd been attacked by a stranger.

When pressed by investigators, however, Kehoe said she had purchased a knife a month earlier and duct tape two months earlier, the affidavit states. The document also says that before she and her sons left home Sunday, she wrote a note detailing the abduction by a stranger.

The note was found in the van, according to the affidavit.

The document went on to say: "She stated that it all happened within five minutes and prior to 1:30 pm. She stated she couldn't explain why she had done it. She stated that she couldn't face anyone. She stated that she wanted to die or be locked up where she couldn't hurt anyone."

After speaking with investigators, Kehoe was taken to the hospital to be treated for her own wounds and trauma, said prosecutor Vander Hart, declining to elaborate. She remained there until she was arrested and taken to jail a week ago Saturday.

A plea of not guilty would open the door to a criminal trial, where Kehoe's state of mind would become a key issue, experts say.

Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist and Chairman of The Forensic Panel, interviewed Andrea Yates and testified for the prosecution at her trial. He said the successful insanity defense in Yates' case made what was once an "unthinkable" strategy into a viable defense.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/25/kehoe.mom.charged/index.html

LiveLaughLuv

11-03-2009, 11:59 AM

Iowa woman confessed to slashing sons' throats
Posted: 05:03 PM ET
WATERLOO, Iowa –The Iowa trial of Michelle Kehoe, accused of slashing the throats of her two young sons then her own, will wrap up later this week. The State presented most of its evidence last Thursday and Friday at the Grundy County courthouse. The trial was moved from Buchanan County as a result of massive pretrial publicity.

Jurors heard from fifteen witnesses, thus far, whose factual accounts went largely unchallenged by the defense. Kehoe is asserting an insanity defense which means the issue for the jury is not whether Kehoe committed these acts, for she admits she did, but whether she should be held criminally responsible for them. Psychiatric experts for both sides are expected to testify this week.

Kehoe purportedly set out for a two-hour drive on Sunday morning, October 26, 2008 with her two young sons to visit her mother at a nursing home. But she and her sons never arrived. Instead, fewer than two hours after leaving home, Kehoe pulled into a wooded area by a pond. She took her older son, Sean, out of the family’s minivan, duct-taped his eyes, nose and mouth, and slashed his throat with a hunting knife she had purchased the previous month. Sean fought and kicked his mother who left him on the ground. She then removed two-year-old Seth from his car seat and also bound him with duct tape. Sean heard his baby brother cry as Kehoe slit his throat. Kehoe then went into the woods and slit her own throat. Sean managed to remove his duct tape and sneak into the van where he locked himself inside, apparently unbeknownst to his mother.

Kehoe’s husband and father of the two boys reported his family missing at 8:45 p.m. that evening. The following morning, Kehoe dragged herself to a home a quarter mile away to summon help. She concocted a story that a strange man had abducted them, killed her sons, and tried to kill her. Police found Seth’s body on the ground some distance from the vehicle. Inside the minivan, they found Sean, bloody, dirty, shivering but alive. They also located a note that Kehoe had written and left in the van in which she detailed the abduction. She wrote the note in the present tense as though she were writing it as the events unfolded.

Investigators confronted her with Sean’s statements that she had cut him and his brother, then herself. It wasn’t long before Kehoe confessed to the acts and admitted she had planned it in the prior two months, purchasing the knife and duct tape and drafting and redrafting the note found in the minivan.

Kehoe told investigators that what she did “is unforgiveable.” She confessed: “I can’t explain it. I can’t face anyone. I want to die…Please just finish it for me…I’m so sick. I don’t feel that I can ever be healthy.”

Less than a year earlier, on December 14, 2007, Kehoe says she lost control of her car when her two sons distracted her. She hit a curb, skidded on ice and plunged into the icy waters of the Iowa River. Four men helped rescue her and her sons.

Given the current allegations, many are questioning whether that prior incident was truly an accident or whether it was an attempt to kill her sons and herself.

Beth Karas, In Session correspondent
http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/category/beth-karas/

StopMissingChild

11-04-2009, 03:15 PM

I have been watching this case on TRU TV

The mother is claiming Insanity

she cut the throat of her 2 1/2 yr old son who died and her 6 year old who lived

She then cut her own throat and from what the witnesses say the cut looked it was a real attempt to kill herself

BUT she had made threats to do this before and even once drove her car into a river with the boys in it

She seems to be either very crazy or the best actress I have ever seen

look4u

11-04-2009, 03:20 PM

You are able to visit this topic on this web site at this link
http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=8192&highlight=Iowa+VS+Kehoe

TigressPen

11-05-2009, 11:24 AM

I finally tuned back in with TruTV and heard the defense expert testifying yesterday. Ummm, she made me wonder just how many mental issues Michelle Kehoe or any other person can have.

Been listening to closing today.

But, I have personally decided that I believe Kehoe was not insane when she committed this atrocious crime. She was and still is mentally unstable but not insane at the time the murder and attempt murder of her sons took place. Nor was she insane when she planned the crime and bought what she needed to carry it out.

Faith

11-05-2009, 01:19 PM

I am watching TruTV now.

Faith

11-05-2009, 01:20 PM

Jury deliberating. I can hardly wait for a verdict!!!

Faith

11-05-2009, 01:22 PM

Kehoe case goes to jury

November 5, 2009

Eight women and four men will now decide Michelle Kehoe’s fate.

Jury deliberation began at 10:45 a.m. While the jurors will have to decide whether or not Kehoe is guilty of the crimes she has been charged with, the real issue is whether not Kehoe understood right from wrong when she attacked her children. That was the issue argued upon by attorneys during their closing arguments.

Kehoe, 36, is accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, near Littleton and attempting to kill her then 7-year-old son, Sean, before cutting her own throat. The trio had left Coralville earlier that day to visit her mother in Sumner but never arrived. If convicted of first-degree murder, Kehoe faces a mandatory life sentence. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, Kehoe would be committed.

Kehoe, who also has been charged with attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

In her closing statement, Kehoe’s attorney, Andrea Dryer, said there was no contesting that Kehoe committed the acts she is charged with. However, her mental state at the time of the attacks prevents her from being held accountable.

“She is not guilty by reason of insanity,” Dryer said.

While the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is on the state, proving Kehoe is insane by a preponderance, or majority, of the evidence is the defense’s burden.

In her closing statement, Dryer set out to discredit the testimony of the state’s rebuttal witness, psychiatrist Michael Taylor, who said Wednesday Kehoe was capable of telling right from wrong at the time of the attacks. Dryer said Taylor stated his conclusions, but never told jurors how he came to those conclusions.

“He simply conveyed he was disgusted. Period,” Dryer said.

Dryer said statements Kehoe made to Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Chris Callaway about the person who committed the acts deserving to be convicted needed to be taken in context. The statements, Dryer said, were made when Kehoe was still trying to save her surviving family the shame of knowing she had attacked her children.

Dryer also reiterated what defense witnesses said earlier in the case about Kehoe’s reasons for attacking her children, attempting to kill herself and blaming it on a fictitious attacker: she would save her children the burden of losing a parent and living with mental illness and they would go to heaven. That was fixed, delusional thinking, Dryer said.

“There is absolutely no reason for this other than what she said,” Dryer said. “She wanted to die, she thought it was right. She thought it was right for the kids, too.”

Iowa Assistant Attorney General Andy Prosser countered Dryer’s arguments in his final statements to the jurors.

“Thinking it's right is not the same as losing the capacity to tell right from wrong,” Prosser said.

Legal insanity does not have a cause/effect relationship with Kehoe’s mental illness nor does the incomprehensibility of her acts mean Kehoe is legally insane, Prosser said.

“Failing to comprehend why she did it does not mean she’s legally insane,” he added.

Prosser argued that statements Kehoe made shows she knew what she did was wrong, as did her methodical and premeditated cover up of the acts. Prosser also called into the question the analysis done by the defense’s doctors who said she wanted to spare her family the shame of her acts and testified about the guilt she felt after driving in to the Iowa River in Iowa City.

“These are feelings associated with comprehending right from wrong,” Prosser said.

And possibly the biggest indicator Kehoe knew what she was doing was wrong was a statement she made to a doctor at the University of Iowa Hospitals days after the attack.

“She says she knew at the time she was doing a bad or wrong thing,” Prosser quoted the doctor as saying.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091105/NEWS01/91105004/1079/news01/Kehoe-case-goes-to-jury

Faith

11-05-2009, 01:37 PM

The verdict is in- will be read in a few minutes.!!

annalyzer

11-05-2009, 01:39 PM

The verdict is in- will be read in a few minutes.!!

How come I didn't know we could watch this live??? :(

http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=2

Faith

11-05-2009, 01:48 PM

Found guilty 1st degree murder-

I cant type fast enough dangit

Faith

11-05-2009, 01:49 PM

guilty of child endangerment- pertaining to sean

Faith

11-05-2009, 01:54 PM

Guilty of 1st degree murder of Seth Kehoe

Guilty of attempted murder of Sean

guilty of child endangerment results in serious injury to Sean

Faith

11-05-2009, 02:09 PM

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/CRIME/11/05/iowa.michelle.kehoe.verdict/story.kehoe.in.session.jpg
Michelle Kehoe has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the knife attacks on her sons.

Grundy Center, Iowa (CNN) -- An Iowa jury found Thursday that a mother with a history of depression knew right from wrong when she slashed her sons' throats, killing one and leaving the other permanently scarred.

Michelle Kehoe, of Coralville, Iowa, broke into tears as the jury of eight women and four men found her guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. The jury deliberated for just and hour and 40 minutes.

Kehoe faces a sentence of life in prison without parole.

Kehoe's attorneys presented an insanity defense, arguing that she believed she was trying to save her sons from as life of suffering when she cut their throats, and her own. Her first suicide attempt occurred in 1996, according to testimony.

Prosecutors countered that Kehoe methodically planned to kill her sons and herself, but botched it. The detailed planning showed she was not legally insane, Iowa Attorney General Andrew Prosser said.

The trial's dramatic highlight came as prosecutors played an audiotape of the surviving son's police statement. The boy, now 8, described how his mother slashed his throat, then moved on to his younger brother.

"She cut me," the boy said in a high-pitched voice.

Police found him covered in dried blood in the family van the morning of October 27, 2008, near a pond east of Littleton, Iowa. Beside the van, the boy's 2-year-old brother lay dead, his throat also slashed.

The boy had locked himself in the van overnight after his mother slashed him and his younger brother the previous day and left them for dead, Prosser said.

Kehoe then walked to a nearby pond and attempted to kill herself by slashing her throat with the same weapon, a Winchester hunting knife she bought the month before, Prosser added.

She later told a defense mental health expert, Marilyn Hutchinson, that she had tried to pull out her windpipe, according to testimony.

When it became apparent she was not going to die, the prosecutor said, Kehoe staggered half a mile down the road to the nearest home and told a story she'd concocted weeks before of how a stranger abducted the family, killed her sons and tried to kill her.

But when authorities went searching for the stranger, they instead found her 7-year-old son in the car and his younger brother dead outside the driver's side.

"Do you know where you're injured at?" Deputy Stephen Peterson asked the boy in the recording.

"Just my throat," the boy said.

"Who did that to you?"

"My mom."

The boy said his mother also put duct tape over his eyes, nose and mouth, but that he pulled them off after his mother left.

"She was hurting my baby brother," he said.

According to testimony Kehoe began planning the attack the previous month, buying the knife and the duct tape. She told her husband she was taking the boys to visit her mother at a nursing home.

Police found a handwritten note laying out details of the the attack. It said a man broke into the car when the family stopped at a gas station and forced them to the area where the van was found. Kehoe tried to fight him off with pepper spray but he knocked her unconscious, the note said.

Police said Kehoe later told them she had written the note in the midst of the attack to explain what had happened to those who would find the scene.

According to testimony, Kehoe also told Hutchinson, the defense expert, that an incident a year earlier in which her car plunged into the Iowa River with the boys inside was actually a suicide attempt.

She and her sons were rescued by passersby, who were hailed as heroes.

videos

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/05/iowa.michelle.kehoe.verdict/

Faith

11-05-2009, 02:15 PM

Jury finds Kehoe guilty of first-degree murder

the Press-Citizen • November 5, 2009

After fewer than two hours of deliberations, a jury delivered a guilty verdict in the murder case of Michelle Kehoe.

The jury found Kehoe guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment.

Kehoe will be sentenced on Dec. 15. She will be held in custody until the sentencing. A first-degree murder conviction in Iowa carries a mandatory life prison sentence.

During their closing arguments this morning, attorneys argued whether Kehoe understood right from wrong when she attacked her children.

Kehoe, 36, has now been convicted of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, near Littleton and attempting to kill her then 7-year-old son, Sean, before cutting her own throat. The trio had left Coralville earlier that day to visit her mother in Sumner but never arrived.

In her closing statement, Kehoe’s attorney, Andrea Dryer, said there was no contesting that Kehoe committed the acts she is charged with. However, her mental state at the time of the attacks prevents her from being held accountable.

“She is not guilty by reason of insanity,” Dryer said.

While the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt was on the state, proving Kehoe is insane by a preponderance, or majority, of the evidence was the defense’s burden.

In her closing statement, Dryer set out to discredit the testimony of the state’s rebuttal witness, psychiatrist Michael Taylor, who said Wednesday Kehoe was capable of telling right from wrong at the time of the attacks. Dryer said Taylor stated his conclusions, but never told jurors how he came to those conclusions.

“He simply conveyed he was disgusted. Period,” Dryer said.

Dryer said statements Kehoe made to Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Chris Callaway about the person who committed the acts deserving to be convicted needed to be taken in context. The statements, Dryer said, were made when Kehoe was still trying to save her surviving family the shame of knowing she had attacked her children.

Dryer also reiterated what defense witnesses said earlier in the case about Kehoe’s reasons for attacking her children, attempting to kill herself and blaming it on a fictitious attacker: she would save her children the burden of losing a parent and living with mental illness and they would go to heaven. That was fixed, delusional thinking, Dryer said.

“There is absolutely no reason for this other than what she said,” Dryer said. “She wanted to die, she thought it was right. She thought it was right for the kids, too.”

Iowa Assistant Attorney General Andy Prosser countered Dryer’s arguments in his final statements to the jurors.

“Thinking it's right is not the same as losing the capacity to tell right from wrong,” Prosser said.

Legal insanity does not have a cause/effect relationship with Kehoe’s mental illness nor does the incomprehensibility of her acts mean Kehoe is legally insane, Prosser said.

“Failing to comprehend why she did it does not mean she’s legally insane,” he added.

Prosser argued that statements Kehoe made shows she knew what she did was wrong, as did her methodical and premeditated cover up of the acts. Prosser also called into the question the analysis done by the defense’s doctors who said she wanted to spare her family the shame of her acts and testified about the guilt she felt after driving in to the Iowa River in Iowa City.

“These are feelings associated with comprehending right from wrong,” Prosser said.

And possibly the biggest indicator Kehoe knew what she was doing was wrong was a statement she made to a doctor at the University of Iowa Hospitals days after the attack.

“She says she knew at the time she was doing a bad or wrong thing,” Prosser quoted the doctor as saying.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091105/NEWS01/91105007/1079/Jury-finds-Kehoe-guilty-of-first-degree-murder

Pandabear

11-05-2009, 04:25 PM

She knew what she was doing, she planned it and carried it thorough. She got the conviction she deserved.

Amusedtdth

11-06-2009, 10:13 PM

She knew what she was doing, she planned it and carried it thorough. She got the conviction she deserved.

Amen to that! 100%...except my personal thought, she deserved the death penatly...with no appeals.

Faith

11-12-2009, 02:21 PM

Emotional case leaves mark on Kehoe juror

November 12, 2009

GRUNDY CENTER - A week after jurors delivered a guilty verdict in Michelle Kehoe's trial for first-degree murder, at least one says the case haunted his sleep, and he still thinks about the evidence.

Tony Beuter of Dike said testimony during the six-day event was difficult to listen to at times.

"It was kind of stressful," he said. "I know, me personally, I had some sleepless nights."

Jurors also convicted the 36-year-old mother from Coralville for attempted murder and child endangerment resulting in serious injury. They deliberated for a little more than 90 minutes.

Authorities said Kehoe drove her two sons, Seth, 2, and Sean, 7, to a secluded pond near Littleton on Oct. 28, 2008. She covered their eyes, noses and mouths with tape and sliced their throats. She then cut her own throat in what was described as a suicide attempt.

Seth died at the scene. Sean survived.

Given its notoriety, Beuter said, everyone on the panel had some knowledge of the case.

Jurors also realized how much attention was focused on proceedings. Television cameras and reporters were spread throughout the Grundy County Courthouse.

"It was hard to ignore," he said.

Beuter, who has two young children, said he will always remember the case but he hopes in time the aftershock fades.

Some of the evidence shown in the courtroom struck a nerve with him and other jurors. During the trial, some on the panel and people in the gallery averted their eyes when images of Seth's autopsy were projected on a screen. Photographs of the injuries to Sean and to Kehoe were also shown.

Anne Reed, a jury expert in Milwaukee, Wis., said several studies show jurors can exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress after an emotionally difficult trial.

"Even years later, many jurors say they're affected by the trauma," Reed said.

Judges and attorneys in the past paid little attention to the effect on jurors, she added.

Now courts around the country take steps to minimize potential harm. Attorneys may limit the number of gory photos displayed during the course of testimony or take other preventative measures, according to Reed. In Texas, state law allows counselling for jurors in criminal cases.

Prosecutors in the Kehoe case only showed six photos from Seth's autopsy and a few images of Sean's injuries because of their graphic nature.

Testimony of the three psychological experts helped flesh out Kehoe's background, but not a single one was more convincing than the others, Beuter added.

In the jury room, Beuter said their debate was limited to whether jurors thought Kehoe was able to distinguish the difference between right and wrong when she attacked her children. That was because virtually everything else - from planning the crime to knowing intended to kill the boys - was uncontested.

"We really had a narrow window of discussion," Beuter said.

And that's how the jury was able to come back with a verdict quickly, he said.

Reed noted people in stressful situations tend to make decisions faster. Firefighters and first-responders, for instance, learn to make snap judgments at a scene.

"They try to work very fast because they want to get it over with," she said.

That can apply to jury duty, too, though that doesn't mean jurors are avoiding deliberation, Reed said.

Other members of the Kehoe jury declined to comment or did not return calls seeking comment.

Kehoe's sentencing is set for Dec. 15 at the Buchanan County Courthouse. She is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_1b4eb838-cf8c-11de-ab37-001cc4c002e0.html

LiveLaughLuv

12-16-2009, 01:31 PM

Iowa mom gets life for murdering son; barred from contacting surviving son
By Beth Karas and Emanuella Grinberg, InSession/CNN
December 15, 2009 5:49 p.m. EST

(CNN) -- An Iowa mother was sentenced to life without parole Tuesday for slitting her 2-year-old son's throat and leaving him to die near a remote pond in October 2008, a prosecutor said.

Michelle Kehoe, 36, also received 25 years on one count of attempted murder for slashing her older son's throat. She left both children outside the family van before attempting to kill herself.

The 7-year-old survived and provided key testimony against his mother, whose attorneys argued that she believed she was trying to save her sons from a life of suffering when she cut their throats and her own.

A jury rejected her insanity defense and convicted her of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment on November 4.

Kehoe also received a 10-year sentence for child endangerment for the injuries she inflicted on her older son, who survived for the night locked inside the family van, Buchanan County Attorney Allan Vander Hart said.

Against the wishes of Kehoe's husband, Judge Bruce Zager also granted an extension of the prosecution's request for a no-contact order, which prohibits Kehoe from contacting her surviving son or anyone with whom he lives.

Kehoe's son lives with her husband, Gene Kehoe, who regularly visited his wife until the order went into effect last April. The judge's decision to continue the no-contact order, which includes written contact, will remain in effect for five years, and extends to father and son.

"When [the victim's] therapist tells us he is ready and it might be beneficial, then that's the time to revisit the no contact order. He's pretty fragile right now," Vander Hart said.

Prosecutors countered that Kehoe methodically planned to kill her sons and herself, but botched it. The detailed planning showed she was not legally insane, Iowa Attorney General Andrew Prosser said.

Kehoe began planning the attack the previous month, buying the knife and the duct tape, according to testimony. She told her husband she was taking the boys to visit her mother at a nursing home.

Police found a handwritten note laying out details of the attack that Kehoe admitted to writing to support the story she initially told police.

The note said a man broke into the car when the family stopped at a gas station and forced them to the area where the van was found. In the note, Kehoe said she tried to fight him off with pepper spray, but he knocked her unconscious.

Kehoe's lawyer, Andrea Dryer, asked the court to run the sentences concurrently on account of her extreme mental illness.

The judge sentenced Kehoe consecutively for first-degree murder and attempted murder and concurrently on attempted murder and child endangerment so that the sentences would represent the two boys.

"I asked for consecutive time because there were two victims and because of the extensive planning and premeditation of these crimes," Vander Hart said.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/15/iowa.kehoe.sentencing/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn