Iowa Jury Rejects Insanity Defence in Attack on Two Sons
Case summary
On October 27, 2008, Kehoe drove her two sons to a secluded area near a pond east of Littleton, Iowa, bound seven-year-old Sean with duct tape and cut his throat, then cut the throat of two-year-old Seth, who died. She attempted suicide with the same knife and, when she survived, walked to a nearby house and reported a fabricated stranger abduction. Sean survived and told police what had happened. A Grundy County jury deliberated less than two hours before convicting her on November 5, 2009, of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment. On December 15, 2009, she was sentenced to life without parole plus 25 years, and the court barred her from contacting her surviving son. Iowa appellate courts have since affirmed the conviction.
Mental-health context
Kehoe had a documented history of depression and had been under psychiatric care; her lawyers filed notice of an insanity defence and argued at trial that she suffered from extreme mental illness. The jury found she knew right from wrong. Her surviving son's testimony and her attempt to blame a stranger weighed heavily against the defence.
Status / outcome
Convicted November 2009; sentenced to life without parole plus 25 years; conviction affirmed on appeal
Sources
- https://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/05/iowa.michelle.kehoe.verdict/index.html
- https://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/15/iowa.kehoe.sentencing/
- https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ia-court-of-appeals/2036901.html
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