IOWA vs. KEHOE
Let the trial begin! Jury selection begins on Wednesday morning, bright and early for Michelle Kehoe. This mother of two is accused of killing her youngest son, Seth (2 yrs old), and seriously injuring her 7yr old son Sean. Police say that Michelle drove the van to “Hook N Liner Pond” took Sean out of the car and proceeded to put duct tape on his eyes, mouth and wrists. She then cut his neck with a knife. Followed by the same thing to the little one Seth before cutting her own throat.
Also found in the van was a hand-written note about an abduction of Michelle Kehoe and children and that it was in-progress. Kehoe later admitted that she purchased the knife, wrote the abduction letter and bringing the duct tape.
If convicted of 1st degree murder, she will face a mandatory life sentence. She is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and child endangerment resulting in serious injury.
The defense may bring up an insanity defense which shifts the burden of proof to the defense team in which they only need a ‘preponderance of evidence’ as opposed to ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ which is a much higher burden.
Update: Watch the video here!
Prosecutors called 15 witnesses before resting on Tuesday morning including Sean Kehoe who gave a chilling account of what happened.
VERDICT:
Thursday afternoon, after only an hour and a half of deliberation, a jury convicted Michelle Kehoe of the first-degree murder of her son Seth (2yrs old) in October, 2008. She was also convicted of attempted murder of her son Seth (then 7).
Though formal sentencing will be on Dec 15 , she is facing a mandatory life sentence without parole.
