Local News, Public Safety
Juror: Kehoe murders disturbing
Posted on Nov 05, 2009 by Trish Mehaffey.
Michelle Kehoe reacts as guilty verdicts are read on the charges against her of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment at the Grundy County Courthouse in Grundy Center, Iowa on Thursday, November 5, 2009. The Coralville woman was found guilty of cutting the throats of her two young sons; seven-year-old Sean who survived the attack and two-year-old Seth who died of his injuries, in an attack on October 26, 2008 near Littleton in Buchanan County. (THE GAZETTE, Cliff Jette)
How Michelle Kehoe killed her 2-year-old son and attempted to kill her other son was disturbing to all the jurors, juror Barbara Beenken said a few hours after the guilty verdicts were read.
Beenken, of Grundy Center, said in a phone interview Thursday that it was a difficult case. Being a mother and grandmother herself, she couldn’t “know why a person does something like that. It’s hard to imagine unless they were insane,” but after looking at the legal definition of insanity, the jury didn’t believe Kehoe met the criteria.
Kehoe, 36, of Coralville, claimed insanity as her defense, but in Iowa, the legal definition holds that a person must be unable to understand the nature and quality of the act or cannot distinguish right from wrong.
The Grundy County District Court jury deliberated for less than two hours before finding her guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury.
Kehoe drove her sons from their Coralville home in the family van Oct. 26, 2008, to a remote pond near Littleton and slashed their throats. Kehoe duct-taped eldest son Sean’s eyes, nose and mouth before cutting him and then went after younger son Seth, who was cut twice and died a few minutes later.
Sean survived to tell police what his mother did.
Kehoe faces life in prison. Sentencing is 1:30 p.m. Dec. 15 in Buchanan County District Court.
Beenken said jurors understood Kehoe had a mental illness but did not believe she was insane according to the legal definition. None of the jurors knew how the others felt about the case until they sat down to deliberate.
Everybody had a chance to say how they felt, and it didn’t take more than one vote, she said.
B.J. Franklin of the Horizons Survivors Program and a Kehoe family spokeswoman said in a statement to the media that the family recognizes the “stigma” that comes with mental illness and hopes anyone suffering from such an illness gets help. The family wasn’t aware of the extent of Kehoe’s illness or would have gotten her help, Franklin said.
Drake University Law School associate professor Robert Rigg, who has worked on many insanity cases, said jurors are biased regarding mental-health issues and don’t feel they should be used, especially in such brutal crimes, like a murder involving a mother and her children.
Most of the successful insanity defenses are those tried before a judge and not a jury, Rigg said. Judges are less likely to be swayed by emotion and to rule strictly according to the law.
Rigg said the “egregious facts” of this case certainly didn’t help the defense, which conceded that Kehoe committed the brutal acts.
The purchasing of the duct tape and knife months before, combined with how she killed Seth and attempted to kill Sean, made it a tougher sell for the jurors, he said.
Video of the verdict
Closing arguments
Kehoe’s actions in killing her 2-year-old son Seth and attempting to kill her 7-year-old son Sean were not the act of someone insane because she deliberately and willingly committed the acts and then tried to cover them up, Assistant Attorney General Andy Prosser said during his closing argument in Kehoe’s murder trial today.
Prosser asked the jurors in the case to consider why Kehoe tried to blame the incident on a strange man if she didn’t know her actions were wrong.
She planned out the events of Oct. 26, 2008, Prosser said. She purchased a knife months before and purposely stopped at Quik Star in Jesup to ask the location of a playground where she would lose her phone. She wanted to make sure she didn’t have her phone, Prosser said.
Defense attorney Andrea Dryer said in her closing that Kehoe didn’t understand the difference between right and wrong at the time of the act. The purpose of Kehoe’s story about a strange man kidnapping the boys was Kehoe’s attempt to spare her husband Eugene the shame of his wife committing suicide and killing their children. This doesn’t make sense, and Kehoe is delusional, Dryer said.
The definition of delusion is a fixed, false belief.
Kehoe didn’t act out of anger, Dryer said. She truly believed killing the children and herself was the right thing to do. She wanted to spare her children a lifetime of pain she endured. She suffered from major depression and believed her children would inherit her disease, Dryer said.
Prosser asked why Kehoe worked so hard at making others think she didn’t do it. If she lacked the mental capacity to know right from wrong, Prosser asked, why didn’t she just admit it? She tried to cover up her guilt, he said.
“Actions speak louder than words,” Prosser said.
In a note to investigators during an interview, Kehoe finally broke down and confessed to the crime, then told investigators she wanted to be locked up forever and wanted to be killed, Prosser said. She felt guilt, and understood her actions were wrong, he said.
Dryer asked the jurors to return a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, based on Kehoe’s diminished capacity to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the crime.
Prosser asked the jurors to return a verdict of guilty on all charges.
The jury went out at 10:45 a.m. to begin their deliberations.
Related Content
VIDEO: As Kehoe trial begins, experts explain — Why do women kill?
Photos by Cliff Jette
The Michelle Kehoe Verdict
Michelle Kehoe reacts as guilty verdicts are read on the charges against her of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment at the Grundy County Courthouse in Grundy Center, Iowa on Thursday, November 5, 2009. The Coralville woman was found guilty of cutting the throats of her two young sons; seven-year-old Sean who survived the attack and two-year-old Seth who died of his injuries, in an attack on October 26, 2008 near Littleton in Buchanan County. (AP PHOTO/THE GAZETTE, Cliff Jette)
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RonBurgandy
05. Nov, 2009
I believe this was a very troubled women for many years. That being said, she was guilty in the eye of the law.
Ann_Onamouse
05. Nov, 2009
May God have mercy on her soul…
23streets
05. Nov, 2009
I can not imagine the pain she lives with. God have mercy on all involved.
hth_thels
05. Nov, 2009
Agreed – and hopefully her family (especially her son and husband) realize that she is a sick woman, and they can some day heal.
klaura286
05. Nov, 2009
What I don't understand is if she was under doctor treatment after the first attempt to kill herself and kids by driving off a bridge, why wasn't child protection services called in to the situation. It could have saved the life of a child. We see parents having their kids taken away for driving them to school drunk but this women drove them into the river and they did nothing to help safe guard her kids other than try to under medicate her???
Lumbergh
05. Nov, 2009
When she drove into the river, she said it was an accident, something to the effect that the boys had distracted her. Everyone bought it. It's not like if she had dropped a lit cigarette and drove into the river. DHS would have removed the kids before they had dried off if that had been her story.
ctiger
05. Nov, 2009
You're using hindsight. There was no reason to think of that incident as anything as an accident.
Mostly people don't lose their kids for having an accident.
Dudie
05. Nov, 2009
So ends the debate centered around diminished capacity. twelve citizens have settled the issue, As it should be. Put her away and wish healing for others effected by this horror.
ctiger
05. Nov, 2009
From your mouth to Gods ear.
luckychance
05. Nov, 2009
i think they have come to the right agreement and she is guilty as she was charged and she has the rest of her life to think about her actions.I hope her husband can move on in life for his other son sean and himself. I hope sean grows up as a happy man and finds the greatest woman to trust as he should of been able to trust his mother god bless you sean for the courage to stand up and tell the truth my mom did this to us.
Grandma of 6
05. Nov, 2009
God help them all.
GobBluth
05. Nov, 2009
A lot of comments about God having mercy. Guess "he" wasn't around when she murdered her child. I'm sure this was a difficult case to hear, and be on the jury for. My hat is off to my fellow citizens who shouldered this responsibility and my best wishes to the father and son for a peaceful and happy life .
23streets
06. Nov, 2009
I think free will always screws up people with your absolte knowledge there is no more powerful force than your self. May the Universe shine on you.
wb191
06. Nov, 2009
i would suggest a bible study. God does not force or impede an individuals actions
23streets
06. Nov, 2009
What is there to study. Doing good works helps Bible study groups learn hummility. That is if they Do good works with out any personel gain. The bible study group I have been around are twissting the bible out of context. The words of the bible are dead. The Doing good deads help learn to keep mouth shut, feet moving, help other. The bible studiers go around thinking the bible versus I understand shows you I am right and you are wrong. The message og the stories do not to be studied. Read and then go good works.
wadaugh
06. Nov, 2009
depression is a very scary thing and it is unbelievable where your mind can take you , would a sane person do this ?? No, of course not -she was (is) sick – and this whole matter is so sad -
WWJD1
06. Nov, 2009
The Iowa Legislature needs to redefine it's insanity laws!
ctiger
06. Nov, 2009
Clinical depression is not insanity, because there is no absence of reality testing. With severe depression, there is an inability to exercise good judgment.
IABoy
06. Nov, 2009
Thats why we need to have "Happy Dale" sanitariums to take all the nut cases that are running loose now, supposedly being made better by medication. Well heres an example of medication failure. Where was child social services to intervene like they do in other less serious cases????
WWJD1
06. Nov, 2009
ctiger;
Her clinical depression may have been misdiagnosed; it could have been severe depression. It is insane to do this to two little children and it is just that simple!
ctiger
06. Nov, 2009
I guess I stated it badly. It was mentioned that she has had Electro-Shock Therapy in the past, several times. This is a treatment of last resort, when all else has failed and there is a certainty that the patient will commit suicide.
There is no ability to make logical judgments, as those are determined by the illness.
WWJD1
06. Nov, 2009
ctiger;
Her clinical depression may have been misdiagnosed; it could have been severe depression. It is insane to do this to two little children and it is just that simple!
ctiger
06. Nov, 2009
I forgot to mention that I should have said "severe clinical depression".
cloudburst
06. Nov, 2009
Michelle Kehoe displayed the most intense act of selfishness imaginable to mankind.
Premeditated murder of her own flesh and blood, hence inflicting the realization a human can be evil beyond understanding.
She has spit on reverence of human life, crossing that boundary.
Her life represents no value.
Multipul times she attempted to end her life.
Now we will keep her alive in jail!
What would her final sentance be if voted on by inmates commiting the same crime?
23streets
07. Nov, 2009
You have shown the most intense exampel of ignorance. Are you a Christian evangelical?
DavidGHall
06. Nov, 2009
I'd bet money she was on anti-depressants. Irrational behaviour and violent mood swings are a known side effect with most in that class of drugs. Especially when suddenly altering the dose. Similar issues were discovered with the Columbine and VA tech shootings.
It really is a very sad story.
NomerBull
06. Nov, 2009
Were the possible side effects of such prescription drugs presented at her trial? I think it came up that she quit taking medications during her planning of these crimes, so her planning and execution of her crimes continued whether she was on or off the drugs.
This was not an impetuous or sudden act committed by somebody momentarily losing control of themselves because of their psychotropic medications. She planned this out over a period of time, did not change course or reverse herself, and finally carried out her horrible plan. That's cold-blooded, first-degree murder in the eyes of the law, the eyes of a jury of her peers, and probably in the eyes of God Himself.
earthdog
06. Nov, 2009
Depression is not temporary, but an ongoing feeling of hopelessness, sadness and despair.
A depressed individual feel as if he/she spends their life at the bottom of a black hole and can't imagine any different perspective until helped with medications.
In her case, meds and other interventions did not work.
sincerelady
06. Nov, 2009
I guess I am not as sympathetic towards her as most on her. She is a murderer, she knew what she was doing she admitted it.
Depression or not she killed a child and attempted to kill a second. Her own flesh and blood.
She deserves what she got and there is no help for someone that does not want to be helped. She stopped taking the anti depressants, stopped going to therapy, She did what she did because she WANTED TO. She murdered her son !
NomerBull
06. Nov, 2009
AND she even tried to cover it up. What if the police had arrested an innocent man as her phantom mysterious stranger, built a case against him, and sent him to prison for life? This would have ruined another family as well! How rotten and selfish and evil can a person be?
wb191
06. Nov, 2009
I need more explanation of how insanity would make a difference. I would understand if the sentence was not for life, but the bottom line is that she is a danger, insane, diminished or not. The jurors laid the law, but in reality she should be locked up. Let them decide if they want to treat her medically once in jail.
ctiger
06. Nov, 2009
She is not insane, but while being in touch with reality does not have the ability to make rational decisions.
She does not seem to be able to respond to any treatment and does need to be kept from harming herself or others.
The difference between depression and insanity can't really be discussed on just a blog. You might google the topic to learn more about it.
NomerBull
06. Nov, 2009
It was simply her best strategy for avoiding life in prison. By being "insane", she could have been committed to a mental hospital where it would be possible to "return to sanity" and possibly, eventually qualify for release.
So far she has conceded that she committed the acts – but she still has not actually accepted responsibility for them, demonstrated contrition, nor attempted remonstration/ restitition/ to make things right for all the people she has hurt.
OwenHarper
06. Nov, 2009
How would you know?
NomerBull
06. Nov, 2009
The penalty for first degree murder is life in prison with no possibility of parole.
She had already admitted to the police that she did it – although by then they had already figured that out – so claiming complete innocence would have been futile for her.
Claiming self-defense would have incensed the jury, judge, and even her own lawyer so much they would have just hanged her right there in the courtroom.
What other strategy was there? Try to strike a plea deal with the prosecutor on a slam-dunk, high-profile case?
GrandpaR
06. Nov, 2009
Did i hear wrong that whether she was found insane or not, she would still spend the rest of her life put away some place? Why wasn't she watched more closely by her husband after the first attempted murder/ suicide try? Why were the children allowed to be with her after that? It is a sad deal for her and her family. Hope the surviving child comes out of this okay in his life ahead. Prayers are needed for ALL involved.
GrandpaR
06. Nov, 2009
Here we go again with the approval of comments by the site admins.
hdeen
06. Nov, 2009
The steps Kehoe took were premeditated…she purchased duct tape and rope for the task and drove to a planned out secluded location. So I do not buy the insane argument. There are evil people in this world who have done deeds similar to Kehoe and as a society we need to admit that her deeds were done for evil purposes.
toohot4u
07. Nov, 2009
Ever had electoshock therapy- 44 of them- damn the judge! and jury- do not judge till You have been there- it isn't common depression.
EKG
07. Nov, 2009
you are correct toohot4u! this is not your typical "i am sad and I am depressed" woman. This woman was very very sick!
WWJD1
07. Nov, 2009
Do research of Case Studies of the Boston Strangler, Jack the Ripper etc. and see how methodical, organized, planned, unremorseful etc. these people were. Most people just go by their emotions in something like this and that is why her depression and susceptibility to vicious acts were not detected to prevent this disaster.
ctiger
05. Nov, 2009
In cases of depression as severe as hers, the danger is suicide. It's not common for someone like her to kill someone else.
There was just no way this could have been predicted.
sincerelady
06. Nov, 2009
I disagree she attempted killing them once before by driving into the river. That should have been a huge red flag that she should not be out in the real world that she needed to be put away. It was predictable.