Michelle Kehoe Gets Life Sentence For Killing Son; Judge Denies Contact with Surviving Son
Photo: Michelle Kehoe reacts at her sentencing at the Buchanan County Courthouse, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009.
But their requests fell on deaf ears as Judge Bruce Zager sentenced Michelle Kehoe to life without possibility of parole and gave her an additional 25 years for the attack on her eldest son, Sean, who survived. He also gave her a 10-year sentence for child endangerment for the injuries she inflicted on Sean, to be served concurrently.
Photo: Eugene Kehoe during the sentencing hearing Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009.
In October 2006, Michelle Kehoe drove her sons, Sean, 7 and Seth, 2, in the family van to a remote pond near Littleton, where she covered their faces with duct tape and then cut their throats with a knife before cutting her own. Sean was able to lock himself inside the van and survived. He later testified against his mother during her trial.
Speaking to the court during the sentencing hearing, an excerpt of which can be found on CBS Affiliate KGAN, Gene Kehoe asked that people understand the attack was the result of his wife's "profound mental illness and was an act of great hopelessness and despair." Tears streamed down Michelle Kehoe's face as her husband spoke of the "great sadness" of the past year, breaking down in tears as he spoke. Kehoe said not an hour passes without him thinking of Seth and that "the bright sparkle in his eyes will live with us forever."
Gene Kehoe also asked that a no-contact order that went into effect in April, which barred Michelle Kehoe from having contact with her family, be lifted. Gene Kehoe visited with his wife regularly before the ban was put in place and wants his son Sean to be able to visit his mother.
Judge Zager denied this request and extended the order for another five years. Buchanan County Attorney Allan Vander Hart agreed with the ruling saying "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."
As Gene Kehoe left the stand, he asked Judge Bruce Zager, "May I give my wife a hug on the way out?"
Judge Zager responded, "No."
Michelle Kehoe's attorneys argued at trial that she was suffering from extreme mental illness and saw no way out. Attorney Andrea Dryer said her client wants people to know she loves her children and that "she believes they were a gift from God ... and she thought she was doing the right thing by sending them back to God," according to the Associated Press.