Prosecutors say Wisconsin man Todd Kendhammer murdered his spouse and staged the scene to appear like a freak automobile accident

Todd Kendhammer says his spouse Barbara died in a freak automobile accident. However authorities questioned his story from the start, and he was tried and convicted of intentional murder.

Kendhammer and his youngsters have refused to simply accept the decision and are looking for a brand new trial. Their combat for what they are saying is justice is the main focus of “Thriller on County Highway M,” reported by “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty. An encore of the published is streaming on Paramount+.

Simply after 8 a.m. on September 16, 2016, a distraught Todd Kendhammer referred to as 911 to report a automobile accident on a rural highway outdoors La Crosse, Wisconsin. “A pipe or one thing got here by the windshield,” he advised the operator.

When authorities arrived, he advised them a pipe flew off a truck driving in the wrong way, got here by the windshield and struck his spouse. Barbara Kendhammer, 46, was rushed to the hospital however died the subsequent day. The couple had simply celebrated their twenty fifth anniversary. 

Their youngsters, Jessica Servais and Jordan Kendhammer, say their dad and mom had been nonetheless very a lot in love. “No matter my mother needed, my dad gave it to her,” Servais advised Moriarty. “They had been simply in a extremely good time of their lives ‘trigger that they had their first grandchild, and so they had been properly off.”

An post-mortem revealed that Barbara died of blunt pressure accidents to the top and neck. She additionally had three lacerations to the again of her head. The health worker didn’t assume Barbara’s accidents had been according to the accident as described by Todd.

“She stated that the accidents to Barb had been very inconsistent with a pipe … that measurement and that weight coming by the windshield,” says Tim Gruenke, La Crosse County district lawyer.

Surveillance video from a horse ranch down the highway confirmed what seems to be the Kendhammer automobile move by at roughly 7:57 a.m. on the day of the incident. However at across the similar time, no truck that matched the outline Todd gave police was ever seen heading in the wrong way.

Todd Kendhammer advised police that he and Barbara had been driving to choose up a truck that wanted a windshield changed, belonging to a person named Justin Heim. Kendhammer did windshield substitute work as a aspect job.

“When the police regarded into that, they discovered Justin Heim by no means had ordered a windshield from Todd, did not want a windshield. Todd did not even know the place he lived,” says Gruenke. Kendhammer then advised police he was going to see a good friend of Heim’s.

Gruenke believes Todd Kendhammer killed Barbara and staged the scene to appear like an accident. Kendhammer was arrested three months later and went on trial a 12 months after that. “On daily basis I used to be in a continuing state of hysteria and could not eat and could not sleep,” says Jessica.

At trial, each side argued about what brought about Barbara’s accidents — a tragic accident, or a brutal combat. The windshield was as hotly disputed because the medical proof. Dueling specialists had totally different theories of what brought about the glass fracture patterns.

Jessica and Jordan do not imagine prosecutors ever answered important questions on what occurred. 

“They by no means actually stated how he killed her or what he did to stage every little thing,” says Jessica. Her brother added, “If he needed to kill Ma, why the hell would he undergo all of the work and bother to discover a pipe, drive all the best way out to the center of a busy highway—.” “He has like 28 weapons within the basement,” Jessica interrupted. “Greater than that,” stated Jordan.

The prosecution needed to admit they did not know why Todd would kill Barbara. They discovered no proof both one was having an affair, no historical past of home violence or monetary bother.

Todd Kendhammer made the weird choice to testify in his personal protection. He advised the jury he was distraught throughout his interview with police, when he advised these totally different tales of the place they had been going that morning. “I am not in the best way of thinking… I wasn’t pondering of the place I used to be going or what I used to be doing. I used to be pondering of Barb,” he stated on the stand.

However he continued to wrestle along with his reminiscence of the incident and advised the jury a couple of third particular person he was going to see that morning. Gruenke requested him: “Did you alter your story for trial since you knew police had discovered your lies?” “No,” he responded.

Todd Kendhammer’s youngsters stood by him. “He would not lie. So when he says he did not do it, we imagine him,” Jessica stated. However the jury did not imagine him, and Kendhammer was convicted and sentenced to life in jail, with the potential for parole in 30 years.

After the conviction, the Kendhammer household employed lawyer Jerry Buting, of “Making a Assassin” fame, to deal with the attraction, alongside along with his spouse and co-counsel Kathleen Stilling. 

“This was an accident,” Buting advised Moriarty. “The concept out of the blue he would snap and kill his spouse after which stage the accident, it simply appears so implausible to me,” Stilling added.

In 2021, Todd Kendhammer was again in courtroom earlier than the identical decide for an evidentiary listening to. It was an opportunity to argue that his unique protection workforce had been ineffective, and that there was important new proof. The forensic pathologist who testified there disagreed with the unique health worker and stated Barbara’s accidents had been attributable to an accident.

“We aren’t going to cease till he might be residence,” Jessica says.

Prosecutor Gruenke believes justice has already been served for Barbara Kendhammer. “Do you might have any considerations in any respect that you just might need convicted an harmless man?” Moriarty requested. “Not on this case, no,” Gruenke replied.