Iowa mom guilty in son's death

thats really to bad..she clearly needs to be some place to help your..not some place to rot!! sad the jury didnt think of the help this woman sould have!

OMG I am shocked. I truly thought she would be fund Not Guilty by reason of Insanity" I am so proud of the jury. Now there has been justice for her sons.

Dear Jami and Beth : Maybe Mrs.Kehoe's emotional reaction to the guilty verdict was at the realization (perhaps) that NOW the world is agreeing with her feelings of worthlessness. Maybe this trial, in her injured mind, was a last chance to hear that her life is worth helping heal and therefore worth saving. Having said that, I always thought that as a matter of law; she should be found guilty only because there exists no way to conclusively prove what her mind believed to be right or wrong.And while it is true that the law is very archaic, it is also true that the law cannot change or evolve faster than the science used to prove the elements of a rule of law.
On a side note; I feel very strongly that the defense did not do nearly enough to humanize mrs.Kehoe in the eyes of the jury.For most of the trial all they saw was a defendant who "looked" sedated and lost in thought. Nevertheless, the verdict was very sad to hear though not quite unexpected.

Sincerely
Alex

This verdict is ridiculous. The poor woman is of course mentally disturbed. She has a life time of mental illness and was not ever treated continuously, nor properly at times (it appears). This is tragic..she will go to prison and have to be kept in solitary confinement because the other prisoners would surely offer up their own "justice" due to the nature of the crime. This is so very sad.

The biggest clue to what went on here was when that Psychologist stated that she had Borderline Personality Disorder. That describes a self centered, manipulative me-first individual!...People who attempt to compare her to other Mothers are wayyy off the mark...those types should all have their children removed....Big suprise when she cried for herself!!...NOT!!!

I was shocked when I heard the jury verdict in Iowa v. Kehoe. Can you tell me what vetting process took place with this jury selection? As I understand the process, a "jury of peers" is selected to hear and decide the facts. In this case, did the jury also include members who have knowledge of or experienced by association or personally anyone who has suffered mental illness?
Carol Schilling
Naperville, Illinois

This defendant undoubtedly has severe mental issues, had a horrible childhood, and subsequent psychological problems.
I only have a degree in Psychology but one of the things that consistently haunts me, is the inexactness of both prediction and treatment of the "science" of Psychology. I went back and looked at my diploma, and my degree reads liberal arts, not sciences. We have no way of examining the "mind" with definitive diagnoses. The methods, practices, and treatment regimines differ greatly among those practicing in the feild. "Inference" is our most posistive correlation. We can deduce, with very little certainty, so to cover up, psychology says "every one is different". Is this really science?
After self-reporting, a patient reveals what they want the clinician to hear, and some very intelligent people will place thier credentials on the mine to justify whatever actions the patient has taken ( in this case) that she wasn't sane (only at the moment that she committed the crime).
Ms. Kehoe committed a crime, this was never disputed. No one, psychologist, psychiatrist, husband or attorney was there while she planned, exec uted, or covered up her crime. If she was insane at the time, she would have to have still been insane when she got up and traversed to obtain assistance and establish her cover-up story. She did not try to find out if she'd actually killed her children. She knew it was wrong when she did it, and she knew after she realized that she had failed that she needed to find a place to lay blame. How could the defense witnesses establish "when" she was sane and when she was not. I really don't believe it was possible.

I think the verdict in the case is the prime example of how we view mental illness in this country. What she did was horrific. Why she did it and what she did to herself should have proved how sick and hopeless she was. Mental illness is a moral issue in this country. It is not accepted as a disease by the public, but that something people should just be able to get over or control. We will have more cases like this unless something changes. We need better facilities, professionals to help such people, and good case management when children are concerned. She said she couldn't explain what was going on in her head, and apparently the jury didn't care about the suffering that brought her to this point. She may have needed to be locked up in a facility for the rest of her life that could have helped her with the pain. I think now, she will just either commit suicide in prison, or be killed there by inmates. Shame on all of us. We are all responsible to some degree for this tradgedy. I don't think her counsel was that effective either. There were many good points they could have presented to make this real to the jury. Public defenders, no money, that's what it's all about (concerning treatment, care, defense, and our judicial system). She should never have been tried but plea bargained to committment. Apparently, the prosecution needed a feather in their hat.

I watched the trial,and althogh she did something so so terrible,I must comment.
Yes she deserves to be put away from the other child,but I think the hospital setting would give her the treatment she needs.
i heard in regular prison they do not treat the mentally ill in the same way.
I also think if she is put into Gp she will be in danger from other inmates.
I also hope they put her on a suicide watch.

In my family,our nephew was missing for four years-Shawn Hornbeck. What is wrong with todays society?? I just don't get it.

As a Chaplain, I have ministered to inmates for over 35 years. I spent time with a young lady who also killed her 2 children and tried to end her life as well. I felt that she wanted to take her 2 children with her for two reasons: her husband would get angry with her and threatened he was going to divorce her and take the girls with him. Suicide is a selfish act and some of her reasoning was to show her husband they were going with her. I told the Judge that her sentence was never ending and would haunt her the rest of her life. A few years ago she jumped off the Mackinaw Bridge. Chaplain Sue Jones

This case and verdict is so disturbing on all levels. She was failed by her Doctor who didn't continue care without all precautions being taken!!! Her Doctor knew she had children, was unstable otherwise the electric-shock treatments were for what? To take advantage of our health care system or as a guina pig?? YES, I feel absolute compassion and heart break for the little boys'. Both, Sean having seen the murder of little Seth and the knowledge that his Beloved Mother also tried to kill him!! To lock her up in a prison isn't the answer. She needs medical treatment true treatment not punishment from every psycho that crosses her path for the remainder of her days. I, know a lot of folks don't agree with me, had it not been for all the years of her own Hell and trying to get help I too would agree but not with her case may GOD of mercy help her family and herself. As for the Doctor that seen her all the years be found liable for Negligent care!!!

Kehoe was not responsible for having a bad set of parents,especially the mother.But she marries a man 18 years her senior. Depression is a natural by-product of an abuse home.Had this woman never married and had 2 children;she would have not been in the legal crimminal court of law and sentenced to LWOP.
There was help out there for her,she didn't use it.I hope that Sean can be adopted by a good married couple;who can give him the emotional security that he needs.
Kehoe's husband can now visit his wife in prison,if he so chooses.I think he should just move on with his life and leave her to do LWOP

I do believe she was guilty, why made up a story about someone attaking them, why buying the tapes, it was premeditated...I also believed she might be suffreing from depression, but she know right from wrong....

I believe alot of domestic violence comes from troubled backgrounds. When a couple gets gets married, they should always get marriage counseling. The counselor should then ask both people to discuss any problems they had when they were younger, such as emotional abuse by a parent. I would love if the husband or wife in this case had anything in their background that may have led them to this event.

I am watching this on TV right now, and Thank God the jury had the insight to find this crazy, vicious and bloodthirsty woman guilty! She deserves nothing better than to suffer the same fate that her poor defenseless 2 year old son suffered. How in the world can the commentator defend this insane person? We should stick a needle in her arm and rid the world of this awful person. I would rather be rid of her than have my tax dollars go to support this monster for the rest of her life!

I'm so glad that Keho got the guilty verdict. I think the insanity plea is way to over rated. I was wondering though now that they found her guilty...if when she has her sentencing after that will the husband be able to see her or will it still be not allowed due to the no contact order? I don't see how the father didn't see any of the signs and if she has had all those suicide attempts how could he let her leave with his kids ALONE????

I think it is a terrible miscarry of justice that this woman with the history of mental problems that she had through out her life was convicted of first degee murder. Where has the real help been that she needed. They had her on one medication after another and many of the medications have been proven to just add to the depression

If Kehoe was put in a mental facility she would have a better chance of killing herself than if she is in a correctional center. They have to protect her from herself also.

I am sorry to hear that she received life in prison. But she probably would not have received the treatment she needed any way in the institution. I knew of man in the late 50s that killed his wife. Spent 25 years in an institution. Was released and committed suicide 2 weeks later.

OMG What is wrong with our justice system that there is not a psch institute in Iowa? Mrs. Keogh is sick and will rot in jail now instead of getting help

Hebron, CT

My Goodness what were these jurors thinking She is insane if she was not insane she would not have killed her son and tried to kill her other son. What SANE person kills period

thankfully this jury got it right....it restores my faith in the system. kudos to the high iq's on this jury to be able in 1 and a half hours to understand this woman is lying right through her teeth and put her in prison for good. she's right where she belongs, she's evil. i'm sooooooooo proud of this jury....great job guys!

I am SO disappointed in this Jury !!!! In fact it is scary to think that 12 people could NOT see that this woman needs help NOT prison. Hopefully this verdict can be appealled – maybe a lawyer out there with a heart will step in and help this woman. Look at the trama that this woman did to her own throat – if that doesn't shout insanity nothing ever could. I could buy a selfish person killing or attempting to kill their children – but this was so much more – the pain she was in and the lack of care she received – now society has failed her ONCE AGAIN!! This is so very sad!

She was quilty of the crime she did hurt her sons. The real problem is was she insane at the time? Sometimes you are insane and sometimes you are not it depends on if you take you meds when you should and if they work like they should there is a lot of ifs in it. A lot a maybe and a lot of luck. But if someone know there is a problem then the person that has the problem should be watched so nothing like this happens. People think if you have a problem and you take the meds you do not have to be watch wrong. If all this happened and she had tried this before then she should not have be left alone with the boys. She need to watched and keep away from them as needed. THE BAD PART IS PEOPLE KNEW!!!!!

This is a just verdict l She is definitely guilty of capital murder.

if the mother wasn't insane. then why would she kill her children,
what would the reason be to do this to her children.

I'm glad they found her guilty. Killing someone and then saying your Insane is just a way to get away with it. I think that America needs to get a National Law against children RIGHT NOW!! If anyone kills or abuses any child in anyway weather it's Insane or not they deserve DEATH!!! We need to put an end to this abuse against Children. NOW!!!! Maybe this would make them think twice before doing anything. I'm so sick of hearing everyday about children getting killed. Mostly on Nancy Graces show. I feel she loves talking about it just to get ratings. She is a glorified lover of people who kill or abuse children. If she cared so much she wouldn't give them any air time. We need to stop this. When I see a little child killed I just have to grab my children and love em more. Thank God that my child is safe.

I agree the quilty verdict is correct in this case and LWOP is best for little Sean as he won't have to be looking over his sholder should she have been released otherwise. Yes, she is mentally disturbed but it is also clear that she repeatedly rufused treatment and lied in order to carry out her plans. She most likely would have reverted to the same lies and deceit until she was released from a mental ward and quite possibly create other plans to destroy herself and others.

Its about time , people need to be held accountable for their actions, cut her throat and kill her!!

how is this sad? She killed one and tried another. It is one thing to kill yourself, but your kids?? So if she is found guilty but insane where does it stop? I was on drugs? I was mad catching my wife in bed so... people need to be held accountable, and besides she fabricated the whole story of a man doing it, lies, coverup, deceit she got what she deservesd!!

The lack of care this woman received was not just the fault of the mental health professionals. They could and would have probably done more if she had been truthful with them about her mental condition. Also, it didn't help that even when medications were prescribed she did not take them properly and quit them whenever she felt like it. Just because she suffered from depression and felt sorry for herself did not give her the right to kill one child and attempt to kill the other. The jury got it right.

Guilty is Guilty... I don't understand how people are found not guilty for reasons of insanity. They still committed the crime, why should their mental state have anything to do with that? Also, once found guilty, why cant those people be transferred to mental institutions and not spend there time in a prison where they can potentially cause harm to themselves and others???

i'm watching the insession tv program right now and the white haired anchor could not be more offensive, ignorant, and dishonest.
he is saying the prosecutor would "monitor" the treatment this woman gets while incarcerated when the prosecutor never said anything of the sort – nor is it his job to do that. i have a feeling he doesn't have a clue as to how much work prosecutors do (and how little they are paid for it) though i can tell just by looking at him that he lacks any appreciation for prosecutors' work.
his utter lack of understanding that the state has no authority over someone's liberty without the guilty verdict is beyond comprehension – how did he get this job ? obviously having the same political views of ted turner helped this foul creature and ethics, intellect, common sense and decency is mandated to be absent.
turning the channel. need a shower just lfrom ooking at that sick man. at least the mother's perverted sense of justice and right and wrong was dictated in larg part due to mentl illness; what's he excuse?

Has everyone forgot that TWO people was hurt ... it is so easy for people to get away with killing someone because they are mentally ill....NOT!!!! How do you explain to those families that the person who commits murder is not guilty because they are mentally ill? How then do the families of murder victims to find peace..

Job well done! You do not need to lie if you're really crazy & believe what your doing is right!
Imagine the impact her behavior will have on the son she left alive?
HE is the one who will need all the help he can get and still, he will never get over what his own mommy did to him.
She made conscious choices. She was not in a psychosis.
This jury got it right!

I think she did not want to die alone and was not going to be abandoned in death as she had been throughout her in life. Also, she didn't see her children as separate living entities, if she died, they had to die as well, she thought she was the (almost) perfect parent. A totally selfish act.

Consider the manner in which she killed them. If you truly thought that death was the kindest option, wouldn't you kill them gently, not violently?

Most people in prison have twisted illogical thoughts, depression, crappy lives, why should she get special treatment? The entire penal system needs to be overhauled.

Hopefully the cycle of parents abusing their children, in that family, will stop with her.

As many people that want children to adopt!?! If you are unable to care for your kids, let someone else have a chance that wants to love them!! Makes you wonder what people think sometimes.

I undestand the severity of her crimes but this poor soul will have to live with what she did for the rest of her days. What does it matter where they house her she is in her own hell

Also, kudos to the prosecutor who hit all the points some of us thought were important. I thought it was important to go over her statement directly afterward, specifically having made that statement about her son being "hurt" the day before. That really showed she was totally deceptive, along with her abduction story! That is not from illness, that is from a criminal mind.
Thank God the state saw her for what she is and felt that the victim's lives are more important than a woman who'd use her past experiences and defective personality to try to get away with the murder of her own child!

Am I the only person in America that believes these so called "mothers" deserve to be taken to the chair and FRIED!!!! Of course anyone who kills has to be insane. However, a mother killing her own children is just evil... This nation today has a diagnosis for everything and people want to believe it because if you don't believe it then you start to realize how evil people really are. I can hardly stand to hear these people sadden by this witch... Help her??? Who helped that poor little two year old. I have twin two year old's and they certainly test your sanity. Just close your eyes, now imagine someone slitting your throat.. Who is the first person to come to mind to help you and comfort you.. YOUR MOM!! Abused?? How many people in this world have been abused in some way or another? If everyone used that excuse and it worked we wouldn't have prison's but fun filled hospitals with all these "poor little abused victims", which one day can possibly be out to kill again and then they would have the best defense already sitting there waiting for them.

I have to wonder what purpose there would be in giving her treatment of any sort. She will (and should) be locked away for the rest of her life. There should be no hope of release, whether she is in a "mental facillity" or a prison. What exactly is to be gained by counseling and treatment? If nothing else she is a pathological liar and had the mental wherewithal to plan this a month or more in advance. Lock her away forever and throw away the key. I don't care where you lock her, but don't waste the therapists' time on her – let them work with people who have a chance to re-integrate into society, with a little help.

I think Michelle Kehoe got exactly what she deserved. I only wish she would have gotten her wish, to die. This woman is a liar, and a murderer, and, her husband should never be allowed to see her, that is if he intends to keep/raise his smart little son. In my opinion, I believe, this woman has been upset with her husband for a long time, and, this was her way to punish him, by killing his sons. She lied that she and her son's were attacked, but if you'll notice, at the time she thought her eldest son was dead. All of those past attempts at suicide were merely ploys to get attention from her husband, but, she really meant to kill the boys. I applaud the jury for deciding on the verdict, and also the time it took. A child could see through Michelle Kehoe. I can hear her little son say, "I just don't know why she did it." One day he will understand that his mother is just plain evil.

One Question?
If there was soooo much evidence that this woman was soooo mentally ill, WHY did she have her children??????

I agree with the verdict . . . now she can spend the rest of her life praying for her own salvation

Why would anyone feel sorry for this woman? I just hope that little Sean will get the help he needs to realize that he is worth loving. No matter what his ignorant mother did. I mean come on, she tried to kill herself the 2nd time by cutting herself and her blood clotted and she lived. Why would you then try to cut yourself again to die knowing that you lived the last time? She didnt really want to die or else she would have laid by that pond and made sure she didnt live. Kudos to the jury for the right verdict.

Gee why is it that when a woman kills her own child people say she is crazy, had psychological problems in the past and needs help but when a man kills his own child no one gives a darn what is past was like. There are many men in prison that were abused, suffered from depression but that didn't matter in their trial. I am a woman. Maybe, just maybe there are women that are just "bad". Regardless, if past depression and "she has to be crazy to kill her own child" etc comes up the majority of trials where women kill their own children, what is it about men that makes us be less sympathetic?

Okay so i understand how aggravating and horrific this crime was, it was unthinkable and she deserves to pay for her sons to have their justice and but she is clearly not right in the head i'm not sayin set the woman free but she needs to be well and then i believe she should be put in population with other prisoners. i just feel that she is a little nuts and should've been evaluated better, her defense att. sucked and i'm not defending her i just think she may have some type of mental disease. i mean look at how well spoken her 7 year old is and he seemed so bright and well taken care of. And to just plan to kill the kids she's taken such good care of? i feel it may be more than just a vindictive heartless woman.

I am glad that this lady received the sentence that she did based on the nature of the crime. We need to remember that the real victims are the children and not her. If she had mental problems there were opportunities for her to get help for herself prior to deciding to murder commit murder.

Her two boys are the victims here. There is no excuse for killing your children. Andrea Yates should be locked up in PRISON too and I wouldn't mind if someone slipped either of them a sheet.

Why is it women get a free pass all the time? They kill the children, their husbands and cry for themselves when they are incarcerated. Bury her.

what does it matter where they house her you ask , vickie???... how about the fact that if she fools the mental ward (just like you) into thinking she's sane at some point then gets out and does it again to somebody else.....how about that for starters. einstein? the simple fact that she's a liar and pretending to be insane to get out of a murder she committed is reason enough that she deserves to be right where she is for the rest of her life....great job jury, i'm so happy and proud ya didn't buy any of her lies and deceit and let her have it....yay team. i love it !

Even though Michelles acts were horundous, it is quite clear that she needs help. Its like the goverment to ignore thinks that happen to ppls past then hold them accountable without holding themselves(our goverment) somewhat accountable. Its very clear that we need new legelation to clearifey the law and make ppl who are terrily ill get help and not be place in prision. Its like the us goverment to turn the other cheek. Is this why I served my country for 10 yrs in the military for?

What is wrong with you people. Who cares if she has a mental illness. She butchered her kids. She deserves everything that comes to her. Whenever somebody commits a murder we (society) have a tendancy to forget about the victims. She needs the death penalty. I can think of better ways to spend my tax dollars then housing and feeding her for the rest of her rotten life.

She was not insane is she plotted it all out they way she did. I hope she gets LIFE in prison. WHAT A ANIMAL!!!!

I dont agree with the last comment Kelly. Yes I agree with you that she is mental but that does not excuse what she did to her CHILDREN! She should rot in jail. In case you forgot she left her 2 year old child and 7 year old child in the woods to rot! I think they really should do the same thing to her that she did to those poor little babies! I hope the child that did survive is doing better is getting the help that HE needs!

I believe she has severe mental illness-no arguement there. However, I do question how much she really wanted to die since she was unsuccessful so many times? I also became less sympathetic when she shed more tears, real tears, when the verdict was read then when the audio tape of her son was played or there was any mention of her sons. To me this clearly shows emotion for own situation then for her sons.

Mentally ill women need to be sterelized permanentally from having innocent children that they torture and kill. Mentally ill moms need their children taken from them for the children's protection!!!!! There is no excuse for them to be allowed to raise and kill their children. They can have supervised visits but no overnight visits. Fathers/husband of these women need to be sentenced as an accessory for not protecting their children! Then these incidents would happen less and less. Then if these women really want to die then they can by themselves.

oh yeah she's mentally ill alright , that's why during the trial she never shed a tear for her sons she butchered, (even when tapes of them were played for all to hear) but of course cried like a baby when her verdict was read.....that tidbit told me all i needed to know about her mental state....she's crazy like a fox and that's about it.....thankfully this jury saw through her lies and gave her what she deserved, i'm very proud of them.....sometimes there are 1 or 2 jurors who are so naive and ignorant that they actually believe these types of excuses defense attorneys dream up. when i hear stories like this one however, it restores my faith a bit in the legal system. fantastic job jury!

I think she got off easy. Insanity? This woman had it all planned out, except to the fact that her oldest son lived to tell what she did. It's people like her that make me wonder, why have any children, if you clearly can't even take care of yourself?! She's selfish to believe any kind of sympathy should have came her way.

I honestly don't understand why she had the need to end her sons' lives. How can you even imagine of hurting your own child? If her life purposed was to end her own life, how was it that she survived this time as well while successfully ending her youngest child? This woman so deserves what she got even though it cannot measure up to what her children went through living with her.

So they didn't opt to let her serve a sentence in a mental institution. Does that mean she will take her own life? There's a good chance. Sadly, I have to say that it doesn't bother me in the least. When you are a mother you have a reason to live. She, apparently, did not think her children would need her if she committed suicide. Okay, well... who needs her now? If they spent taxpayer money rehabilitating her, she would spend the rest of her life locked up anyway, and I doubt they would allow the children to visit. If she really wants to take the easy way out, let her do it. At least she can't off her kids in the process.

I think before her December 15th sentencing ( I as a mother will write to the Judge and let him or her know how I feel). I'm hoping you all will do the same. I am not say let her go -"EVER". But clearly she needs mental help. But we need to be realistic too, if let go, she could have other childeren.......

Wow! I am shocked to see how many people have sympathy for this monster!! I don't like the fact that my tax dollars are being spent to house a baby-killer!! Now she gets to sit in a cell with a roof over her head, 3 meals a day, and clothes on her back oh yeah p.s. and no kids or bills at that. What a life! There is a fine line that you do not dare to cross when it comes to hurting children, she crossed it and she gets to live. WOW! I garauntee had this happened in TX she would not have just gotten life, she deserves to FRY!!!!

Ms. Kehoe is seriously mentally. I think the legal definition of insanity is outrageous. The narrow outlines designed by the law has demonstrated it's failings in this tragic case. My only consolation is that the sentence will be jail, because there she may not be adequately treated for her insanity, whereas, in a mental institution, she may be. Can anyone of us imagine this woman's suffering when she is sane enough to realize what she did?

I live in Iowa and I know whats it's like to be through this. I didn't live very far from the County that it happened. I hope that she learned her lesson.

i think they should of given a harsher punishment to her. she premeditated this whole thing to kill her kids. she should be found guilty . the insane defense is stoopid its a way to get poeple off who know they r guilty. she knows what she did was wrong she knows look at her orthless face , i think she should kill herself in jail and meet her maker who now has one of her babies that she put there. poor kids what do they think now theri mother tried to kill them got one and the other had to listen to it all . poor kid and he probally still dont understand. hope he never forgives his mom and she can rot with that thought for ever.

When a person gets to the point where they are willing to commit murder they have crossed the line into insanity, yes. But this woman's family must have seen signs. I feel saddened for the baby who lost his life , I feel saddened for the boy who lost his brother and witnessed his mother KILL his brother then try to kill him. No excuse! She deserves to do the time. She can repent behind bars. People should have mental health evaluations before they choose to have children. Seek help! Leave an abusive relationship. Shelfishness has no business having innocent children.

I didn't realize how sympathetic people are to murderers. She KNEW what she did was wrong because she lied and tried to cover it up. If she had enough of a conscience to know that murder is wrong, then she should accept the punishment for it, right? Not insane...just evil.

Kelly, this woman needs to be put up somewhere to "rot"! Any person who could slash their babies' throats don't deserve a second chance.......they don't deserve ANYTHING!!!!!!!!

Um...error in story...I seriously doubt both boys were named "Seth". Does nobody proofread before posting news articles???

This women took a life of young inicent child and permanently
scared the other child. Mental illness or not she should have recieved
death or jail for life. If she would get out she will have more kids and
kill again.

While I agree that Michelle Kehoe needs help, which I am sure she will get in prison, I can't believe the insanity theory. My reason for this is this: She went out and bought the duct tape and knife some 3 months in advance. Was this her way of saying "I think I better go the store today and purchase some duct tape and a knife. I really want to be prepared when I go insane on such and such a date and kill my children and myself." Give me a break, Michelle.

The saddest part, to me, is the fact that she had children years after KNOWING that she had serious emotional/depression issues.

Iwant to know why her husband didn't get her help. Could he not see that there was something terribly wrong, or any of her family. This woman no matter what is living in h___ for what she did. I hope that her son Sean gets the help that he needs, and he will need help. That child lived thru a nightmare, and he will live with that all of his life. My heart breaks for him and the family.

"Borderline Personality Disorder" means that she knows the difference between right and wrong – but chooses anyway to do wrong. In some cases, depending upon with personality disorder traits she falls into, she may not have any sense of guilt. Mental illness is catogorized as NOT knowing the difference of right v wrong. She may have been failed by her medical professionals, but she knew what she was doing, and she knew it was wrong.

In reality, these types often hide their dysfunction, they lie. I know, I was raised and abused by a mother like this. She fooled a lot of people for many years. She had us scared to death to say anything when social services came to see us. She alienated herself and us, and my father never knew the abuses we suffered.

Put her away, throw away the key because there is no remedy for BPD, just therapy to control it.

excuses, excuses. she killed her son in cold blood and permenantly damaged another child. she deserves life or the death penalty. it is her gender that leads to all these excuses to render her a victim. if this had been the father nobody would be asking for a judicial discount.

I agree with Joanne Haddad, she should never have had children knowing she had a severe mental illness. If I remember correctly, a psychologist for the defense (I forget her name now) testified that Ms. Kehoe had been attending a conservative Christian church, which may have pushed the "be fruitful and multiply" rule very hard.

Some conservative churches are against any form of birth control, and not having children by choice is a big no-no for their members, so Ms. Kehoe may have seriously believed she "had" to have children. It never occurred to her that she could simply have LEFT this church instead.

Justice has been somewhat served for the victim; the death penalty would have made the verdict complete. It's time for the insanity plea to go away permanently (no exceptions!).

I find it ironic that because this is a mother who killed her children, people believe she must be insane, but if a father did the same, they would want to execute him. I personally would like to see here join her child in death. Let God sort out whether she is redeemable or not.

I was absolutely shocked by the verdict! where is our justice system for mothers that have a mental illness? more people have a mental illness now a days than they ever had before...michelle was completely let down by everyone! why should we lock her up and throw away the key? we shouldn't! michelle should be getting the help that she so desperately needs!! i feel that michelle was only trying, {in her mind} to protect her and her kids from hell...we all in GOD in our lives...if you don't have a mental illness, don't be to quick to judge michelle!! i will pray for michelle that she'll turn her life over to GOD!!

I cannot believe people are being sympathetic to this monster. I was diagnosed bi polar two years ago after two suicide attempts, but never would I harm my children. Children are such a blessing. Now that I realize that I have overcome my illness without meds and live just fine!!!!!! There is no excuse for what this woman has done!

michelle, her hubby and 2 sons are all victims in this case!! there is just no easy way to put it...all of them will have to live w/ this horrible tragedy, there is just no way around it!!! michelle has her death sentence by knowing what she did...besides, her lil boy is in a much better place now!! this world is cruel..man or woman, y are we all so quick to judge? last time i checked, that was GODS job to judge!!!!

What is wrong with you people. She killed one of her sons and the other is lucky to be alive. She should be executed not left in a prison to just waist more tax payer dollars. THESE ARE CHILDREN! Stop writing about praying and how tragic it is she hasn't been saved where was god when the mother was slashing these childrens throats????

I am glad she got sentenced, however I think that she should just beput to sleep I dont want my tax paying money to go to this monster and to support a murderer I much rather feed the homeless. On average inmates costs 26,000 a year to the state of California I wonder how much it is in IOWA?

I think she deserves death...maybe we will all get lucky and someone will cut her throat in prison...everyone seems to be looking at her like some kind of poor victim ...she IS NOT the victim her two sons, and the countless family members left to deal with this horrific situation. Yeah one of her sons lived but can you imagine what the rest of his life will be like...She is a DISGRACE to mothers and as a human being...Not to mention it is totally offensive that someone would even ask why didn't her husband try to get her help...as if he is at fault...shame on you all....And as much as I hate saying this....I wonder if it was the father...would everyone be so sympathetic....

i agree she was very sick, she had to be, but i still think she knew right from wrong the jury made the right decision, but, she still needs help, its just bewhildering and shocking

Nuts or not, she belongs in prison! If she's nuts enought to do it once,chances are she would again! The law needs to protect the children and put all these people who claim to be crazy enough to kill them in Prison!!

Insane or not this woman needs to be kept locked up. A little boy has been murdered and another little boy had his throat slashed by their own mother. It is clearly too late to help her. I say screw the criminals! I'm saving my compassion for the victims.

God obviously had a better plan for the 1 child...the lil boy is in a better place now, HEAVEN...i'm not going to agrue over opinions...but my belief is that prayer is the answer to everything!! GOD BLESS AMERICA, we sure do need it!!

How is it that you plan to get up in the morning, you buy a hunting knife, you write a letter and carefully plan the murder of your sons and that is considered INSANE? I hate when people feel sorry for people that kill, especially children. The jury did the right thing- she should have gotten the death penalty. It is so easy to say, after the fact, that you are insane, that you had a vision from the devil or any other mish-mosh crap- its called defense mechanism. This woman knew what she was doing and she planned it Meticulously. that is not being insane that is being organized and prepared for murder. The boys are the victims, one dead one scarred for life. She will now sit in jail for the rest of her life eating trout and watching tv – the kids will not – DEATH TO ALL CRIMINALS

I cannot believe how many comments there are expressing pity for this woman's mental health issues. I think some of you out there need a serious reality check. First of all a doctor cannot force mental health treatment. It is up to the individual to seek the help they need. If fault is to be found with anyone, aside from the defendant, it should be the local Child Protective Services. Prior to brutally murdering 1 son, and causing irreversible trauma to the other, this woman attempted suicide by driving into a body of water – with her children in the vehicle. Why were the children allowed to stay under her care?? Anyway, to all those people worried about the harsh treatment this woman is going to recieve in jail, stop and think a moment about the 7 year old. He witnessed his brother murdered, and had his throat slashed by his mother. I don't care how much of a loving family he ends up with, his life is ruined too.

WOW!! You all agree with the defenses "mental insability" WOW!! I would agree with this only if she "hurt" her children and committed suicide but the evidence shown depict a calculated person who drove her kids to a secluded location with the intent of killing them that is not a clear case of mental instability that is murder. I cry for the 7 year old who has to take with him the knowledge that HIS mother KILLED his BABY BROTHER but it seems you all dont see that. The defense have you all fooled in thinking she is a victim; that is their job!! The fact that she made-up an excuse, that her kids were kidnapped come on people!! She is not the victim her sons are!

OMG – she raised them for 7 years, and one day goes nuts? Nope, don't buy it. I have a mental illness – and work with those that have them – people with mental illness KNOW they are imbalanced, and if I got to that place I would give up my kids – walk them straight to a hospital or somewhere safe. Dealth penalty for sure.

Being predominantly interested in how violence by women is perceived in the larger culter, it's interesting to read the above comments regarding this case. However, that being said, I honestly don't necessarily believe that she was 'mentally ill' sufficiently to allow for a disregard of responsibility; a diagnosis of a personality disorder determines that there was in fact pathalogical early childhood experiences, etc., but that does not eliminate her being responsible for her actions as an adult. Having been a victim, no matter how horrendous the experience, does not justify her deliberate decision to slash her childrens' throats and then lie about it. She CHOSE to do it, regardless of what happened to her in her childhood or led to her reacting to stresses in that way; don't let go of that fact. Does the fact of someone like Henry Lee Lucas having endured horrific abuse at the hands of his mother justify his later brutal mrder of at least 3 women? He was clearly physically and psychologically damaged, but does that eliminate his responsibility for those actions? Being a mother and appearing fragile does not assume that she MUST be ill in order to have chosen to kill her innocent 2 year old son and attempted to murder her 7 year old son. The fact that she attempted to fabricate a story to cover for her actions–she knew it was wrong and that society would view it as wrong sufficiently to attempt to hide it–clearly shows that it was not an act of madness. That she deliberately took the children to a secluded, rural location, a significant distance from her home–the location is a good 1 1/2 hour drive from Coralville–shows that she was well within control of her actions to premeditate and control her behavior. If she was truly ill, and out of control of her behavior, she would have spontaneously attacked the children without regard to witnesses. As well, why can't we accept that a woman may choose to kill her children simply because she is a selfish person? Women are as able to be as selfish, self-centered, and motivated as such to act in a horrific manner equal to that of any man. I'm a mom, too, and I'm pregnant with my second child, and I can't imagine choosing to destroy the life that I created so callously, but it doesn't mean she didn't willfully choose to do so. It's not a nice reality, but if we choose to assert female will as equal to men's, then we have to hold them equally responsible for their willingness to act as violently as a man. She did something awful, she should be held accountable for that decision, period.

Please, she wrote down a rather detailed story to tell police that she and her children were attacked by a strange man! You don't make up lies to cover your wrongdoing unless you realize that what you're doing IS WRONG.

I agree with the verdict. Crazy or not, she committed a violent crime and needs to pay. Plus, we can NEVER really find out how crazy someone is – or is faking to be. Everyone knows about pleading insanity – and it's really becoming a joke these days. I doubt a completely insane person would go thru the steps she did to prepare for this and then cover it up (which shows she KNEW it was wrong and tried to hide it – as lame as it was). It's tragic – and treating her with kid-gloves and putting her away in a comfy hospital will not bring the boy back or repair her older child's now traumatized mind. It was pre-meditated and thought out...it was MURDER...and she is now going to be punished as the law states she should. We can "what if" the whole story to death, but it won't change what she did. Justice needs to be (and was) served.

To all of you bleeding hearts out there..... what if it were your child's throat she slashed?

She needs to be locked up – forever. She should never walk free again. Actually, she should be put to death.

What's the point of putting her in a mental health hospital? Once you show that you are capable of killing in such a cruel manner – why should society ever take the chance?

I have the right to walk down the street and not have to worry about being murdered, whether by a sane or insane person. Her children had the right to live a peaceful life and not be murdered by a sane/insane mother.

When are people actually going to want to help the victims instead of the perpetrators?

It is unbelievable to me how many of you are actually upset about the verdict. It ridiculous! She killed her SON!!! and Almost killed another...HELLO!!! Wake up people. She was not mentally ill..and even so..let’s just give her the benefit of the doubt for one moment. There are plenty of mentally ill people who DONT...I repeat DONT go around killing their children. She should have just committed suicide but to kill your child? I am GLAD the jury came back with a guilty verdict and now she can rot in jail and think about what she did for the rest of her life.

To all who think this woman needs help you are right she needs to see nothing but three wall and some bars. She does not need mental help she needs to be punished for what she did. She knew what she was doing and she is a sick person to do that she could have given those children to someone that needed some. She staged this and she knew what she was doing.