Prosecutors allege that a Wisconsin man, Todd Kendhammer, murdered his wife, Barbara, and fabricated a story to make it appear as though she died in a freak car accident. Kendhammer’s claims were met with skepticism from the very beginning, leading to his trial and subsequent conviction for intentional homicide.
The Kendhammer family, including their children Jessica Servais and Jordan Kendhammer, are contesting the conviction and are advocating for a new trial. Their quest for what they describe as justice is the focus of “Mystery on County Road M,” a report by Erin Moriarty for “48 Hours,” which is available for streaming on Paramount+.
On the morning of September 16, 2016, Todd Kendhammer made a frantic call to 911, reporting a car accident on a rural road near La Crosse, Wisconsin. He claimed that a pipe had come through the windshield of their vehicle, seriously injuring Barbara, who later succumbed to her injuries at a hospital. The couple had recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
The Kendhammers’ children maintain that their parents were deeply in love. “Whatever my mom wanted, my dad gave it to her,” Jessica recounted. The family was enjoying a joyful chapter in their lives, having welcomed their first grandchild, and were financially stable.
An autopsy revealed that Barbara died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck, accompanied by three lacerations on the back of her head. The medical examiner expressed doubts about the compatibility of Barbara’s injuries with Todd’s description of the accident.
Tim Gruenke, the La Crosse County District Attorney, noted, “The injuries to Barb were very inconsistent with a pipe of that size and weight coming through the windshield.” Surveillance footage from a nearby horse ranch captured the Kendhammer vehicle passing by shortly before the incident, but no truck matching Todd’s description was seen on the road at that time.
Todd claimed that he and Barbara were en route to pick up a truck belonging to a man named Justin Heim for a windshield replacement, a side job Todd was involved in. However, investigators found that Heim had never ordered a windshield from Todd and that Todd did not even know his address.
Gruenke posits that Todd Kendhammer killed Barbara and staged the scene to appear as an accident. Todd was arrested three months later, and a year after that, he faced trial. Jessica described the emotional toll of the situation, stating, “Every day I was in a constant state of anxiety and couldn’t eat and couldn’t sleep.”
During the trial, both sides presented differing narratives about the cause of Barbara’s injuries, debating whether it was a tragic accident or the result of a violent altercation. The windshield became a pivotal point of contention, with expert witnesses offering conflicting interpretations of the glass fracture patterns.
Jessica and Jordan Kendhammer feel that crucial questions about the circumstances surrounding their mother’s death remain unanswered. “They never really said how he killed her or what he did to stage everything,” Jessica noted. Her brother added skepticism towards the prosecution’s theory, questioning why Todd would go to such lengths to fabricate a story if he intended to harm Barbara.
Despite the prosecution’s struggle to establish a motive for the alleged crime—finding no evidence of infidelity, domestic violence, or financial issues—Todd made the unusual choice to testify in his own defense. He expressed that his state of mind during the police interview was clouded by grief, admitting to confusion regarding their destination that morning.
Todd’s memory of the events seemed inconsistent, as he introduced a third individual he claimed he was going to see. When questioned about potential inconsistencies in his testimony, he denied having altered his story for the trial.
Throughout the trial, Todd’s children remained steadfast in their belief in his innocence. “He doesn’t lie. So when he says he didn’t do it, we believe him,” Jessica asserted. However, the jury ultimately found Todd guilty, sentencing him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Following the conviction, the Kendhammer family enlisted attorney Jerry Buting, known for his work on “Making a Murderer,” to assist with the appeal. Buting argued, “This was an accident,” while co-counsel Kathleen Stilling emphasized the implausibility of Todd suddenly snapping and staging an accident.
In 2021, Todd Kendhammer returned to court for an evidentiary hearing aimed at demonstrating that his original defense team was ineffective and to present critical new evidence. A forensic pathologist testified, contradicting the original medical examiner’s findings, stating that Barbara’s injuries were consistent with an accident.
Jessica remains committed to securing her father’s release, stating, “We aren’t going to stop until he can be home.” Meanwhile, Prosecutor Gruenke remains confident in the conviction, asserting that he has no doubts about Todd’s guilt. “Not in this case, no,” he responded when asked about concerns regarding a potential miscarriage of justice.
