PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This is one of those cases loaded with forensic issues that just won't go away. As Ryan Gill reports: "Meanwhile, Jessica and Jordan continue to campaign for their father’s release. They maintain that Todd has been wrongly convicted and that their mother’s death was indeed a tragic accident. Their advocacy has kept the case in the public eye, with 48 Hours serving as a platform to highlight both the emotional toll on the family and the unanswered questions that still linger."Kudos to CBS for giving the troubling case the in-depth analysis it deserves.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Todd Kendhammer took the unusual step of testifying in his own defense during the 2017 trial. He told the jury that trauma and confusion caused him to misstate details during police interviews. Still, the inconsistencies in his account, coupled with the physical evidence, persuaded the jury to convict him of first-degree intentional homicide. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years."
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "A new forensic pathologist testified that Barbara’s injuries could have resulted from an accident. An expert in memory testified that Todd’s confusion about the morning’s events could stem from psychological trauma. Additionally, defense attorneys introduced video from police pipe-drop tests, showing that a similar pipe could bounce unpredictably—evidence they said supported the plausibility of Todd’s story."
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STORY: “Mystery on County Road M”: 48 Hours Revisits the Controversial Case of Todd Kendhammer", on Saturday, December 27 2025, on 48 Hours, by Reporter Ryan Gill, published by CBS, on December 27. 2025.
GIST: "CBS’s 48 Hours returns with a compelling encore of “Mystery on County Road M,” an episode that reopens the divisive and unsettling case of Barbara Kendhammer’s 2016 death. Reported by Erin Moriarty, the episode examines whether Barbara’s death was a tragic accident or a staged crime orchestrated by her husband, Todd Kendhammer. Nearly a decade later, the case remains a flashpoint for debate, with family loyalty clashing against forensic evidence and unanswered questions about motive.
The Incident on County Road M
On the morning of September 16, 2016, Todd Kendhammer called 911 in a panic, claiming that a metal pipe had come off a passing truck, pierced the windshield of his car, and struck his wife Barbara in the head and throat. The couple was reportedly on their way to repair a windshield on a truck belonging to a friend. Barbara was found gravely injured in the passenger seat and rushed to the hospital. She died the next morning from multiple blunt force injuries.
Initially treated as a freak accident, the case quickly took a darker turn. Investigators grew suspicious when Todd’s story began to change. The man he claimed to be meeting for the repair denied needing or requesting any windshield work. Surveillance footage showed the Kendhammers’ car on County Road M, but no truck carrying pipes was seen traveling in the opposite direction at the time of the incident.
A Closer Examination of Evidence and Injuries
The physical evidence became a central battleground in the case. A glass expert for the defense testified there were three distinct impact points on the windshield—one allegedly caused by Todd’s hand, another by the incoming pipe, and a third by Todd removing the pipe. However, the prosecution’s expert disputed that sequence, suggesting the damage could have been staged.
Barbara’s injuries also raised red flags. The autopsy revealed severe trauma to her head and neck, including lacerations to the back of her skull, bruising across her body, and a broken nose. The medical examiner, Dr. Kathleen McCubbin, testified that the pattern of injuries was inconsistent with a single impact from a pipe. Prosecutors argued these injuries pointed to a violent altercation, not an accident.
Inconsistencies and Shifting Accounts
Todd Kendhammer’s changing narrative undermined his credibility. Initially, he said they were heading to meet Justin Heim to replace a windshield. Heim denied any such arrangement. Todd later amended his story, saying they were going to meet a friend of Heim’s, who also turned out to be uninvolved. These discrepancies led authorities to believe that Todd fabricated the story to cover up a homicide.
Photos of Todd after the incident showed scratches on his neck and chest, which he said were from working with glass. Investigators suspected they came from a struggle with Barbara. They also questioned why Todd removed the pipe from the windshield before first responders arrived, which may have disturbed key evidence.
Family Loyalty and Trial Outcome
Despite the mounting evidence, Todd’s children, Jessica and Jordan Kendhammer, stood by him. They described their parents’ relationship as loving and stable, citing the recent celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary and the birth of their first grandchild. They remained convinced of his innocence and believed the accident had been misinterpreted by law enforcement.
Todd Kendhammer took the unusual step of testifying in his own defense during the 2017 trial. He told the jury that trauma and confusion caused him to misstate details during police interviews. Still, the inconsistencies in his account, coupled with the physical evidence, persuaded the jury to convict him of first-degree intentional homicide. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
A New Legal Strategy and Evidentiary Hearing
After the conviction, Todd’s children enlisted attorneys Jerry Buting and Kathleen Stilling, known for their work on the Making a Murderer case. They filed for a new trial on the grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel and newly discovered evidence. In 2021, an evidentiary hearing was held to reexamine the forensic elements of the case.
A new forensic pathologist testified that Barbara’s injuries could have resulted from an accident. An expert in memory testified that Todd’s confusion about the morning’s events could stem from psychological trauma. Additionally, defense attorneys introduced video from police pipe-drop tests, showing that a similar pipe could bounce unpredictably—evidence they said supported the plausibility of Todd’s story.
The Ongoing Fight for Justice
Despite these new arguments, the court denied Todd Kendhammer’s request for a new trial. Prosecutor Tim Gruenke has stood by the original verdict, maintaining that the evidence points clearly to homicide and not accident. He stated unequivocally in a recent interview that he had no doubt about the conviction.
Meanwhile, Jessica and Jordan continue to campaign for their father’s release. They maintain that Todd has been wrongly convicted and that their mother’s death was indeed a tragic accident. Their advocacy has kept the case in the public eye, with 48 Hours serving as a platform to highlight both the emotional toll on the family and the unanswered questions that still linger.
A Case Without Clear Closure
“Mystery on County Road M” illustrates the enduring complexity of the Todd Kendhammer case. While the state sees a clear-cut murder staged as an accident, the defense points to inconsistencies in the investigation, shifting expert opinions, and a lack of clear motive. Nearly ten years later, the question remains: was this a tragic roadside accident or a carefully constructed cover-up?
The episode underscores how difficult it can be to reach absolute certainty in cases driven by circumstantial evidence and disputed forensics. With appeals exhausted for now, Todd Kendhammer remains behind bars, but for his children and supporters, the search for justice continues.
More “Mystery on County Road M”
- “Mystery on County Road M”: 48 Hours Revisits the Controversial Case of Todd Kendhammer December 27 2025
- Who Is Todd Kendhammer & Where Is He Now? 2025 Update & Background
- Who Was Barbara Kendhammer & What Happened to Her? 2025 Update & Background
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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