New Evidence Challenges Conviction in Wife's Highway Death

A Wisconsin man serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife is fighting for a new trial, with his defense claiming new evidence supports his long-held story that her death was a tragic accident. The case centers on a disputed 2018 incident where a metal pipe allegedly crashed through a car windshield on a rural road [36322].

Todd Kendhammer was convicted of killing his wife, Barbara, after a jury rejected his account of a freak accident. He testified that a pipe flew off a truck and struck their vehicle, fatally injuring his wife [36233]. Prosecutors successfully argued that the scene was staged, pointing to a lack of physical evidence, such as paint transfer, to support Kendhammer's story [36322].

Now, Kendhammer's new legal team claims to have obtained critical new evidence that corroborates the accident narrative. While full details have not been publicly disclosed, the development has prompted a judicial review to determine if the conviction should be overturned [36233]. The case first drew national attention when investigators declared the scene a "staged event" shortly after the incident [36322].

In a related but separate development, the adult children of another man accused of murdering his wife in a staged car crash have publicly defended their father. They argue the alleged crime is illogical, noting he had access to numerous firearms at home, yet the death occurred in a vehicle [36321]. These parallel cases highlight the complex interplay between accident claims and murder allegations in suspicious death investigations.

A judge is expected to rule on whether Kendhammer will receive a new trial based on the purported new evidence [36233].