Case Overview: On Sept. 16, 2016, Todd Kendhammer reported that a pipe pierced his car’s windshield and fatally injured his wife, Barbara. Investigators and the original medical examiner found the injuries inconsistent with that scenario, and surveillance footage did not show the truck Kendhammer described. Kendhammer was convicted of intentional homicide and sentenced to life with parole possible after 30 years; his family and new counsel, including Jerry Buting, continue to press for a new trial citing fresh forensic opinion.
Did a Staged Crash Hide a Wife's Murder? Inside the Kendhammer Case
Todd and Barbara Kendhammer / Credit: Barbara Kendhammer/Facebook
Todd Kendhammer says his wife, Barbara, was killed when a pipe flew through their windshield on a rural Wisconsin road on September 16, 2016. Investigators, forensic experts and prosecutors disputed that account, and Kendhammer was later convicted of intentional homicide. The case — and the family’s continuing fight for a new trial — is the subject of the "48 Hours" report "Mystery on County Road M."
What Happened
Just after 8 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2016, Kendhammer called 911 from a country road outside La Crosse, Wisconsin, saying, "A pipe or something came through the windshield." Barbara Kendhammer, 46, was rushed to the hospital and died the following day. The couple had recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
On the morning of September 16, 2016, Todd Kendhammer told investigators that a pipe flew off a truck, smashed through the windshield of his car, and gravely injured his wife Barbara. She later died at a hospital. / Credit: La Crosse County Sheriff's Office
Investigation And Key Evidence
An autopsy found Barbara died of blunt-force injuries to the head and neck and identified three lacerations on the back of her head. The medical examiner said those wounds were not consistent with the type of injury expected from a pipe of the size and weight Kendhammer described.
"She said that the injuries to Barb were very inconsistent with a pipe … that size and that weight coming through the windshield," said La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke.
Surveillance video from a nearby horse ranch captured the Kendhammers’ car passing about 7:57 a.m. that morning, but investigators found no footage of a truck traveling in the opposite direction that matched Kendhammer’s description. Kendhammer initially told police he and Barbara were going to collect a truck windshield for a man named Justin Heim, but investigators determined Heim had not ordered a windshield and Kendhammer did not know Heim’s address. Kendhammer later gave other accounts of where he was headed that morning.
Trial, Conviction And Sentencing
Kendhammer was arrested three months after the crash and tried the following year. At trial, experts disagreed about whether Barbara’s injuries resulted from an accident or a violent altercation and offered competing interpretations of the windshield’s fracture patterns. The prosecution argued Kendhammer staged a crash to conceal homicide; the defense said the event was a tragic accident.
Unusually for a defendant in such a case, Kendhammer testified. He said he had been distraught and confused during initial interviews, which explained inconsistent statements. The prosecution was unable to point to a clear motive: investigators found no evidence of infidelity, financial trouble or a history of domestic abuse.
Todd Kendhammer made the unusual decision to testify in his own defense. / Credit: WKBT
The jury convicted Kendhammer of intentional homicide. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Appeal And New Forensic Opinion
After the conviction the Kendhammer family retained attorney Jerry Buting (known for "Making a Murderer") and co-counsel Kathleen Stilling. In 2021, Kendhammer returned to court for an evidentiary hearing arguing ineffective assistance of counsel and presenting what his team calls critical new evidence. A forensic pathologist who testified at that hearing disputed the original medical examiner’s conclusions and said Barbara’s injuries could be consistent with an accident.
Voices And Current Status
The Kendhammer children publicly maintain their father’s innocence and say they will continue pursuing a new trial. The prosecutor, Tim Gruenke, says he remains confident in the conviction. The case continues to draw attention because of the conflicting forensic opinions and unresolved questions about how Barbara sustained her injuries.
Where It Stands Now: Kendhammer is serving his sentence while his legal team pursues appeals and post-conviction relief based on new forensic testimony and claims of ineffective assistance of counsel.
