Evidence in the Barbara Kendhammer case Clutch Fire

Does the evidence show a cover-up, or was Todd Kendhammer wrongfully convicted for the murder of his wife? “48 Hours” investigates in “Mystery on County Road M.”

On  the morning of September 16, 2016, Todd Kendhammer called 911 reporting he and his wife, Barbara, had been in a car accident on a rural road near La Crosse, Wisconsin.  

During the call, a distraught Todd told the operator he believed Barbara was “… hit in the head and in the throat,” and when authorities arrived, Todd said the car was struck by a pipe that came off a truck.

Barbara was rushed to the hospital. Unable to survive her injuries, she passed away the next morning.

First responders at the scene

Todd  Kendhammer said Barbara was in the passenger seat when a metal pipe smashed through the front windshield of their car. Todd said he removed the pipe in order to take Barbara out of the car and administer CPR.

The pipe

Todd Kendhammer told investigators this pipe flew off a truck and struck his car’s windshield, resulting in Barbara’s death. However, investigators disagreed with Todd’s story, believing Todd murdered Barbara and smashed the pipe through the windshield himself to make her murder look like an accident.

Todd’s injuries

Photos taken  of Todd Kendhammer after the incident show injuries on his hands and scratches on his neck and chest.

Todd told investigators the injuries on his hands were from striking the windshield as a knee-jerk reaction when he saw the pipe coming towards him. He also told investigators the scratches on his neck and body were from working with glass. Todd replaced people’s broken windshields for extra income.

Authorities believed he was lying and thought the injuries were more likely from a physical struggle between him and Barbara.

Todd changes his story

On the day of the incident, Todd Kendhammer told authorities he was driving to the home of an acquaintance to pick up a truck to replace its windshield before dropping Barbara off at her job at a middle school cafeteria.

However,  during this videotaped police interview six days after the incident, investigator told Todd they spoke to the acquaintance, who said he was not expecting Todd and has not spoken to him for weeks. Todd then told investigators he was actually going to pick up a windshield from a friend of the acquaintance. But the acquaintance’s friend would later tell investigators he was also not expecting Todd or in need of a windshield replacement.

Todd’s  inability to substantiate his story raised suspicions with investigators and became a major piece of the evidence that led to his arrest in December of 2016 on charges of first-degree intentional homicide.

Children say their father is innocent

Todd Kendhammer’s arrest shocked Barbara and Todd’s children.

Jessica and Jordan told “48 Hours” their parents were in a loving relationship leading up to the tragic loss of their mother. Jessica says her parents “were at a really good time in their lives,” with the couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and Jessica  giving birth to their first grandchild.  Jessica tells”48 Hours” he didn’t do this.”

Todd Kendhammer takes the stand

Todd Kendhammer explained why he changed his story during his trial in December 2017. He said, “When I watch that video it’s me in the picture, but it’s not me talking. I’m not in the right state of mind talking in that. I wasn’t thinking of where I was going or what I was doing. I was thinking of Barb.”

The cracks on the car windshield

The source of these windshield fractures was a highly disputed topic during Todd Kendhammer’s trial.  

A glass expert for Todd’s defense team supported Todd’s version of events during his testimony. He claimed there were three impact points on the windshield. The first impact point confirms Todd’s account of punching the windshield from the inside after seeing the pipe coming towards the car. The second impact point is from the pipe going through the windshield. And the third impact point was caused while Todd was pulling the pipe out while attempting to help Barbara.

However, the state’s expert disagreed with the defense’s expert on the order of which these impacts occurred. Prosecutors argued this is more evidence showing that Todd intentionally damaged the windshield. They also pointed to other crime lab findings which they claim proves the infeasibility of Todd’s version of events.

The medical examiner testifies

The medical examiner who conducted Barbara’s autopsy, Dr. Kathleen McCubbin, testified at Todd Kendhammer’s trial that Barbara’s cause of death was due to “blunt impact injuries of her head and neck.”

In Dr. McCubbin’s autopsy report, she wrote the “pattern of injuries is inconsistent” with Todd Kendhammer’s account of the pipe falling off a truck. She also noted countless other injuries, such as scratches on the neck, a broken nose, and bruising all over her body could suggest a physical altercation before her death.

Todd’s defense attorneys did not call their own forensic pathologist, but tried to create reasonable doubt during cross-examination.

Travel mug may hold some answers

Barbara Kendhammer’s large travel mug was found on the floor of the passenger seat at the scene.

Todd Kendhammer’s defense attorney asked Dr. McCubbin if the mug could have slammed into her face if she ducked to avoid the pipe and caused some of the injuries. Dr. McCubbin’s response was, “… it could be, it’s a possibility.”

Todd Kendhammer is found guilty

Todd Kendhammer was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide on December 15, 2017.

He was sentenced to life in prison and is eligible for parole after 30 years.

A new defense team

After Todd Kendhammer’s  conviction, his children Jordan and Jessica brought on high-powered attorneys, Jerry Buting and Kathleen Stilling. With their help, Todd was granted an evidentiary hearing. It was a chance to argue Todd’s original defense team was ineffective and there was critical new evidence in the case.

A compelling argument?

In August 2021, defense attorneys Buting and Stilling brought in experts during Todd Kendhammer’s evidentiary hearing.

One of those experts is a forensic pathologist who disagreed with Dr. McCubbin’s findings. She believes Barbara Kendhammer’s injuries likely weren’t due to a physical assault and said Barbara  “died as a result cranial cerebral injuries due to a vehicular accident.”

An expert on human memory testified Todd’s struggle to remember what happened can be explained by mental trauma from the incident.

Pipe drop test

During the initial investigation, local authorities attempted to reconstruct Todd Kendhammer’s story by dropping a similar pipe off the back of a truck. The videos of their test show the pipe bouncing off the ground once out of the four times it was dropped.

However, the videos were not presented in court until Todd’s evidentiary hearing.  defense attorneys Jerry Buting and Kathleen Stilling believe they should have been presented during the trial, claiming the test results would have supported Todd’s story. 

“In your minds, those videos show it could have happened,”  “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty remarked during her interview with  Buting and Stilling. Buting replied, “That’s the point, yes.”

Requests denied

Todd Kendhammer’s requests for a new trial have been denied.