Idaho seeks death penalty for mother who blamed vaccines for twins' deaths
Prosecutor says suffocation is the only conceivable explanation, she had joined Children's Health Defense lawsuit against pediatricians
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An Idaho prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against Andrea Shaw, who is charged with murder in the deaths of her twin toddlers last year (KIVI-TV)
KIVI-TV
Payette County prosecutors in Idaho have formally notified a court that they will seek the death penalty against Andrea Shaw, a 23-year-old mother charged with murdering her 18-month-old twin toddlers. Shaw has maintained her innocence and blamed the deaths on routine childhood vaccinations.
According to court records, the twins were found lifeless in their shared bed on May 1, 2025. Eight days earlier they had received routine shots for hepatitis A, influenza and DTaP, and the day after the injections Shaw took them to an emergency room reporting fever and lethargy. Staff treated the symptoms as a typical vaccine reaction, gave the toddlers Tylenol and a popsicle, and sent them home.
Prosecutor Mike Duke wrote in court filings that an autopsy revealed signs of smothering, and that suffocation "is the only conceivable explanation" for how the twins died. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ryon Sirucek notified the court of the state's intent to pursue capital punishment, citing four statutory aggravating factors: multiple murders committed simultaneously, killings especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, "utter disregard" for human life, and a continuing threat to society.
Within days of the deaths, Shaw appeared on a broadcast produced by Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now the Health and Human Services Secretary. She joined a federal lawsuit the group spearheaded against the American Academy of Pediatrics, alleging racketeering and false claims about vaccine safety; the academy has moved to dismiss it as a baseless attack on evidence-based medicine. Medical experts maintain that the hepatitis A, flu and DTaP shots are safe, effective and crucial for child health, and refute claims linking vaccines to the deaths.
Shaw's defense attorney, Joseph Filicetti, has said she "denies anything and everything" and that the prosecution "cannot prove" its case. A grand jury indicted her in July.
She remains in custody without bond. Her trial is scheduled for January.