Opening statements in Kehoe trial begin tomorrow

The jury was seated late this afternoon in the murder trial of Michelle Kehoe, 35, of Coralville, in Grundy County District Court, and opening statements will be 9 a.m. Thursday.

There are 12 jurors and three alternates for the trial.

Kehoe, charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, is accused of cutting the throat of her son Seth, 2, who died from injuries, and also for cutting the throat of her other son Sean, 7, who survived. Kehoe allegedly drove with the boys to a rural area near Littleton in Buchanan County last Oct. 27, and attacked them. Sean told police his mother duct taped his nose, mouth and eyes and cut him before going after his little brother, who he could hear crying in the van as he was attacked. Kehoe told her husband, Eugene, she was taking the boys to visit relatives.

Kehoe will claim insanity as her defense.

The trial was moved to Grundy County from Buchanan because the judge said there was extensive pretrial publicity and Kehoe couldn't receive a fair trial in that county.