Vanhemert Murder Trial Gets Underway

Luke Vanhemert (left) is introduced to the jury by his attorney Allen Cook, during opening remarks on Tuesday afternoon.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Two differing details of events on the evening of March 1, 2018, were shared with a jury panel of 10 women and four men Tuesday afternoon, as the trial of Luke Vanhemert began in Mahaska County District Court. Vanhemert is charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of William Penn University student Marquis Todd. Vanhemert has pled not guilty and asserted that he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Todd.

Assistant Attorney General Andy Prosser opened the case by recounting the events of March 1, 2018. Prosser said that the evening all started when Mikeal Donaldson, another student at William Penn University, left his dorm to go to the Phillips 66 gas station, also known as Jiffy, to buy some snacks. Prosser recounted that as Donaldson was heading south on North 3rd street, he collided with a car driven by Luke Vanhemert. However, Prosser said that this is where things took a turn for the ugly.

“The defendant’s reaction to that minor fender bender was anything but normal,” Prosser said.

Prosser stated that after the accident, Vanhemert, and an occupant in the vehicle with him, got out of his car and began yelling obscenities at Donaldson.

“One of them thumped the hood, and Mr. Donaldson was essentially so frightened that he had to back up a block to get away from this car with these three people in it, who instead of perhaps getting out to ask for insurance information, essentially, extremely, aggressively, attacked Mr. Donaldson in his car,” Prosser said.

Prosser said that the collision itself happened in front of Luke Vanhemert’s house, something he says Donaldson did not know at the time.

“He had, at that time, no idea who these people were, where they lived, where they came from, where they were going,” Prosser said.

According to Prosser, Donaldson waited and then attempted to proceed back down North 3rd Street to Jiffy. As he approached the same spot where the original accident occurred, a brick was hurled through his passenger side windshield and the driver’s side of his windshield was struck and broken by a stick. Prosser said at that time, Donaldson yelled out that he “would be back” and drove back to his dorm and met up with two of his friends, Marquis Todd and D’Angelo Allen. Prosser said that the trio went back to Vanhemert’s property and approached Vanhemert and a friend, Elijah Marcus, who was standing in the front yard area, to inquire about the damage to Donaldson’s vehicle.

“Out of nowhere, the defendant… essentially attacked Marquis Todd,” Prosser said.

Prosser said that Todd and Vanhemert fought with each other briefly, while Marcus fought with Donaldson and Allen.

“The whole skirmish lasted less than a minute, and it ended when Mr. Donaldson and Mr. Allen heard Marquis Todd say ‘I’m tazed, I’m tazed, I’m tazed,” Prosser said. “He hadn’t been tazed. He had been stabbed at least three times,” he added.

By this time, law enforcement had been notified of the fight in progress. However, before police could arrive, Prosser said, Donaldson drove off with Allen and Todd. Police met them at Jiffy, where police and Donaldson and Allen discovered that Todd had been stabbed, including one wound to the chest.

“For all intensive purposes, Mr. Todd’s life was over,” Prosser said.

Prosser said that after the incident, Vanhemert was interviewed by the police; however, he denied at that time that there had ever been a skirmish or that he had used any sort of self-defense.

“He denied having ever hit Mr. Todd, touched Mr. Todd, denied ever feeling his father was in danger, denied having had any weapon, denied having done anything except being pushed done,” Prosser said.

Prosser also noted that the murder weapon has never been found.

“Our evidence will rebut that his actions were justified,” he said, in ending his opening statement.

For his part, defense attorney Allen Cook recounted a much different order of events on March 1, 2018. Allen acknowledged that a car accident had occurred; however, he said that Vanhemert and his friends in the car felt blindsided.

“You’ll hear evidence that after the two cars made contact, Mikeal Donaldson backed up the car and he took off, leaving Luke Vanhemert and his friends with the impression that they’d been hit and run,” Cook said.

Cook challenged the state’s theory that Donaldson did not know at any point where Vanhemert lived.

“The evidence will establish, ladies and gentlemen, that Mikeal Donaldson came back and knew exactly where my client lives and he got two buddies to come help even the score,” Cook said. “It was the decision that Marquis Todd and his friends made that night that led to his death,” he added.

Cook also stated his theory that the car accident and damage to Donaldson’s car had nothing to do with the death of Marquis Todd.

“These events, the damage to the car, the accident itself, really is a separate incident, separate event from what happened,” he said. “I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen, that those facts, ultimately, won’t play a big part in your determination that my client acted in self-defense anyway,” Cook added.

Cook reminded the jury that the car accident the State recounted did not involve Marquis Todd.

“It’s important to point out that Marquis Todd was not involved in that auto accident, and he was not involved in anything that happened to Mikeal Donaldson’s car that he heard about,” Cook said.

Cook further challenged the State’s theory by stating that Vanhemert did not act aggressive towards Donaldson and tried to defuse the situation by returning home after the accident, where he was followed by Donaldson three times before Donaldson showed back up with Allen and Todd.

Before opening statements, prosecutors and defense attorneys spent most of the day whittling down a jury panel of close to 100 prospective jurors. Just before 3 p.m., a jury of 10 women and four men, all white, was seated to hear the case. Ultimately, 12 jurors will deliberate the case, while two will act as alternates; however, alternates will not be revealed until it is time for jury deliberations to begin.

Testimony will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, in Mahaska County District Court. Oskaloosa News will provide updates as the trial continues.