Murder trial postponed; Kavanagh case moved to September 2018
By Adam Rollins, Record Staff Writer
Posted 11/7/19
The trial of a man charged in a horrific triple murder has been pushed back almost a year. This is the third time the trial date has been moved for Shawn Kavanagh, 26, of Bellflower, who is accused …
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Murder trial postponed; Kavanagh case moved to September 2018
Posted
By Adam Rollins, Record Staff Writer
The trial of a man charged in a horrific triple murder has been pushed back almost a year.This is the third time the trial date has been moved for Shawn Kavanagh, 26, of Bellflower, who is accused in the stabbing deaths of two women and a child in a Valentine’s Day attack Feb. 14, 2014, at a home south of Jonesburg. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Kavanagh. He has pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges, including three counts of first-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action, first-degree domestic assault and first-degree burglary, for the murders of Tara Lynn Fifer, 22, of Montgomery City, and Lexy Vandiver, 29, and her son, Mason Vandiver, 7, both of Jonesburg.He also is charged with critically injuring his estranged wife, Jescie Powell Kavanagh.Shawn Kavanagh is being represented by two attorneys from the Missouri Public Defender’s Office, who say they have not had enough time to prepare for his trial.He originally was set to be tried Jan. 9, 2017, but the trial date was pushed back to April 24, and then to Oct. 16. The trial now has been moved to Sept. 17, 2018, and is scheduled for five days.Kavanagh is represented by new attorneys this year, Robert Lundt and Tara Crane, both of St. Louis County. The attorneys say their case load combined with staffing issues at the public defender’s office have prevented them from thoroughly investigating Kavanagh’s case.“Neither Mr. Lundt, nor Ms. Crane has had adequate time to prepare for Mr. Kavanagh’s trial. It is not possible for an attorney to try a death penalty case in less than six months,” Lundt stated in a motion for continuance asking Judge Wes Dalton to postpone the trial.Compounding the situation, Crane does not have previous capital trial experience and Lundt has never taken a capital trial to its verdict, the motion states.On top of defending Kavanagh at trial, the attorneys also need to prepare for the aftermath of a guilty verdict, in which case they would have to present an argument for sparing Kavanagh’s life. That means conducting a deep background investigation of Kavanagh’s history and mental health, searching for any factors that could somehow mitigate the severity of the crimes. The public defenders have identified more than 50 people to interview for that purpose and have not yet contacted any of them, according to the motion for continuance.“Beginning trial at the date currently scheduled (Oct. 16), while investigation and preparation remains to be done in a case that is neither factually nor legally simple or straightforward, would deny the defendant the basic tools of an adequate defense,” the motion states.Dalton granted the motion for continuance on June 6. Kavanagh is in custody at the Warren County Jail.Brutal SlayingPolice said Shawn Kavanagh went to the home in the 26000 block of Humber Road, located off Highway Y, at approximately 7:45 p.m. on Feb. 14, 2014. Jescie Kavanagh was staying there with Lexy Vandiver, a co-worker at New Florence Care Center, and her two children.After being asked to leave, Shawn Kavanagh went to his car and returned with a knife and began attacking the women and the boy, police allege.Tara Fifer, another co-worker, had stopped by the home to check on Jescie Kavanagh shortly before the attack occurred, family members said.Shawn Kavanagh placed a 911 call at 7:51 p.m. and told the dispatcher that he had just stabbed his wife and killed several people. Lexy Vandiver and Fifer were found stabbed to death. Jescie Kavanagh was airlifted to a Columbia hospital. Mason Vandiver, who suffered multiple stab wounds, died four days later at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center in St. Louis.Vandiver’s 18-month-old daughter was found unharmed inside the home.Shawn Kavanagh was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault a month prior to the deadly attack.The couple were married for 10 months before separating three weeks prior to the Valentine’s Day attack, family members said.
Shawn Kavanagh, shown here after his arrest on Feb. 14, 2014.
