From Tragedy to Truth

FUNDRAISER STORY

My daughter faces a Murder-2 indictment for the hot-car deaths of my granddaughters. She didn't murder her girls and should present her truth of what all happened--alongside the prosecutor's--to a jury of her peers. I seek help to pay for the privilege.

In 2018 in Clay County, MO where my daughter's trial will be held next spring, 1,865 felony cases were filed. Eight went to jury trial, and just 5 of those reached a verdict; that's less than 1/2 of 1%. The majority opinion in US Supreme Court case "Missouri vs. Frye" (2012) points out, “'Plea bargaining is...not some adjunct to the criminal justice system; it is the criminal justice system.'”

My daughter, Jenna Madelyn Boedecker, did not murder her daughters, Ireland and Etta June. The stack of charges the local grand jury granted the prosecutor, with MO state sentencing laws, could mean 32 to 100 years in prison if convicted. Is it any wonder that 99.57% of last year's defendants in Clay County took plea bargains?

Should Jenna falsely claim she killed her babies to ensure she spends less than the rest of her life in prison? Or should she exercise her right, guaranteed by the 6th Amendment to the Constitution, to present her case to a jury of her peers? When you consider that opting for a jury trial will cost a minimum of another $35,000, does she really even have a choice?

I'm taking up this collection to enable her to exercise what used to be a right but in effect has become a privilege: the option to present her truth of what happened alongside the prosecutor's version of the story and let the jury decide her level of responsibility. Please take a stand for the virtue of our Constitutional rights by giving to this cause.

Please view my videos, From Tragedy to Truth and News & Social Media .

My granddaughters perished in an overheated car the morning of July 4, 2018 as their mother slept alongside them. Eight months later, the Prosecuting Attorney (PA) went to a grand jury and obtained an indictment alleging she killed them. During those months, Jenna was jailed awaiting adjudication on 3rd degree domestic assault charges leveled by her husband and his mother when they learned the girls had passed -- charges also leveled through grand jury indictment rather than a probable cause evidentiary hearing in front of a judge, the defendant and the public.

The PA's indictment is not a conclusion that addresses the entire story behind the loss of our sweet babies. In recent months at two motions hearings, evidence presented and the judge's rulings clarify some key aspects of the case.

• The defendant was asleep in the vehicle with her children.
• Forensics support that neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor.
• The $500,000 bond from the grand jury is not warranted, and threats leveled should the defendant be released endanger her life. The judge reduced her bond by $450,000 and granted permission for the defendant to take up residency out of state while awaiting her spring 2020 trial.

For all reasons stated above, I cannot in good conscience advise my daughter to roll over on the charges.

After interviewing nine highly recommended local attorneys, I hired one last September to represent Jenna in the domestic assault case. Having done so -- and because the charges for the girls' deaths were linked to the original case through "superseding indictment" -- Jenna is no longer eligible for a public defender.

Since this nightmare started, my goal has been simply that we all eventually heal from the devastatingly tragic loss of our sweet little girls. Same for Jenna, regardless of the legal consequences she has to walk through. In my experience, lasting recovery only comes through rigorous honesty. Please consider helping me fund the jury trial to surface the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so that appropriate justice and healing for all of us left behind is the final conclusion.

Any additional funds will be donated to 1 or more local non-profit/s supporting children's wellness, survivors of domestic abuse and/or criminal justice reform.

Thank you very much for your consideration and, in advance, for any amount you might give.

Always Faithful, Bo Boedecker

Full text of articles and sources of statistical information above and in videos are linked below:

The girls' deaths and legal proceedings

Hot-car deaths (a growing national problem)

Public Defender Crisis in Missouri

State Audit of Clay County government

Trends in our criminal justice system

Abusive domestic relationships (coming soon)