BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against a woman charged with murder in the 2025 deaths of her twin toddlers.
Andrea Shaw, 23, has pleaded not guilty and has said the 18-month-old twins became sick and died after receiving flu shots and routine childhood vaccinations. But Payette County Prosecutor Mike Duke wrote in court documents that an autopsy revealed symptoms consistent with smothering and wrote that suffocation “is the only conceivable explanation” for their deaths.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Ryon Sirucek notified the court of his intent to seek the death penalty last week.
In the court document, Sirucek said the state would try to show that four aggravating factors make capital punishment appropriate in the case: That more than one murder was committed at the time; that the killings were especially heinous, atrocious or cruel; that the defendant showed “utter disregard” for human life; and that she would likely pose a continuing threat to society.
“That's outrageous,” said Shaw's attorney, Joseph Filicetti. “They're not going to be able to prove the underlying case beyond a reasonable doubt, so there's not a chance the death penalty is going to come into play.”
Filicetti said the defense team will be filing a motion to dismiss the case. He said the grand jury that indicted Shaw wasn't told that the county coroner found the cause of death to be undetermined but consistent with hyperthermia, or overheating. The pathologists who examined the twins also said their causes of death were undetermined, Filicetti said.
The prosecutor's office wrote in court documents that the temperature in the twins' room would often reach 100 degrees, but that the children had survived high temperatures before and that their time of death didn't correlate to the peak temperature of the day.
“They don't have any motive, they don't have any backstory, they don't have any confession ... She didn't do any of that, and they can't prove she did any of it,” Filicetti said.
The twins were found dead in their shared bed May 1, 2025, according to court records. They had been vaccinated eight days earlier, and the day after their vaccinations Shaw took them to the emergency room, reporting that they were lethargic and felt feverish. The doctor felt the symptoms were a reaction from the vaccinations, and the twins were given Tylenol and a popsicle and sent home, according to the court records.
A few days after the twins' deaths, Shaw went on an internet show produced by Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group founded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He has not been affiliated with the group since December 2024, when he formally resigned as chairman to join President Donald Trump’s administration.
Medical experts point out that the childhood vaccines at issue — hepatitis A, influenza and DTaP — are safe and effective for kids and recommended by various medical groups.
Shaw is also a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit brought by Children’s Health Defense and others against the American Academy of Pediatrics, accusing the organization of racketeering and lying about the safety of vaccinations. The American Academy of Pediatrics has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it the “latest missive in a campaign targeting” the academy and its “use of science-backed evidence in vaccine policy.”
A grand jury indicted Shaw on the murder charges in July, and she is being held without bond. A trial has been set for January.
Associated Press writer Josh Kelety contributed.
This image taken from KIVI-TV video shows Andrea Shaw attending a court hearing remotely, July 2, 2026, in Payette County District Court in Payette, Idaho. (KIVI-TV via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg has only played one NBA game, yet he's already started a feisty feud with Luka Doncic.
The Golden State Warriors rookie began his career Wednesday night by refusing to back down from the reigning NBA scoring champion, who punctuated their prolonged on-court exchange of trash talk by making a spectacular half-court shot in Lendeborg's face at the halftime buzzer.
Doncic also won this fight decisively on the scoreboard when the Los Angeles Lakers blew out Lendeborg and the Warriors 127-105, with Doncic scoring 28 points in just three quarters.
Yet Lendeborg somehow wasn't finished talking: He called out the six-time All-Star as a complainer and a free-throw merchant during his postgame news conference.
“I lost all respect (for Doncic), man," Lendeborg said. “That was awful. ... A lot of flopping, a lot of foul-baiting, a lot of praying to the ref, man. Interesting first game for me, for sure."
The Warriors' 24-year-old rookie first-round pick said he sparred with Doncic on the court because of the Slovenian superstar's constant complaining to the officials — admittedly a common feature of most games in Doncic's nine-year career.
Lendeborg, who won an NCAA title with Michigan last season, said he enjoyed watching highlights of Doncic's electric scoring performances in the past — but he has a more jaded perspective on Doncic's skills now.
“Me getting frustrated, it’s not about the foul being called,” Lendeborg said. “It’s about him complaining the entire game, and then you get the foul call, and congratulations, bro. And then you talk to me like you did something great? Bro, come on. That’s just weak, you know? It kind of threw me off for a little while, because like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone, man. Gone.”
Lendeborg and Doncic exchanged insults for much of the second quarter, with Lendeborg being whistled for a technical foul after saying something so loud and profane it caught the officials' attention.
“I was telling him he sucks,” Lendeborg said with a smile. “‘You can’t score on me.’ I said it the whole game. I said a couple of cuss words, obviously. That’s why I got the technical and all that, but I was letting him know, because he was laughing and talking, all this because of that one foul call."
Doncic mostly laughed off Lendeborg's provocations, but the Lakers star obviously thrives amid confrontation. He was whistled for 16 technical fouls last season, earning a one-game suspension for exceeding the single-season limit.
“He was talking crazy, but I wasn’t trying to talk back this season,” Doncic said of Lendeborg. “Not trying to get techs. For the first time, that was not a double tech, because I didn’t say nothing, so I’m working on it. As you see, I think it worked great.”
Doncic got the ultimate victory at the final buzzer — but his halftime win was incredibly sweet as well.
“I knew that was going in before I got it in my hands,” Doncic said with a grin. “I work on those.”
He got the ball near the scorer's table and let it fly with nearly 3 seconds left on the clock. When it banked through and set off pandemonium in the Lakers' downtown arena, Doncic gleefully pointed at the fuming Lendeborg, who wasn't impressed.
“His only bucket on me was a banker from half court,” Lendeborg said. “I know it’s a team sport. He had 28 on us as a team. Me, I took my matchup personally. Tried not to get called on the fouls. Tried my best. I was thinking about playing him with my hands behind my back to see if that worked. Probably would have still got a foul call. But interesting.”
A Warriors official then steered Lendeborg away from further denigrating one of the greatest players in modern basketball, but the rookie had already done more than enough to stoke this burgeoning personal feud as a fascinating new addition to these California teams' historic rivalry.
Doncic and Lendeborg should see each other again Oct. 30, when the Lakers visit San Francisco.
See AP’s full NBA coverage here
Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler, right, shoots as Golden State Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers forward/guard Luka Doncic, left, looks to fans after scoring as Golden State Warriors forward/center Draymond Green takes the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
