Naman Shrestha
On January 7, 2007, the Stermer house in Michigan went up in flames, leading to the passing of Todd Stermer, who was married to Linda Stermer. When the authorities investigated the murder, they found multiple pieces of circumstantial evidence against Linda, who maintained her innocence throughout. While her daughters stood by her side, her sons believed that she was responsible for the death of their father. Given the complexities of the case, Linda went through a couple of trials over the course of nearly two decades. CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Death of Todd Stermer’ chronicles the homicide case and the intricate details of the investigation and the first trial.
Linda Stermer Claimed That She Had No Intention of Hitting Todd Stermer With the Van
Born on November 16, 1964, to Marti Bakhuyzen, Linda Kay Stermer met Todd Stermer in 1989, when both of them were 25 years old. By that time, she had separated from her previous partner, with whom she shared two daughters — Ashley and Brittany. Likewise, Todd was in the middle of a divorce, too. They began dating and welcomed two sons into the world — Trevor and Trenton. In August 1993, the couple made their relationship official in the eyes of the law by tying the knot. They even took in and raised Linda’s nephew, Cory, as one of their own. The couple also had around 31 horses on their property. Throughout the course of their marriage, Todd was allegedly violent towards Linda and her daughters.
According to Ashley and Brittany, he used to strike them with his hands, belts, and horse reins. However, his son denied seeing Todd’s alleged violent side. The couple also got into arguments and fights about money. After nearly two decades of togetherness, Linda reportedly planned to divorce him. On the fateful morning of January 7, 2007, she claimed that she was busy doing laundry in the basement of their house, which was located in a rural area outside Kalamazoo, Michigan. As per her accounts, she heard Todd scream for help from the living room, where he was on fire along with the house. Linda alleged that she tried to help him, but when she couldn’t, she ran outside the house. Linda then jumped inside her husband’s van and claimed that she noticed him escape the burning home.
She stated in the documentary, “He’s jumping around and he’s patting himself. His skin is burnt terribly…I’m screaming at him, get in the van…And he won’t get in the van. I can’t touch him…And, so, I get back in the van…And I lost sight of him.” When the authorities arrived at the scene, they found Todd dead and the van’s front bumper had his blood on it. Linda claimed that she was not aware of running over him or hitting him with the vehicle, which allegedly got out of control due to the driveway being wet and muddy. Despite the best efforts of the paramedic, he died from the burn injuries. During the investigation, the detectives learned that Linda had gone to the gas station that fateful morning and reportedly collected fuel inside a gas can instead of filling up the car. Two years later, they gathered enough evidence against her and arrested her on June 5, 2009, charging her with arson and the murder of her husband.
Linda Stermer’s Conviction Was Overturned After Nearly Nine Years of Imprisonment
Maintaining her innocence, Linda Stermer went on trial on January 5, 2010. During the trial, her sons took the stand and testified that she insisted they go to the movies on the fateful morning. They also accused her of drugging Todd before setting the house on fire. One of Linda’s former friends, Kate Fox, also testified against her, accusing her of having an affair with her coworker, Chris Williams. Meanwhile, the defense argued that Kate had a history of psychiatric illness, making her testimony less credible. Linda claimed that the reason she made her sons go to the movies was that the couple was in the middle of a heated argument and had been planning to leave Todd that day.
Moreover, a couple of jail informants also claimed that the defendant had admitted to starting the fire at the house and hitting her husband with a blunt object. By the end, on January 13, 2010, the jury found her guilty of killing Todd Stermer, and a month later, she received a life imprisonment sentence without the possibility of parole. However, after filing multiple appeals over the following years, her conviction was overturned on December 20, 2018, and she was released from custody. Almost instantly, the prosecution filed an appeal to get her conviction reinstated, but the court denied the request on May 15, 2020.
Linda Stermer is Currently Incarcerated at a Michigan Prison Facility After a Second Conviction
Linda remained a free woman until she was back in court on March 27, 2025, facing the second jury for her murder charge. During the second trial, her sons again testified against her while her daughters testified to her innocence. The prosecution also focused on the inconsistent statements of the defendant during the investigation. On April 12, the jury deliberated for seven and a half hours and convicted Linda of first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder. More than a month later, on May 19, her sentencing hearing took place.
During the hearing, Todd’s family members took the stand and gave victim impact statements. His sister called the convict evil and stated, “I have zero forgiveness in my heart for Linda and I hope when death comes for her, I hope it is as painful and agonizing as what you put Todd through. You deserve it. You are an awful human being.” Linda also took the stand and said, “I came to this court filled with hope, hope that the questions which had been unanswered for so long would finally be answered, that this would finally be proven to all that the tragedy that took Todd from our lives was an accident and not a crime. While I stand before you, innocent and wrongfully convicted, I’m prepared for the battle ahead.”
She added, “My husband, my family, my daughters, friends and legal team, remain confident that this conviction will also be overturned.” Ultimately, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, she was credited for 3,367 days that she had already served behind bars. As of today, the 60-year-old killer is serving her sentence at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Read More: Daniel “Danny” Bezemer: Where is Justine Vanderschoot’s Killer Now?
