Suvechha Sarkar
Todd Joseph Stermer was a loving father of five and a dutiful husband. However, his purposeful life changed forever in January 2007 when he tragically passed away during a devastating fire that broke out at his house in Lawrence, Michigan. It soon became a mystery filled with suspicion, heartbreak, and unanswered questions for his loved ones and the community. CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Death of Todd Stermer’ dives deeper into the investigation that uncovered details about the fire being intentional. It also features interviews with his loved ones and the killer’s side of the story.
Todd Stermer Passed Away Shortly After the Paramedics Arrived
Born on November 22, 1964, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Todd Joseph Stermer was a blessing in the lives of his parents, Hilmer D. and Sandra Burke Stermer. He grew up surrounded by love and laughter alongside his brothers, Brad and Brock Duane, and sisters, Kathy and Kelly. After graduating from Portage Northern High School, he completed higher education at Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) in Michigan. Todd always loved coaching children in multiple sports, such as basketball, baseball, football, and softball. He was also a talented handyman with a knack for hunting and carpentry, which helped him build his own house. He later started his own business, selling hunting suits and gloves. In 1989, Todd met Linda Kay, and they soon began dating.
At the time, Linda was separated and had two young girls, Brittany and Ashley Gibson. On August 7, 1993, she and Todd finally got married, and over the next few years, they welcomed their two sons, Trenton and Trevor, into the world. When Linda’s nephew, Cory, was just two years old, Todd welcomed him into their family with open arms as his son. The family lived in Lawrence, in Van Buren County, Michigan. Everything seemed to be going well when 42-year-old Todd’s world turned upside down on January 7, 2007. Around 3 pm on that fateful day, his house suddenly caught on fire, and he was stuck inside for a while. Seeing the house up in flames, his neighbors, Mike Matheny and Connie Calhoun, rushed to the scene to help.
Linda, Mike, and Connie were initially unable to find Todd, but shortly after, they located him on the ground at the side of the house. They found he barely had any clothes, so Mike covered him with his own clothing. Todd reportedly suffered severe burns and was unable to speak when help arrived. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) tried their best to save him, but he succumbed to his burn injuries. Fire investigators noted that the fire originated in the living room. Further inspection revealed a gasoline can in the house’s front yard, indicating arson. Moreover, they found blood on the undercarriage and the front bumper of the family’s vehicle. Further inspection revealed the presence of gasoline on Todd’s sweatpants, underwear, and socks. The autopsy determined his cause of death to be smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.
Evidence From the Family Van Pointed Towards the Killer
Officials initially questioned Linda since she was present at home during the time of Todd’s death. She claimed that around 3 pm that day, she was doing laundry in the basement when she heard his scream. She allegedly went up to discover that the living room was on fire, and she rushed out through the front door without any shoes or a cell phone. Linda claimed she got into her van, allegedly to find help, and saw him through the driver’s side window. According to Linda, although she asked him to get into the car, he didn’t. She allegedly got out of the vehicle to help him, but lost sight of him. So, she got into the car again and tried to drive, but the muddy soil kept her from getting traction. So, Linda allegedly drove around the house to reach a sandy area, and that was when she saw the neighbors rushing in for help.
However, the car Linda was driving had blood on the undercarriage and the front bumper, which indicated that she might have run over Todd. Further investigation revealed that she and Todd were having problems in their marriage, and it reportedly boiled over the previous day, on January 6, 2007. According to Trenton and Trevor on the show, Linda and Todd had a big fight regarding finances and infidelity that evening. He had allegedly found out about Linda’s affair. However, her daughter, Ashley, claimed that Todd was controlling and also had anger issues. On the show, she alleged that Todd once attacked Linda, which left a bruise on her face. Detectives soon learned that at the time of his death, he was reportedly $75,000 in debt. Linda claimed that she planned to end their marriage on January 7.
Investigators discovered that Linda drove to a gas station nearby on the early morning of January 7, 2007. A clerk from there had reportedly testified that she thought she had seen Linda pumping gas at the back of the car into what seemed like a gasoline can. It pointed the officials to the one that was found at the scene. However, according to Linda’s claims on the show, she went behind the car to get her gloves since it was cold and allegedly filled the car tank just enough for her sons. She then reportedly went home and insisted that they go to the movies. She alleged that she did so because she didn’t want them to hear her and Todd’s arguments. Linda also claimed that the gasoline can found in their front yard was normal since they lived on a farm. Ultimately, Linda was arrested on June 5, 2009, and charged with premeditated first-degree murder and felony murder in the course of committing arson.
The Killer Was Brought to Justice After an Overturned Conviction and a Retrial
The trial of Linda began on January 5, 2010. During the trial, one of her co-workers, Kate Fox, testified that Linda was allegedly having an affair with another of her co-workers, Chris Williams. She reportedly testified in court that Linda had allegedly told her about being afraid that investigators would find a coffee cup she had used to drug Todd. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Todd reportedly had two rib fractures and four lacerations to the scalp before he got the thermal injuries. According to records, it led the investigators to believe that Linda beat him before setting the house on fire and running him over after he escaped the flames. Ultimately, she was convicted of both charges and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Over the next five years, Linda appealed her case in the State and Supreme Courts, but they were denied.
In 2016, Linda filed an amended petition in the Federal Court, which was granted and led to an evidentiary hearing in October 2018. One month later, the judge ruled that her trial was fundamentally unfair, reportedly pointing to prosecutorial misrepresentations, the lack of expert testimony, especially fire analysis, and the unreliability of key witness testimony. On December 20, 2018, Linda’s conviction was overturned, and she was released after serving almost nine years in prison. Michigan’s Attorney General appealed the federal ruling in the Federal Court of Appeals. However, the court denied the reinstatement of her conviction on December 3, 2019. Initially, her date for retrial was set on March 9, 2021, but the second trial began in March 2025. The jury again found her guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder. On May 19, 2025, Linda was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
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