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By Ed Meyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 07:52 p.m. EST, Nov 20, 2009
Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh filled in the details that have gone largely unanswered since a Hudson man was arrested in April after the beating death of his mother and brother on the grounds of their sprawling Hudson home.
Michael S. Knudson, 40, who was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 22 years, stood shackled before the bench and showed no sign of emotion as the bizarre details were described.
Walsh told the judge that Knudson killed his mother, Patricia Knudson, 64, and her son, John Knudson, 42, after they got into an argument on the night of April 1 over the foreclosure of their 16-acre property on Connecticut Woods Drive.
''His explanation for his behavior, for why he did this,'' Walsh said, ''was that his mother and brother were yelling at him and blaming him for not contributing financially [as] they were losing the family home to foreclosure. He said he just lost control and snapped.''
According to Walsh, the murder weapon was a hatchet-type device.
Walsh said autopsies showed the skulls of both victims were ''completely smashed'' from approximately 20 blows.
No traces of DNA were found under their fingernails, which would have been a sign that they tried to fight back, and Michael Knudson had no injuries to his body, Walsh said.
The prosecutor told Common Pleas Judge Thomas A. Teodosio that the details were derived from a presentence investigative report prepared for the court.
She asked Teodosio to sentence Knudson to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 30 years.
However, when Knudson pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, his sister, Kate Hoyman, flew in from her home in Colorado and asked the judge to show some mercy.
Hoyman asked for a sentence of 20 years to life, saying she and two of her brothers were in agreement on the lesser sentence so that their brother would have some hope of a life after prison.
''It might be hard for some people to understand that,'' she said in her brief remarks last month, ''but I want the truth to set him free and all of us free.''
After hearing Walsh's presentation, Teodosio gave Knudson 15 years to life for each murder and ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
He then gave Knudson seven additional years for his guilty plea to aggravated arson and ordered that sentence to run after the first two.
Knudson also was given one year for his plea to tampering with evidence; that sentence is to run concurrently with the others.
After the murders, Knudson buried the bodies and set the home on fire April 5, opening all the windows so that it would burn rapidly, Walsh said.
''This house, which was a very large house, burned completely to the ground,'' Walsh told the judge. ''The only thing left standing was the garage.''
The bodies were discovered April 11, after hours of searching by local authorities and the use of cadaver dogs, Walsh said.
Knudson, in a barely audible apology, said he loved his family and friends, ''especially my sister Kate,'' then ended his brief remarks by saying the matter was ''in God's hands.''
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh filled in the details that have gone largely unanswered since a Hudson man was arrested in April after the beating death of his mother and brother on the grounds of their sprawling Hudson home.
Michael S. Knudson, 40, who was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 22 years, stood shackled before the bench and showed no sign of emotion as the bizarre details were described.
Walsh told the judge that Knudson killed his mother, Patricia Knudson, 64, and her son, John Knudson, 42, after they got into an argument on the night of April 1 over the foreclosure of their 16-acre property on Connecticut Woods Drive.
''His explanation for his behavior, for why he did this,'' Walsh said, ''was that his mother and brother were yelling at him and blaming him for not contributing financially [as] they were losing the family home to foreclosure. He said he just lost control and snapped.''
According to Walsh, the murder weapon was a hatchet-type device.
Walsh said autopsies showed the skulls of both victims were ''completely smashed'' from approximately 20 blows.
No traces of DNA were found under their fingernails, which would have been a sign that they tried to fight back, and Michael Knudson had no injuries to his body, Walsh said.
The prosecutor told Common Pleas Judge Thomas A. Teodosio that the details were derived from a presentence investigative report prepared for the court.
She asked Teodosio to sentence Knudson to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 30 years.
However, when Knudson pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, his sister, Kate Hoyman, flew in from her home in Colorado and asked the judge to show some mercy.
Hoyman asked for a sentence of 20 years to life, saying she and two of her brothers were in agreement on the lesser sentence so that their brother would have some hope of a life after prison.
''It might be hard for some people to understand that,'' she said in her brief remarks last month, ''but I want the truth to set him free and all of us free.''
After hearing Walsh's presentation, Teodosio gave Knudson 15 years to life for each murder and ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
He then gave Knudson seven additional years for his guilty plea to aggravated arson and ordered that sentence to run after the first two.
Knudson also was given one year for his plea to tampering with evidence; that sentence is to run concurrently with the others.
After the murders, Knudson buried the bodies and set the home on fire April 5, opening all the windows so that it would burn rapidly, Walsh said.
''This house, which was a very large house, burned completely to the ground,'' Walsh told the judge. ''The only thing left standing was the garage.''
The bodies were discovered April 11, after hours of searching by local authorities and the use of cadaver dogs, Walsh said.
Knudson, in a barely audible apology, said he loved his family and friends, ''especially my sister Kate,'' then ended his brief remarks by saying the matter was ''in God's hands.''
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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N. Canton, Oh
Posted 07:33 AM, 11/21/2009
I would show no mercy....he didn't show any for his elderly mother and his brother....
Hilton Head Island, SC
Posted 09:54 AM, 11/21/2009
SAD
Akron, Oh
Posted 10:03 AM, 11/21/2009
Thats ridiculous. They should give him the death sentence. Why would his sister ask for mercy on his behalf? It makes me think she was involved. Probably pumped her brothers head with the idea. I wouldn't be surprised if she is the full beneficiary.
Akron, OH
Posted 11:10 AM, 11/21/2009
============
@HossB who posted:
Thats ridiculous. They should give him the death sentence.
============
Remember this absolutely inappropriately soft sentence (remember, he plead guilty of TWO murders, hiding the bodies, burning the house down, and more) when Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh and Common Pleas Judge Thomas Teodosio come up for re-election.
Voting both of these individuals out of office is the way that residents can show that we expect those who control the judicial system to take a strong stand in sentencing for these kinds of horrendous cases.
Perhaps if Sherri Bevan Walsh had asked for two life sentences instead of just 30 years, Teodosio wouldn't have been able to justify a puny 22 year sentence.
Akron, OH
Posted 01:00 PM, 11/21/2009
=============
(Common Pleas Judge Thomas A.) Teodosio gave Knudson 15 years to life for each murder and ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
=============
According to the Prosecutor Office's press release:
"the medical examiner found that the object was likely a hatchet type of weapon because of the nature of the victim's wounds.
Both victims had been struck on the head approximately 20 times.
Patricia had a chop type of mark on her arm that appeared to be a defensive wound.
John's head had numerous blows to it, and he also suffered trauma to his neck, as his Adams Apple was crushed.
John's hand was split down the middle, again a defensive wound"
Please tell me Judge Teodosio, was this DOUBLE MURDER not quite violent enough for you?
How in God's green earth does an act of this nature not deserve more than 15 years in jail?
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 01:34 PM, 11/21/2009
Probably for the same reason the horse doer got 3 and the mom in the Falls who drowned her baby got 2.The system is failed as a whole.It needs completely rebooted and all rewritten.A friend of mine just got 8 days in scj ,he is on probation and took a vicodin.ONE vicodin and he has to do 8 days cuz of it.
This sicko murderer will appeal this and I betcha he is out sooner than that.
Akron, OH
Posted 03:21 PM, 11/21/2009
Good grief. Kate was not involved. That's the only family she has. Of course she's going to ask for mercy for her brother. So would you.
Akron, OH
Posted 03:40 PM, 11/21/2009
@B&G...
Would you hold the same sympathy for some of the "my baby, my baby, my baby" relatives crying out for a lesser sentence for someone who slit the throat of one of your loved ones?
Knudson didn't act in a moment of passion, he took deliberate actions to not only kill his mother and brother, but to also bury their bodies to hide them from investigators and to burn the house to hide his crime.
Mercy of the court should come to someone who shows that they can be rehabilitated or can be a benefit to society, not because a relative says "He's all I've got left".
Sherri Bevin Walsh and Thomas Teodosio blew it... plain and simple.
akron, oh
Posted 10:11 PM, 11/21/2009
OK, stop bashing this guy, until you know how messed up his head is. Yes, he deserves life in prison. No, he doesn't deserve a death sentence. He was acting in response to his mother's request to end her financial agony. She wanted to die, and some believe this whole thing was her idea. Mike has ALWAYS been confused about right and wrong. His father's death made life impossible to continue for her, and he thought he was helping.
Posted 11:23 PM, 11/21/2009
You all make me sick. I know Kate and she is one of the most sweet and compassionate people I will ever know. Until you know the forgiveness of the Lord and how he has saved all of us if we ask, then you can never know true forgiveness. Kate knows that forgiveness and loves her family dearly. This is her brother and knowing the type of person her mother was, she would want the family to continue to love Michael and that is what Kate and her brothers will do. They do not like what happened, but they love their brother. I don't think it is fair to comment if you have never experienced anything like this. Please continue to pray for Kate and her family. They will need it.
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 04:49 PM, 11/22/2009
Your right Larry.The twisted minds that even involve her in any of this is, mind boggling, to say the least.
