An Idaho mother who said her toddler twins died after vaccinations has
been charged with murder
[July 07, 2026]
By JOSH KELETY
An Idaho woman who said her toddler twins died last year after being
vaccinated faces murder charges connected to their deaths, authorities
said.
A grand jury indicted Andrea Shaw, who is accused of suffocating her
18-month-old twins in May 2025, on two counts of first-degree murder on
June 29, according to court records and a statement from the Payette
Police Department.
While appearing last year 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. — Shaw said her twins died
after getting vaccinated. Kennedy has not been affiliated with the group
since December 2024, when he formally resigned as chairman to join
President Donald Trump's administration.
Shaw, 23, was arrested by Boise police officers Tuesday and arraigned
Thursday. She is being held on a $2 million bond and could face life in
prison or the death penalty if convicted or if she pleads guilty to
first-degree murder. Her next court appearance is July 14.
Joe Filicetti, an attorney representing Shaw, wrote in a text message
that she "denies anything and everything" and that the state “cannot
prove” the criminal charges.
“We will defend her with wholeheartedness,” Filicetti added.
The Payette Police Department and the Payette County prosecutor's office
declined to comment Monday.
During her May 2025 appearance on the Children's Health Defense show,
Shaw said she found her twins dead in their room days after they got
vaccinated for the flu and other diseases.
“They had got their shots at the same time by two nurses at the same
time,” Shaw said. "And they got sick.”
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.
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In this image taken from court video, Andrea Shaw attends a court
hearing remotely via video, on July 2, 2026, in the Payette County
District Court in Payette, Idaho. (KIVI-TV via AP)
Shaw is also a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit brought by Children’s
Health Defense and others against the American Academy of
Pediatrics. The lawsuit, which was filed in January in federal court
in Washington, accuses the American Academy of Pediatrics of
racketeering for its “central role in an enterprise that has
defrauded American families about the safety of the childhood
vaccine schedule for several decades.” In the lawsuit, Shaw is
described as a mother “whose children died following routine
vaccinations administered according to AAP guidelines.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics has asked the court to dismiss
the suit, asserting in an April court filing that it is the “latest
missive in a campaign targeting” the academy and its “use of
science-backed evidence in vaccine policy.”
In January, pediatricians and other experts became alarmed when U.S.
health officials made broad changes to childhood vaccine guidance,
dropping several universal recommendations. Kennedy, who helped lead
the anti-vaccine movement for years, said the changes better align
the U.S. with peer nations “while strengthening transparency and
informed consent.”
In March, a federal judge blocked the changes and said Kennedy
likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine
advisory committee. But the judge’s order is not the final word; the
blocks are temporary, pending either a trial or a decision for
summary judgment.
___
Kelety reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Laura Ungar in
Louisville contributed.
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