PAYETTE, Idaho (Court TV) — Prosecutors in Idaho have announced their intent to seek the death penalty for a woman they say killed her twin toddlers.
Andrea Shaw appears in court on Aug. 18, 2026. (Court TV)
Andrea Shaw, 23, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her 18-month-old children, identified in court documents as D.S. and T.S. Shaw appeared briefly at a hearing in August to enter the not-guilty pleas, and has maintained through court filings that her children died not at her hands, but from reactions to vaccines.
In his notice of intent to seek the death penalty, prosecutor Ryon Sirucek wrote that the state will rely on four aggravating circumstances. “At the time the murder was committed, the defendant also committed another murder,” Sirucek wrote. “The murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity.” Sirucek also wrote that the defendant “exhibited utter disregard for human life” and that her conduct “has exhibited a propensity to commit murder which will probably constitute a continuing threat to society.”
While D.S. and T.S. died in May 2025, Shaw wasn’t arrested until July 2026 — days after she had given birth to another baby prematurely. In a motion seeking release, Shaw’s attorney described her as “sweet and quiet” and noted that Shaw was still breastfeeding when she was taken into custody. Citing concerns about the safety of the newborn, Judge Kiley Stuchlik revoked Shaw’s bond and ordered her to stay in jail pending her trial.
Shaw’s defense team maintains her innocence. In an affidavit filed with her motion to reduce her bond, Shaw’s mother-in-law wrote that the defendant repeatedly sought medical care for her children in the days after she reluctantly agreed to have them vaccinated at their pediatrician’s office. While Shaw’s defense attorney has said that the coroner doesn’t agree with the prosecution’s theory that the children were suffocated, prosecutors said at a recent hearing that three doctors had reviewed the case files and all had ruled out vaccines as contributing to the children’s deaths.
Court records indicate that Shaw has added a new attorney to her team, with California attorney Richard Jaffe granted pro hac vice admission to practice in the Idaho court in a filing last week. Jaffe will represent Shaw alongside her previous attorney, Joseph Filicetti.
Shaw’s next status conference is scheduled for Nov. 4. No trial date has been set.
