Idaho mother who said her toddlers died after vaccinations accused of suffocating them, charged with murder
An Idaho woman who said her twin toddlers died after being vaccinated last year is facing murder charges in connection with their deaths, authorities said.
A grand jury indicted Andrea Shaw, who is accused of strangling her 18-month-old twins in May 2025, with two counts of first-degree murder on June 29, according to court records and a statement from the Payette Police Department.
While taking part in an internet program he produced last year Children’s Health Defense Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Shaw, an anti-vaccine group founded by, said her twins died after being vaccinated. Kennedy has had no connection with the group since December 2024, when he formally resigned as president to join President Donald Trump’s administration.
Shaw, 23, was arrested by Boise police officers on Tuesday and appeared in court on Thursday. He is being held on $2 million bail and could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted or pleading guilty to first-degree murder. His next hearing is on July 14.
Attorney Joe Filicetti, who represents Shaw, wrote in a text message that he “denies everything” and that the state “cannot prove” the accusations.
“We will defend him with all our hearts,” Filicetti added.
The Payette Police Department and the Payette County Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment Monday.
Shaw, who participated in the Children’s Health Advocacy program in May 2025, said she found her twins dead in their room days after they were vaccinated against flu and other illnesses.
“They were vaccinated at the same time by two nurses,” Shaw said. “And they got sick.”
Medical experts point out that the childhood vaccines in question (hepatitis A, influenza and DTaP) are safe and effective for children and are recommended by various medical groups.
Shaw is also a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense and others against the American Academy of Pediatrics. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington in January, accuses the American Academy of Pediatrics of blackmail for its “central role in an organization that has defrauded American families for decades about the safety of the childhood vaccination program.” The lawsuit describes Shaw as a mother “whose children died following routine vaccinations administered according to AAP guidelines.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing in an April court filing that it was the latest message in a campaign targeting the academy and that science-backed evidence was used in vaccine policy.
Pediatricians and other experts in January alarmed U.S. health officials made sweeping changes to childhood vaccination guidelines and removed many universal recommendations. Kennedy, who has led the anti-vaccine movement for years, said the changes bring the United States more in line with peer countries while “strengthening transparency and informed consent.”
A federal judge blocked the changes in March, saying Kennedy likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine advisory committee. However, the judge’s decision is not the final word; The blocks are temporary, pending a hearing or summary judgment decision.
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