Two motions in Margaret Kempainen’s case were denied in 12th Circuit Court.
Today the Houghton County 12th Circuit Court held a pretrial hearing for Margaret Kempainen to rule on a motion for discovery of privileged information and a motion to suppress statements made by the defendant in the investigation.
Houghton County Circuit Court Judge Brittney Bulliet denied the motion for discovery regarding the counseling sessions of a minor who was present at the scene in November 2023 when Alvin Kempainen was murdered in his Hancock Township home. Judge Bulliet denied the motion for similar reasoning that denied a similar motion in co-defendant Jacob Kempainen’s case in October 2024.
The second motion to suppress statements was also denied. Judge Bulliet explained that the court recognizes the defendant’s acknowledgment of “mm-hmm” to an officer reading Kempainen her Miranda rights when she was arrested, and a second time she provided a statement of “mm-hmm” to a second officer who reminded Kempainen her rights had been read when she was arrested, as sufficient notice. Therefore, her Miranda rights were not violated by law enforcement.
The court will set a 21-day motion deadline. Defense attorney Ruiz stated he will likely seek to appeal the motion to deny the suppression of statements.
A trial date has been set for Jan. 26, 2026. Prosecutor Dan Helmer also stated that the date will likely change due to how holidays and other cases impact the schedule.
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