Margaret Kempainen’s trial will not start in January 2026.
Late last week, Margaret Kempainen’s attorney Anthony Ruiz filed a motion with the Michigan Court of Appeals to appeal Houghton County Circuit Court Judge Brittany Bulleit’s decision in November 2025 that denied two motions.
In November at a pre-trial hearing, Bulleit denied motions by Ruiz to suppress statements made by his client during a police interview after she was arrested in Iowa in 2023 for her alleged involvement in the murder of her father-in-law, Alvin Kempainen, 87, of Hancock Township.
Bulleit also denied a second motion by Ruiz for discovery of evidence regarding the counseling sessions of Margaret’s daughter, who was a minor at the time of the incident and was traveling with Margaret and Jacob Kempainen at the time of their arrest.
Houghton County Prosecutor Dan Helmer says this is yet another delay in the case. Because of the defense’s late filing with the Michigan Court of Appeals, no decision on the appeal or date has been decided at this time.
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