Lenexa man accused of killing wife and son makes first court appearance; could face capital murder

LENEXA, Kan. (KCTV) – On Monday, 53-year-old Todd Donovan of Lenexa made his first court appearance after allegedly killing his wife, son and neighbor's dog Friday into Saturday.

It all started just before 8:30 p.m. Friday at the corner of Hallet Street and Mullen Road.

Lenexa police were called for an armed disturbance.

When officers arrived, they heard several gunshots coming from the area of ​​the home.

They spoke to Donovan on the phone and tried to get him to come outside peacefully.

After speaking to Donovan for nearly two hours, he cut off communication.

At approximately 1:50 a.m., the Lenexa Tactical Team entered the home and took Donovan into custody.

He was taken to the hospital for a possible overdose and has been in jail ever since.

Officers found two dead people inside, Donovan's wife Sheila, 52, and their son Tyler, 22.

It turned out that the neighbor's dog had been shot around the time the first call came in.

Donovan is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional and premeditated murder and one count of animal cruelty.

He made his first Zoom appearance in Johnson County Court on Monday.

Donovan listened carefully to Judge Smith as he explained the next steps in the case.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said this is the start of a long legal process.

“If there is a double murder in an apartment, you can clearly see from the complaint that it is a case of domestic violence. Situations like this are very rare,” Howe said.

Many still wonder why this happened. From Friday evening to Saturday, all that's left is a truck in the driveway and bullet holes in the front door.

Lenexa police told KCTV5 the last call to Donovan was in 2013. It was about a disagreement with a building contractor. Police said there was no crime at the time.

Regarding this case, District Attorney Steve Howe said it could result in the death penalty in the future, but it is too early to make such a decision.

“There were two people killed, so this is a case of aggravated murder and that is something that we do not take lightly and it will take a significant amount of time for us to work with the Lenexa Police Department work together “Ultimately make that decision,” Howe said.

In court, the Kansas Death Penalty Defense asked to meet with Donovan about their work.

“Obviously very, very different than other cases,” said Kelson Bohnet, senior assistant capital defender for the Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit.

They are part of the state's public defense system, but only for certain cases. They met with Donovan after court.

His bail is set at $2 million.

Donovan is back in court for his preliminary hearing on November 13th.

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