Born: February 1, 1872 (Tecumseh, Michigan)
Died: May 18, 1927 (Bath Township, Michigan)

Famous For/Known For:
Mass Murderer

A Little About Andrew Kehoe:
When he was only five years old his mother passed away. Eventually his father remarried. Kehoe did not get along with his stepmother.

When Kehoe was fourteen his stepmother caught on fire from a stove that exploded.  He watched her burn for a few minutes before he put out the flames. She died from her injuries. Although it was never proven, neighbors thought that he may have been behind the fatal event.

While attending Michigan State University he met Ellen “Nellie” Price whom he later married. Since Ellen was from a wealthy family the two bought a 185 acre farm.

In 1924 Kehoe was elected treasurer for the Bath Consolidated School.

When Kehoe started having financial problems he blamed it on the taxes he had to pay for the building of a new school, something he had campaigned against. Also, Ellen had been diagnosed with tuberculosis and her medical bills were adding more of a financial strain.

On May 18, 1927 Kehoe killed his wife then set fire to their home and barn using homemade firebombs. He did this knowing that people in the surrounding area would come to help with the blaze.  This way he could get to the school and carry out his plan uninterrupted.

For months Kehoe had carefully planted dynamite inside the new school. He got to the school and detonated explosives at 8:45 am.  With his truck filled with dynamite and shrapnel he fired a shot into the dynamite blowing up his truck and killing himself. Some bystanders were killed and many wounded.

On that day 37 children between the ages of 6-8 were killed, along with one teacher. Many others were injured. This tragic school related mass murders has been one of the largest in US History.

The site where the school stood was made into a park, the Bath School Memorial Park. There is a marker there with a list of all children who died that day.

Andrew Kehoe died by suicide at the age of 55.

Reference:
http://www.biography.com/people/andrew-kehoe-235986#mass-murder
http://criminalminds.wikia.com/wiki/Andrew_Kehoe