Kimmi Hardy: Faked Pregnancy, Murder, and Life Sentence

Kimmi Lynn Hardy is a Keokuk, Iowa, woman serving life in prison without parole for the 1996 murder of Theresa Lynn Lund, a 34-year-old mother Hardy killed in order to steal Lund’s six-week-old son and pass him off as her own newborn. Hardy had spent months faking a pregnancy despite having been sterilized in 1984, and a Lee County jury convicted her of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, and child stealing.

The Faked Pregnancy

Hardy had undergone a sterilization procedure in 1984 that prosecutors said made pregnancy virtually impossible.¹ She still kept up the pretense for months in 1996. She bought baby clothes, threw herself a baby shower, and tried to buy a handgun, asking the salesperson how close she would need to be to someone to kill them and whether a shot would “blow their head completely off.”² Neighbors said she did not appear pregnant as late as July 1996, but her husband of three months, Robert “Bob” Hardy, said he believed the pregnancy was real.³

It was not the first time. In 1993, while married to a previous husband, Wendell Smith, Hardy claimed she had delivered a son who died. A headstone at Keokuk’s National Cemetery marked a grave for “Zachary W. Smith,” with a birth and death date of October 15, 1993. Hospital and state vital records held nothing about the child, and the cemetery had not required a death certificate. Lee County Attorney Michael Short told reporters in October 1996 he did not believe there was a body in the grave.¹ When police exhumed it, they found only bubble wrap and a teddy bear.²

The Murder of Theresa Lund

Theresa Lund had given birth to her son Paul on July 16, 1996.³ Hardy befriended her and, on August 28, 1996, invited her to the Hardy home with the offer of hand-me-down baby clothes.² Prosecutors said Hardy shot Lund twice in the head in the basement crawl space of the house.⁴ Hardy then took six-week-old Paul and told her husband and others she had just given birth to a son in their bathtub.

Lund’s body was hidden in the crawl space before being moved to a ditch along railroad tracks near Alexandria, Missouri, less than ten miles from the Hardy home.⁵ The next day, a friend reported Lund and her baby missing after Lund failed to pick up her older children from school.²

How Hardy Was Caught

The story fell apart at the baby shower Hardy hosted for her supposed newborn. A guest noticed the infant looked far older than a newborn and contacted authorities.⁴ On September 14, 1996, an anonymous woman called the FBI and named Kimmi and Robert Hardy as suspects in a false claim of a recent birth. The caller was later identified as the neighbor who had gone with Hardy to buy a gun and heard her questions about killing someone.²

Keokuk police visited the Hardy home on September 17 but did not have enough for a search warrant. That changed when Hardy’s sister-in-law, Theresa Maness, came forward. She told investigators the baby had no umbilical cord, looked too large for a newborn, and had a circumcision that had already healed. Maness also said Hardy had pressured her to sign as a witness on a birth certificate for a birth that never happened.²

When officers returned with a warrant on September 18, the Hardys had fled. Police traced them through calls to the house where they were staying. Kimmi Hardy was taken to a hospital, where staff confirmed the infant was Paul Lund through footprint analysis.⁵ At the police station, Hardy admitted having the baby but denied killing anyone, claiming she had bought him from a friend for $3,000 and that she did not know Lund at all.² Robert Hardy later entered a plea deal and led police to Theresa Lund’s body, found in a ditch near railroad tracks on September 27, 1996. She had been shot in the head.⁶

Trial, Conviction, and Life Sentence

Hardy, then 36, stood trial in Lee County, Iowa. Prosecutors laid out a direct sequence: she faked a pregnancy, bought a handgun on July 31, 1996, befriended Lund, lured her to the house, and shot her to take the baby.⁵ A former doctor testified Hardy had been sterilized in 1984 and could not have been pregnant.²

Her story shifted. By trial, Hardy claimed she had bought the baby for $1,500 from employees of a Florida drug dealer named Anthony Matrana, and that Matrana had placed Lund’s body in her crawl space. She admitted burying the body but said she had only done so after finding it in her home.⁴ Robert Hardy testified for the prosecution. He told the jury he had helped bury Lund’s body and that his wife had told him to lie by saying she had been pregnant and that he had delivered the baby himself.⁷

The jury convicted Hardy of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, and child stealing.⁸ Judge David Hendrickson sentenced her to life without the possibility of parole on the murder count, plus up to 25 years on the kidnapping charge.⁴

Appeal

Hardy appealed to the Iowa Court of Appeals on two grounds: that her trial lawyer should have pursued an insanity defense, and that her lawyer should have objected to Robert Hardy’s testimony. The court rejected both arguments on December 28, 2001. A psychiatrist who had evaluated Hardy had concluded she was “a little bit different” but not legally insane, so there was no viable insanity defense to pursue. The court also found that Robert Hardy’s testimony actually supported her defense theory, giving counsel no reason to object.⁷

What Happened to Robert Hardy

Robert “Bob” Hardy was charged separately. He pleaded guilty to interference with official acts and possession of a firearm by a felon, cooperated with prosecutors, and led investigators to Lund’s body. He served three years and was released on September 25, 2002.² Kimmi Hardy remains in prison, serving her life sentence.

1
Spokesman-Review. Woman May Have Faked Pregnancy Before Child’s
2
Oxygen. Kimmi Hardy Faked Pregnancy, Killed Theresa Lund, Stole Baby
3
Seattle Times. Police Say Woman Faked Pregnancy, Killed Friend for Baby
4
Deseret News. Woman Who Stole a Baby Killed New Mother Sentenced
5
Spokesman-Review. Woman Accused of Killing Mom, Stealing Baby
6
Chicago Tribune. After Faking Birth, Mom Accused of Murder
7
Radio Iowa. Keokuk Woman’s Appeal Rejected in Murder Kidnapping Case
8
Los Angeles Times. Woman Who Stole a Baby Killed New Mother Sentenced