Robert Kaiser

On May 2, 2025, Robert Kaiser was acquitted of all charges, exonerating him for a murder that he did not commit after spending 7.5 years in prison.

The tragic loss of a child

In 2014, Robert’s infant son William was taken to the hospital because of seizures. Imaging revealed bleeding around his brain and retinas. Doctors jumped to the conclusion that William’s neurological decline was the result of abusive head trauma (AHT). While hospitalized, William developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), an often-fatal condition involving the disintegration of intestinal tissue, ultimately resulting in his death. 

Robert was arrested within days of his son’s hospitalization. 

At trial, the state’s medical witnesses relied heavily on medical imaging, insisting to the jury that there was no other explanation for the William’s neurological presentation other than AHT. They also claimed that the abuse must have occurred immediately before the seizures began, while William was in his father’s care. Given the lack of any bruising, laceration, or other sign of impact to the infant’s head, the State theorized that Robert must have violently shaken William or slammed him into a soft surface the day of his hospitalization.

Mr. Kaiser’s defense team argued that NEC was the actual cause of death, but they did not consult with or retain any expert qualified to review and interpret the CT and MRI scans of Williams’ head. On that evidence, Robert was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

GNIP investigation illuminates errors, finds alternative cause of death

In 2020, GNIP began investigating Robert’s case, collecting the medical records and consulting with a team of experts, including a pathologist, radiologist, neuroradiologist, neurologist, pediatrician, and ophthalmologist.

The experts not only concluded that the medical evidence did not support the state’s AHT diagnosis, but they identified a non-traumatic medical cause for William’s condition: blood clots in his brain veins, known as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).

CVT is a serious medical condition that causes many of the same symptoms often attributed to AHT, including those afflicting William. The jury that convicted Robert never heard about CVT. A team of volunteer lawyers from Carlson Caspers and Bradford Andresen Norris & Camaratto, along with GNIP Legal Director Jim Mayer, presented this evidence and more over the course of a two-week hearing in October 2021.

Freed, but not exonerated

Following extensive post-trial briefing, Stearns County District Court Judge Laura Moehrle issued a 90-page ruling on April 28, 2022. The Court held that Robert’s conviction rested on false evidence, namely the testimony that certain medical symptoms could only be explained by abuse were not true.

Judge Moehrle  also found Robert did not receive effective assistance of counsel due to his attorneys decision to not hire medical experts to review the CT and MRI scans of William. Significantly, the Court held that without the false evidence, and with effective counsel, there is a reasonable probability that the outcome of Robert’s trial would have been different, and that he therefore met his burden entitling him to a new trial.

Judge Moehrel’s decision was later affirmed by the Minnesota Court of Appeals on February 13, 2023, and then by the Minnesota Supreme Court on March 13, 2024. 

Robert was freed from wrongful incarceration in the Spring of 2023. He reunited with his sister, childhood friends, legal team, and supporters in Saint Cloud, and enjoyed a celebratory dinner. Rather than dismiss the case, the Stearns County District Attorney’s Office chose to try the case against Robert a second time.

The retrial

In April 2025, Robert was back in Court to be tried, again, for the murder of his son.

GNIP Attorney Baylea Kannmacher led Robert’s trial team which also included GNIP Legal Director Jim Mayer, GNIP Attorney Anna McGinn, pro bono attorney Mark Bradford, and pro bono attorney Kevin Riach.

During the trial, numerous medical experts testified on behalf of the defense to explain that what led to the death of William was a combination of CVT, and complications from both NEC and a medical error that led to William having a perforated bowel after receiving a breathing tube. The defense experts also testified that the medical evidence belied the State’s allegation that Robert assaulted his infant.

On May 2, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on all charges against Robert, exonerating him once and for all.

About the decision, Ms. Kannmacher said, “We are thrilled with the result. We have always believed in Robert’s innocence. Now, he can finally grieve the loss of his son and move on with his life.”

What now?

After years of wrongful incarceration and seeming unending court hearings, Robert is finally free. Since his release, he has found work, bought a home, and adopted a cat.

Robert’s story is featured in the National Registry of Exonerations.

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