warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
In the Spring of 2020, a mother of four was found stabbed to death sitting inside her vehicle. She was parked just outside of her home.The 47 year old had not even taken off her seatbelt.
Only moments before law enforcement arrived, the killer had run from the scene. As investigators moved rapidly to put the pieces together, they discovered that all signs pointed squarely at one individual: A woman that witnesses overheard screaming: “He’s mine. You can’t have him. He’s mine!”
today’s case takes us back to early 2020 when the world was descending into uncertainty and varying levels of panic brought on by the covid -19 pandemic.
it was in this environment that one woman’s personal life was likewise falling into chaos and leaving her destraught and isolated but is that a defense for murder…
let’s take a look.
on the evening on may 18th 2020 in pella Iowa julie kyper was at home caring for her five year old it was just before 8:30 p.m. when she stepped outside of he apartment complex into the fresh air.
by the garage doors to the building there was a marron colored truck with a female driver
july overheard an argument taking place between the driver and another individual.it was more than just a domestic dispute,julie thought she saw one of the two individuals step away from from the pickup truck with blood covering their face.
she placed a call to 911.
the police response was rapid.police arrived at the glennwood apartment complex only a matter of minutes after the white cadillac and and its bloodied driver had left the scene.
police officer cody roose approached the ford F -150 pickup truck to find a women later confirmed to be 47 year old tracy mondabough slumped in the driver’s seat of the vehicle.
assisted by other arriving officers from the pella police and the Marion County sheriff’s office. tracy was given emergency medical treatment.
sadly their efforts were not successful.tracy had been stabbed to death. the medical examiner later found a single stab wound to her chest which had pierced her heart.
tracy, who was a mother to four children was a resident of the apartment complex where she was found.
it appaeared to tracy had only just arrived home when she was attacked. the incident must have occurred rapidly tracy was found with her seat belt still secured around her.
outside the truck,investigators noted a small piece of blue material,it appeared to be the finger of a latex glove torn off during the altercation.
the interior of the truck showed the aftermath of a brutal attack.blood and hair evidence was collected for testing.
though the results were predictable tracy mondabough’s DNA was all over the vehicle.she had clearly struggled with her attacker before sustaining the fatal blow to her chest.
the ford F -150 pickup truck that tracy was driving however was not hers.responding officers at the scene promptly checked on the registration.
they found that it was owned by tracy’s boyfriend who she lived with in the complex.
a man named nicholas boat.alongside the name of the registration was nick boat previous adress, the home that he had moved from only 2 months prior.
also registered to that address was a second vehicle , a silver four -door cadillac one that match the description provided by julie kyper.
that car was often driven by nick boat’s estranged wife.
lieutenant shane cox responded to the call to check in on nick boat’s former adress. they anticipated that nick’s wife michelle boat would be at home.
parked in the driveway of the house was the silver cadillac. its hood and and wheels still warm to the touch.whoever had been driving the car had been doing so only minutes before.
infact from the time that julie kyper placed her 911 call from the apartment complex to lieutenant cox’s arrival to the boat residence only 17 minutes had passed.
the locations were less than 1 and 1/2 mil apart.
knocks on the door of the house went unanswered. peering through the windows the officers could see clearly into the residence.lights had been left on. someone must be at home.
officer cox continued to call for response,while lieutenant brian B took a closer look at the cadillac.he found a blood spatter on the passenger side mirror.
even more distrubing a neckless with several full hairs attached hung off of the windshield.the neckless had become wrapped around a wiper blade.
peering inside the car , a collection of gardening tools including a hammer and other sharp implements sat in a pile on the floor by the front passanger seat.
with them was a pair of disposable blue latex gloves. on top of the seat was a bag and most curious a pair of binoculars.
the lens cap for these had been removed and sat on thedriver side seat. a second blue glove could be seen resting in the center console.
five full minutes passed with no answer at the house.the visible blood on the vehicle increased the sense of urgency.
walking around the side of the house,lieutenant cox spotted movement inside a bathroom through a window.
when the door finally opened officers were greeted by an apparently suprised michelle boat. she just been having a shower she told them and invited the officers inside.
while michelle sat down to speak with his colleagues lieutenant cox conducted a sweep of the house.this was primarily aimed at ensuring the safety of the officers who had entered to check that no other individuals were hiding somewhere inside.
noises from the basement drew the lieautenant’s attention the noice turned out to be the washing machine which was already in mid cycle with a load of laundry.
through the clear front door of the machine the lieutenant could see an odd collection of items for a single load.
one jacket, a pair of jeans, a top,socks and undergarments.
michelle was washing a single outfit.
in the bathroom where michelle had beeen showering no clothing had been discarded, though a handful other items had been.notably a set of car keys sat on the bathroom counter.
on the key fob a long dark hair had become attached. it was just like the hairs from the necklace on the car outside. it was just like those on tracy mondabough head.
in the kitchen hanging in full view on the wall was a calendar,on each day beginning on march 12th of that year a single note had been written”gone ” it said.counting down the days.
on that day the 18th of may michelle boat had written” gone 69 days”
nick boat had left his wife of 20 years,mother of his twqo children on the 12 of march 2020
69 days later his girlfriend was found stabbed to death outside of the home they shared.41 year old nick boat met tracy mondabough in mid february 2020 after she accidenttaly sent him a friend request on facebook.
they started messaging each other which led to talking on the phone frequently,shortly after they went on their first date.since they both enjoyed wild life and the outdoors they chose to go searching for dear antler sheds around roberts creek near pella.
tracy was still living in ottumwa where she had grown up,she was close to her four children who by the spring of 2020 were all adults with families on their own.
tracy began driving out to meet nick in Pella regularly where he still lived with michelle and their two teenage children.
nick described his marriage to michelle as 20 years of misery.
he disagreed with how she treated their kids and was convvinced throughout their marriage that she never loved him. indeed according to nick, she told him repeatedly throughout the years that she was in love with her ex-husband.
on march 11 after yet another argument nick told michelle that he no longer loved her .he had met someone new and he was leaving.when michelle returned home from work the next day, nick was gone.
michelle’s behavior in the weeks and months that followed the separation were erratic, she allegedly assaulted her husband a few days after he left. a subsequent no contact order against her was violated no less than four times.
and she allegedly threatened kill her nephew,during this time tracy mondabough had become frightened.she and nick had moved in together at the glenwood apartment complex at the beginning of april.
by that time michelle had made distrubing phone calls to her husband and been stpotted following them around Pella.
law enforcement deemed her behavior at that time to be nonthreatening in mid-march michelle called nick yet again.this time leaving a message on his voicemail intended for tracy.
later that same month tracy called the Pella police department after spotting michelle following her all the way between Pella and Ottumwa.
nick worked long shifts at his manufacturing job at vermier corporation based in Pella.
tracy often drove in to meet him over his scheduled lunch break,on one such occasion ,michelle followed tracy there,aproached the couple in the pickup truck and told tracy”i will only tell you this once stay away from my husband”
after obtaining a search warrant for the boat house,investigators went back through the home more thoroughly, while standing in the bathroom during his initial walkthrough lieutenant cox had made an observation,the toilet was running water on and of in brief intervals.it sounded as the tank had been clogged.
a team went back in and lifted the lid to the back of the toilet,inside was a white towel.
inside the towel was yet another blue glove.this one had a traces of bood and a single fingertip missing.the glove matched perfectly with the fingertip found at the scene of the stabbing.
the knife used to stab tracy to death however was never revocered.
michelle boat was arrested and charged with first- degree murder.
the evidence was overwhelming.one witness at the apartment complex told police that he overheard a scuffle during which a woman’s voice stated repeatedly” he’s mine , you can’t have him.”
inside michelle’s car police uncovered even more physical evidence.tracy’s hairs were found inside the door frame, specks of blood have been transfered inti the steering wheel.
bruising from the struggle between the two women slowly emerged on michelle boat herself these were documented in the hours after her arrest and then again 36 hours later.
yet somehow michelle boat entered a plea of not guilty to the first degree murder charge. there was more to this story she argued .
the case would go to trial.
key to the estrange wife’s defense was her state of mind,while the state of Iowa determined that michelle had planned the murder,she insisted it was an act of sudden passion.
michelle did not deny stabbing tracy but she insisted she had not wanted to.she grabbed the knife in a moment of desperation and without forth thought.
this was not first-degree at most she argued.it was manslaughter. but if that was the case then how was michelle to explain her behavior in the hours leading up to tracy’s death.
beginning just before 7:00 p.m. on may 18th the day of the stabbing cameras first tracked michelle leaving her house and driving across town where she would find tracy.
from there she once again began stalking tracy’s every movements.
security cameras at a cuulver’s fast food in Pella captured michelle driving her 2004 at 6:57 p.m on may 18th.
the car does not pull into the resturant to order food but rather backtracks from where it came to a laundromat where nick boats red ford pickup truck sat parked in front.
michelle watched as tracy brought her laundry back to the truck and drove off .the 47 year old was clearly alone in the vehicle.
at 7:19 the red pickup is captured driving to the local burger king drive -thru,only moments later the cadillac follows driving a distance behind the truck.
the parking lot is largely empty ,though michelle chooses to park in behind another vehicle ,it appeared that michelle was actively hiding her presence from tracy who at that time showed no indication that she was aware of being followed.
while she takes the truck through the drive-thru for her order.
oblivious to the woman following her another video captured michelle get out of the car and retrieve an unknown item from her trunk.
when exiting the lot the red truck drives directly past where michelle is sitting watching it is unclear if michelle ducked out of view inside her car when tracy passed .
but she remains unoticed.
tracy’s next stop was vermier,where nick boat was working the 3 to 11 shift. she is shown at driving in with the burger king dinner followed roughly 20 seconds later by michelle.
the cadillac parked around a corner in a concealed position that was nontheless in view of the trucks’s cab and the couple sitting inside.there she stayed for over 30 minutes.
michelle watched as her husband and his girlfriend had their dinner and parted ways. by 8:00 p.m she was following tracy from the manufacturer’s parking lot .
the next stop was the glenwood apartment complex.
when michelle’s trial commenced the prosecution painted her as a woman scorned seething and angry she set out that evening to cause harm to tracy mondabough.
they argued the fact that she wore gloves that day showed that this was not a spontaneous act.in fact the prosecution said it was part of a meticulous plan.
the calendar found in michelle’s home marked each day since haer husband had left her.
she had been building up to the day when she could try to get him back
and get tracy out of the way…
but there was more than one way to inerpret michelle boat’s distrubing behavior according to her defense the calender was not evidence of a building hatred or malice with the intent to murder.but rather the sign of a heartbroken desperate and dejected wife.
michelle returned home from work one day to find that the father of her children and her husband of 20 years had up and left.she was shocked and devastated.
the timing of events was crucial throughout the period of separation the covid-19 pandemic was spreading rapidly and causing varying levels of panic across the globe.
after nick’s departure from their home the condition brought on public health emergency pushed michelle boat further into isolation.
these circumstances compounded what was already a period of heightened stress and uncertainty in michelle’s life.
nick boat testified that he and michelle owned two vehicles, the silver cadillac that michelle often drove and the red pickup truck that tracy had been driving on the day that she was killed.
while michelle became visibly distraught in court,nick testified to the beginning of his affair and the last time that he saw tracy alive.
michelle boat took the stand in her own defense,michelle first told the jury that her husband’s affair had been a devastating and surpising blow to her.
she dfrank heavily for a period of 2 weeks nonstop following his decision to leave her. after that michelle was hospitalized for mental health treatment for 5 days in late march.
michelle testified that on may 18th she had only $ 6 left in her bank account,her job working on the laundry service at the hospital had been on an on call basis.
she only went in when she was needed.michelle had not had a day of work or pay since the day that her husband left her.
with her last $ 6 michelle drove to culver’s to by a chicken meal she said.michelle testified that she opted out of buying dinner when the line was too long she instead drove back to the laundry bat and began following nick’s red pickup truck.
her motivation was to check on her husband .to see him . and to beg him to come home to her.michelle followed tracy to nick’s workplace, she chose not to get out of the vehicle to speak with him after all. she only watched from a distance.
michelle testified repeatedly that her aim in following tracy was to find out where her husband lived. she planned to return to the adress later to beg him to come home. yet as she approached the apartment complex behind tracy.
she would have had his address. there would have been no reason at that point to get out of the car to confront tracy.but she did so anyway.
michelle told the jury that she did not approach the truck with the knife in hand.only after tracy began hitting and insulting her did she reach into her car for a weapon. she grabbed at whatever was readily available which was a knife on the passenger seat.
at that moment michelle stated that she had been overwhelmed by two factors.the first was the realization that the apartment complex where her husband and his new girlfriend were living was the same one where she and nick had lived as newly weds.
it had been their first home together.the second trigger was the smell of cigarette smoke. michelle testified that years earlier she and nick had quit smoking together as part of their motivationt hey saved money to put towards a new truck.
the very same vehicle that tracy was now driving.
as michelle approached the cab she caught the distinct smell of smoke. she claimed to have reached inside at that point for tracy’s purse to check for a pack of cigarettes. she said.to confim her suspicions.when tracy began hitting her she lost control….
upon cross -examination mcihelle told the prosecutor that she was wearing gloves when she approached the truck due to pandemic precaustions.
at that time many people were wearing gloves whenever leaving the house.she was given the disposable blue gloves at work and kept them in her car for ease of access.
curiously the state never questioned michelle about when exactly she chose to put on the gloves. despite this being a key piece of evidence to prove her premeditation of the murder.
did she place them on before she left house or closer to the time she approached tracy in the truck .she was questioned as to what item she may have retrieved from her trunk when parked at the burger king.
was she getting out her goves or the knife at that point in time retrieving either of these items in advance would also have established her premidation.
michelle testified that she simply did not recall getting anything from the trunk of the car at all.
the gardening tools and other implements sitting in the front of her car were also explained away. michelle claimed to have moved those into the vehicle for protection.
after nick had left her, she kept a baseball bat by the front door and another knife in her nightstand as well.
if she had not planned to attack tracy with the knife why had she continued to struggle with her tracy was found stil lwearing her seat belt to end the altercation the only thing michelle needed to do was take one step backwards.
her attempts to cover up evidence after the crime were done in a panic.she said.
michelle testified that she had hidden the knife used to kill tracy under her bathroom sink. she had not divulged its location to the police when questioned nor had she admitted any responsibility at that time.
the prosecution emphasized that michelle boat had countless opportunities on the evening of may 18th to change her behavior to stop what she was doing and simply go home.
they painted her as a hunter ,stalking her pray until the moment of attack. she had mapped out the murder as her revenge.
conversely ,the defense pointed to how poorly planned the murder actaully was, the necklace on the windshield,blood spatter on the vehicle and evidence at the scene directly linked the crime to michelle.
in addition,there were two eyewitnesses at the complex who overheard the argument and viewed parts of the exchange
this was not an example of a meticulously planned murder,it simply could not have been premeditated as the state argued.
the jury deliberated for just 45 minutes before unanimously coming to its verdict.
a first -degree murder conviction in Iowa carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
on february 7th 2024, the state court of appeals after hearing michelle’s appeal affirmed the life sentence.
at the time of her conviction ,michelle boat was 56 year old.
tracy mondabough is remembered as a loving and devoted daughter, sister,mother grandmother and girlfriend.
she was sassy,funny and always on the bright side. tracy is sorely missed by her four children 10 grandchildren as well as nick boat.