"Wis. mother of 3 who died in fire sentenced" by M.L. Johnson | Associated Press, September 28, 2013
MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin woman who had been repeatedly warned not to leave her children alone was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison and 18 years of extended supervision after three of them died in a house fire.
Angelica D. Belen told investigators she locked her daughter, Nayeli Colon, 5, and 4-year-old twin sons, Adrian and Alexis Colon, in a bedroom on April 11 because she needed to go to a new job and didn’t want them wrecking the house or getting outside where neighbors could see they were unattended. The children died of smoke inhalation and burns after a faulty electrical connection ignited in the kitchen of the home in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis. Their bodies were found under a bedroom dresser.
A tearful Belen apologized profusely for leaving the children alone and the hurt that she caused her family. At one point, she spoke directly to her dead children. ‘‘I’m sorry that you’ll never grow up. I am sorry that I will never see you grow up, graduate high school, and have children of your own,’’ said Belen, 25, who pleaded guilty in July to three counts of felony child neglect.
Judge Jeffrey Wagner said he sympathized with Belen, who struggled to raise four children, three with special needs. But he said she failed in her duty to take care of them.
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"Wis. prayer-death conviction upheld" by Todd Richmond | Associated Press, July 04, 2013
MADISON, Wis. — A mother and father who prayed instead of seeking medical help as their daughter died were properly convicted of homicide, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that dramatically limits legal immunity for parents who turn to God rather than science to heal their children.
Not that I'm for letting your kids die; however, it also expands state involvement in the family.
The decision marks the first time a Wisconsin court has addressed criminal culpability in a prayer treatment case in which a child died....
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"Elderly grocery store owner refuses robber" WAOW-TV July 18, 2013
MARSHFIELD, Wis. — A masked robber apparently thought the 96-year-old owner of a neighborhood grocery store would be an easy target for his crime. But, he was so wrong.
Margaretta Wolf has owned the store bearing her family name for 54 years. And she wasn’t about to turn over her cash. ‘‘I said: ‘I’m not opening up that cash register and that’s it, I’m not opening it. I said you can have all the Tootsie Rolls you want but I am not opening that cash register.’’’
The man in the mask and carrying a knife continued to give Wolf orders during the robbery attempt Monday.
‘‘He said, ‘Walk in the back of the store,’ I said, ‘I’m not walking no place,’ ’’ Wolf recounted.
The elderly store owner stood her ground when the man flashed a pocketknife and placed it on the counter.
‘‘I said, ‘I’ll press a button and I’ll have somebody here in seconds,’ ’’ she said.
Wolf said the would-be robber appeared frustrated, looked around, spotted a security camera in the corner, grabbed the knife, and fled.
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"Wis. man, 76, guilty in fatal shooting of teen" Associated Press, July 18, 2013
MILWAUKEE — A man who suspected his 13-year-old neighbor of breaking into his home and stealing weapons was convicted Wednesday of fatally shooting the boy as the teen’s mother looked on. Now, jurors will decide whether the 76-year-old defendant was mentally ill at the time.
A jury deliberated for about an hour before finding John Henry Spooner guilty of first-degree intentional homicide. Surveillance video from his own security cameras showed him confronting Darius Simmons in May 2012, pointing a gun at him from about 6 feet away, and shooting him....
Spooner’s daughter once brought home a kitten and he took it into the basement and killed it, Dr. Basil Jackson said. Spooner also used to choke and beat his late wife, the doctor testified.
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