A babysitter accused of killing a Sussex family's dog appeared in a Waukesha County Courtroom Wednesday. 18-year-old Kielee Sonnemann waived her preliminary hearing, meaning the entire court appearance lasted just a few minutes.
Prosecutors say Sonnemann, a high school senior, stabbed a chihuahua with a pair of scissors and put a bag over it's head. The dog, named Batman, was found the next day in a child's room hidden under a pile of blankets. She's charged with mistreating an animal, causing death.
Sonnemann was babysitting the family's 4-year-old daughter at the time. Prosecutors say when the child's parents returned home, they couldn't find Batman anywhere, and that Sonnemann helped look for the dog.
During an interview with law enforcement officials, Sonnemann did not admit to killing the dog, but says she "shooed him away a little bit," and "when she gets mad and lashes out, everything goes blank and she does not remember," according to a criminal complaint.
The grief has been overwhelming for Shelly and her fiance Justin Ciardo. They say Batman loved to cuddle and was protective of their youngest child.
"This is the hardest thing. The emotions go from sad to mad. There's never anything more than that," Shelly said Wednesday.
"It's hard. It's hard because obviously everything reminds you of the animal that we lost," Ciardo stated.
The couple said they have known Sonnemann's family for years and that she has babysat for them several times.
"There was no inclination of anything wrong. There was no signs. There was nothing said that gave us that hint that something this horrific could happen," Ciardo explained.
Court documents showed investigators executed a search warrant to obtain Sonnemann's DNA and cell phone.
The 18-year-old noted dealing with distressing family circumstances before heading into the babysitting job that night. When asked if the dog biting her added fuel to the fire Sonneman told them "it probably did."
Law enforcement said video from the home did not show Batman acting aggressively towards Sonnemann.
Sonnemann does not have a prior criminal history. She's due back in court Friday, February 9th.
If convicted, Sonnemann faces up to four years in prison.
Batman's family is raising money through Gofundme to cover his cremation.They committed to send any remaining funds to animal shelters.
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