The man accused of killing his own grandmother and then entering into a standoff with police has made his first court appearance.
Sean Couture, 24, appeared in a Waukesha County Courtroom Thursday afternoon. He's facing three charges:
- First degree intentional homicide, domestic abuse, use of a dangerous weapon, a felony
- Failure to comply with officer's attempt to take person into custody, a felony, and,
- Possession of a firearm while intoxicated, a misdemeanor.
According to the criminal complaint, Waukesha police were called to a home in the city for reports of gunfire. They had also recieved a call from Couture's stepmother, who was out of town with Couture's father — she told officers Couture had called them claiming to have shot his grandmother and that he was planning to shoot himself.
Officers say they called in help from several other agencies, headed to Couture's home, and called him on the telephone. They say Couture refused to come out.
Watch: Sean Couture charged with killing his grandmother in Waukesha County:
After several attemps to get Couture out of the home, officers say they sent a drone into the building to get more information. Through the drone's camera, officers say they were able to see a victim lying motionless on the stairs leading to the basement. Officers say they waited til Couture went into another room. They then entered the house and took the victim — at that point identified as Couture's grandmother — outside to an ambulance. She had several gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead by first responders.
According to the criminal complaint, Couture continued to refuse to come out of the house, even after his grandmother's body had been removed. Police believe he was intoxicated, based on his slurred speech over the phone. It was later determined Couture had a blood alcohol level of 0.45g/100mL.
Officers tossed two CS spray cannisters — commonly referred to as tear gas — into the house. They also sent a K9 officer in, which bit Couture on the wrist until more officers could arrive. Police were then able to arrest him.
As they searched the house, officers say they found a loaded hand gun, a loaded magazine and loose ammunition. Receipts show Couture had bought the gun just a few months before, on June 4th.
Couture admitted to police that he had shot his grandmother after they argued over her discovery of the gun. He said he believed she would call the police and shot her outside the house before dragging her body back in. Couture told police "he didn't want to leave her body outside."
Read the full criminal complaint below.
Criminal Complaint for Sean C Couture by TMJ4 News on Scribd
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