Hours After Infants Funeral Mother/Murderer Singing Karoke in Bar
From her barstool, Anissa Francis and the 30 or so other patrons at a bar had just finished watching news accounts Monday night of her friend being charged with shaking her 6-month-old daughter to death, when someone started up the jukebox and Eddie Money's "Shakin' " blared out.
"It was weird. Everyone was just in awe," the bars owner said Friday, noting that the song was played by another customer who didn't know what had happened.
On Thursday night, just hours after her baby's funeral, Francis, 21, was back at Jug's in rural Kohlsville, singing karaoke until near closing time, according to the owner.
She was singing a bunch of songs. Not love songs, or sad songs. Like party songs.
Craig C. Tolonen, 22, was charged Aug. 21 in Washington County Circuit Court with first-degree reckless homicide for violently shaking Serenitee Halbert, Francis' daughter, and then throwing her on a couch the morning of Aug. 18, causing injuries that led to her death Aug. 19 at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa.
In addition, Junior Weiss, Francis' boyfriend, was charged with felony child abuse, accused of slapping Francis' 19-month-old son across the face, leaving a hand print across his face and drawing blood.
Washington County Social Services has taken the child from Francis and placed him with a foster family, officials say.
Numerous attempts by a reporter to reach Francis, including three visits to her Allenton apartment, and efforts to reach other family members were not successful.
According to a criminal complaint, Francis, Weiss and Tolonen had been drinking the night of Aug. 17 and into early Aug. 18. Tolonen told investigators he was hung over at the time the baby was shaken.
Tolonen and Weiss have a history of violence and drug and alcohol abuse, which caused one of Jug's employees to not want to be identified by a reporter.
"It's a bad crowd. I don't want them gunning for me," said the employee, who was present Monday night when Francis asked that the jukebox be turned down and the TV turned up.
"I was in shock. I was just bewildered. I didn't understand how she could be hanging out in bars," the employee said. "I didn't try to talk to her because I try to stay away from that crowd."
Ralph Faulds, who lives in the crossroads community of Kohlsville in northern Washington County and is an acquaintance of Weiss and his family, knew about the case when he saw Francis in the bar on Monday night.
"I was like, wow," Faulds said.
He at first didn't give a second thought to "Shakin' " being played from the jukebox.
"They play that song all the time. I like that song," Faulds said.
Faulds and the Jug's employee said Francis was still at Jug's when they left at 10:30 and 11 p.m., respectively.
"She was socializing, moving from table to table," Faulds said.
On Thursday, Francis was at the bar until near closing time drinking mixed drinks, said Jug, who said he left the establishment at about 1 a.m., with Francis still there.
"She wasn't getting annihilated or anything," Jug said.
A funeral for the child was held earlier that evening, at 7 p.m., at Phillip Funeral Home in West Bend.
"She came up to me and said, 'Jason, you're acting different toward me.'
"Well, you're in here," the bar owner said he told her.
The bar owner said Francis, Weiss and Tolonen twice a week have come to his place, a community gathering spot where residents gather for drinks, sandwiches and fish fries or in the large banquet hall upstairs for wedding receptions and other celebrations.
The bar owner said he did not know Francis' name or what had happened to her children until Monday night when she asked the TV to be turned up.
"I didn't know (about the baby's death) until then. We had a full bar at the time. She asked if we could turn the news on. The whole bar got silent. She was telling other customers her problems with a smile on her face," according to others at the bar.
"It was weird. Everyone was just in awe," the bars owner said Friday, noting that the song was played by another customer who didn't know what had happened.
On Thursday night, just hours after her baby's funeral, Francis, 21, was back at Jug's in rural Kohlsville, singing karaoke until near closing time, according to the owner.
She was singing a bunch of songs. Not love songs, or sad songs. Like party songs.
Craig C. Tolonen, 22, was charged Aug. 21 in Washington County Circuit Court with first-degree reckless homicide for violently shaking Serenitee Halbert, Francis' daughter, and then throwing her on a couch the morning of Aug. 18, causing injuries that led to her death Aug. 19 at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa.
In addition, Junior Weiss, Francis' boyfriend, was charged with felony child abuse, accused of slapping Francis' 19-month-old son across the face, leaving a hand print across his face and drawing blood.
Washington County Social Services has taken the child from Francis and placed him with a foster family, officials say.
Numerous attempts by a reporter to reach Francis, including three visits to her Allenton apartment, and efforts to reach other family members were not successful.
According to a criminal complaint, Francis, Weiss and Tolonen had been drinking the night of Aug. 17 and into early Aug. 18. Tolonen told investigators he was hung over at the time the baby was shaken.
Tolonen and Weiss have a history of violence and drug and alcohol abuse, which caused one of Jug's employees to not want to be identified by a reporter.
"It's a bad crowd. I don't want them gunning for me," said the employee, who was present Monday night when Francis asked that the jukebox be turned down and the TV turned up.
"I was in shock. I was just bewildered. I didn't understand how she could be hanging out in bars," the employee said. "I didn't try to talk to her because I try to stay away from that crowd."
Ralph Faulds, who lives in the crossroads community of Kohlsville in northern Washington County and is an acquaintance of Weiss and his family, knew about the case when he saw Francis in the bar on Monday night.
"I was like, wow," Faulds said.
He at first didn't give a second thought to "Shakin' " being played from the jukebox.
"They play that song all the time. I like that song," Faulds said.
Faulds and the Jug's employee said Francis was still at Jug's when they left at 10:30 and 11 p.m., respectively.
"She was socializing, moving from table to table," Faulds said.
On Thursday, Francis was at the bar until near closing time drinking mixed drinks, said Jug, who said he left the establishment at about 1 a.m., with Francis still there.
"She wasn't getting annihilated or anything," Jug said.
A funeral for the child was held earlier that evening, at 7 p.m., at Phillip Funeral Home in West Bend.
"She came up to me and said, 'Jason, you're acting different toward me.'
"Well, you're in here," the bar owner said he told her.
The bar owner said Francis, Weiss and Tolonen twice a week have come to his place, a community gathering spot where residents gather for drinks, sandwiches and fish fries or in the large banquet hall upstairs for wedding receptions and other celebrations.
The bar owner said he did not know Francis' name or what had happened to her children until Monday night when she asked the TV to be turned up.
"I didn't know (about the baby's death) until then. We had a full bar at the time. She asked if we could turn the news on. The whole bar got silent. She was telling other customers her problems with a smile on her face," according to others at the bar.
Jug called Weiss and Tolonen "troublemakers" and knew Weiss' name only because he had bounced a check there once.
"We kicked him out of here a couple weeks ago because he got belligerent," Jug said.
Earlier this summer, the Washington County Sheriff's Department where called to "escort" Francis from the bar because of her behavior and filty mouth.
