Woman parties hours after baby's funeral Mother of fatally shaken child drinks, sings at bar By DAN BENSON dbenson@journalsentinel.com Posted: Aug. 25, 2006
From her barstool, Anissa Francis and the 30 or so other patrons at Jug's Hitching Post 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," Jug's owner Jason Jug 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, Jug said.
"She was singing a bunch of songs. Not love songs, or sad songs. Like party songs," Jug said.
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.
