Wedding venue dispute stabbing, Brookfield woman accused
BROOKFIELD, Wis. - A 22-year-old Brookfield woman is accused of stabbing a man in the neck over a wedding venue dispute. The accused is Kailee Brantner – and she faces a single count of first-degree reckless injury.
Stabbing incident
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Brookfield police responded to a residence after a man called indicating "he had been stabbed in the neck by his girlfriend." That girlfriend was later identified as the defendant.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found the victim holding a towel to the left side of his neck. They also spotted the defendant sitting on a couch nearby. In the kitchen, an officer "discovered a large kitchen knife with a pink handle with a red liquid on the blade," the complaint says.
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A detective spoke with the victim in the emergency room of the hospital. The detective was told the victim and the defendant had "a disagreement" about "using their house as a wedding venue," the complaint says. The victim told police he "had woken up to text messages and screenshots between the defendant and his mother, and this caused an argument," the complaint says. Court filings say the victim said he returned home from work early and that "the defendant attacked him without warning." When he pushed her away and walked into the kitchen, she followed him and grabbed a knife. The complaint says moments later, "the defendant attacked him and tore his whole shirt off."
The victim continued to tell a detective he went into the basement to grab his things and the defendant followed him down with a knife in her hand. The victim said "the defendant moved towards him and swung a couple of times. (The victim) advised that he was struck with the knife. (The victim) advised that he knew he was bleeding but did not know where," the complaint says. The victim said the "defendant swung the knife two more times. (The victim) advised that he felt the knife in his neck the second time," the complaint says. When the victim dropped to his knees, the defendant backed away.
A detective spoke with the defendant about this incident. Brantner told him "she and (the victim) got into a heated, physical altercation," the complaint says. She believed "she pushed (the victim) first, but she was shoved by (the victim) before they began to fight back and forth," the complaint says. The defendant also indicated that "she was hit on the left side of her face and nose" and fearful her boyfriend would "batter her," the complaint says.
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Court filings go on to say the defendant said "she grabbed a knife at one point during the physical altercation. The defendant advised that she threw the knife down. The defendant advised that she then grabbed a knife a second time after (the boyfriend) threw her to the ground in the kitchen." The defendant told police she "believed the knife touched his left arm and the left side of his neck. The defendant advised that she then grabbed a towel, put it on his neck, and he held pressure on his wound," the complaint says. Brantner told the detective she sat on the couch because she did not want to be accused of fleeing the scene.
In court
What's next:
Brantner made her initial appearance in Waukesha County court on Friday, Jan. 31. Cash bond as set at $3,500.
Brantner is due back in court for a hearing on Feb. 13.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by online court records plus the criminal complaint associated with the case.