Woman killed Sussex family's dog, sentenced in separate gun case
SUSSEX, Wis. - A Wisconsin woman, previously convicted of killing a dog and later accused of breaking into a home and stealing guns, has been sentenced to prison.
Prison sentence
In court:
Court records show 20-year-old Kielee Sonnemann pleaded no contest to having a gun as a convicted felon, and a burglary charge was dismissed on April 9.
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Judge David Maas then sentenced Sonnemann to three years in prison and three years of extended supervision with credit for 107 days' time served.
Woman who killed Sussex family's dog faces new burglary charges
The woman who killed a Sussex family’s dog while babysitting is back in trouble with the law. Police say she took at least a dozen guns after a break-in.
Stolen guns
The backstory:
In September 2025, investigators said Sonnemann broke into an empty house in Sussex and stole at least a dozen guns. They made the connection after a member of a group she was with turned in two guns and agreed to an interview.
The property owner hadn’t lived at the house for three years, but court filings said he kept guns inside and later noticed a broken window and discovered "12 to 15 guns were missing."
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Sonnemann, who was 19 years old at the time and already convicted of killing a family's dog, was with at least three other people – some of them minors. Investigators said the group went around looking for abandoned homes.
Court records show prosecutors also charged a now 17-year-old boy with burglary and misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor in the case. He's scheduled for a plea and sentencing hearing in May.
Sussex dog killed, accused babysitter pleads guilty
Kielee Sonnemann, the woman accused of killing a family's dog while babysitting one of their children, will spend nine months behind bars and two years on probation.
Dog killed
The backstory:
In November 2024, Sonnemann pleaded guilty to animal mistreatment and was sentenced to nine months in jail as part of a three-year probation term. A charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct was dismissed.
Prosecutors said Sonnemann was babysitting children at a family's Sussex home when she stabbed a dog in the chest with a pair of scissors. She then hid the dog's body under blankets.
Sonnemann's attorney at the time said she suffered from bipolar disorder. In court, she said: "It is a horrible thing I’ve done. I don’t know why I did it."
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court, as well as prior coverage of the cases involving Sonnemann.