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Lawrence School child abuse case, teacher sentenced
A former Waukesha day care teacher was sentenced to prison on Friday after a jury found her guilty of child abuse earlier this year.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A former Waukesha day care teacher was sentenced to prison on Friday after a jury found her guilty of child abuse earlier this year.
In court
What they're saying:
Court records show 51-year-old Heather Miller was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by seven years of extended supervision.
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Prosecutors charged Miller, 51, with four counts of child abuse and one count of second-degree recklessly endangering safety after they said she hurt multiple children when she worked at the Waukesha day care center.
"Where is the video evidence? There is none," Miller said. "I didn't hurt these children."
Lawrence School child abuse trial, teacher guilty on 4 of 5 counts
A Waukesha County jury found Heather Miller, a former teacher at The Lawrence School, guilty on four of five counts in a child abuse case from 2022.
In September, a jury convicted Miller on three of the four child abuse counts, as well as second-degree recklessly endangering safety. She was found not guilty on one of the child abuse counts.
"The only word I can say is it's a tragedy – and you are responsible for it, Heather," Judge David Maas said Friday.
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"There's only one person in the universe who knows what happened," said Defense Attorney Pablo Galaviz.
Dig deeper:
Galaviz filed to withdraw from the case days before sentencing after Miller said he was "ineffective." Molly Miller, Heather's daughter, wrote to the court last week to say the attorney "consistently failed to act on (Miller's) behalf."
Heather Miller in court for sentencing on Nov. 7, 2025.
"My mom is amazing with children," said Molly Miller.
The daughter sent 20 pages of screen captures to the court that showed years of correspondence. Many of Miller's messages to Galaviz were unanswered.
Maas denied Galaviz's withdrawal from the case and told Miller to save her concerns for an appeal. She told the court she plans to appeal.
Child abuse case
The backstory:
Three years ago, Waukesha police conducted a search at The Lawrence School. It came after parents took their child to Children's Wisconsin. They said the child was "lethargic, fussy and unwell" after day care. Police said Miller set up mattresses to "lock cameras" and slammed a 1-year-old boy "face down into a crib."
Prosecutors said the child's "body bounced up and down" and Miller "held him down so hard" the child "struggled to breathe." Prosecutors also said Miller slammed another child's head into a Pack ‘n Play and tossed another child several feet, causing the child’s face to hit the floor.
The Lawrence School, Waukesha
In total, investigators said there were three victims, some of whom had special needs.
The Lawrence School has since shut down. Waukesha police said it was operating at over 150% of its state-regulated capacity.
Dig deeper:
Two other workers were charged with failing to report child abuse: Kathryn Asher and Annemarie Fraker.
Lawrence School child abuse; directors failed to prevent abuse, sentenced
Prosecutors say two women failed to prevent child abuse when they were directors at the Lawrence School Daycare in Waukesha.
Prosecutors said Ascher could have stopped abuse that spanned months, and Fraker initially lied to police when asked if employee Miller was abusing children.
Ascher pleaded no contest to three misdemeanors, and a judge sentenced her to eight months in prison, four months of electronic monitoring and two years' probation.
Fraker pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor, and a judge sentenced her to one year of probation.
The Source: FOX6 News was in court for Miller's sentencing and referenced prior coverage of the case, including information from the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.