Inset: Emma Spencer (Kenosha County Sheriff's Office). The Wisconsin apartment complex where Emma Spencer allegedly attacked her young daughter and boyfriend (Google Maps).
A Wisconsin teen who was tired of being the third wheel in a "throuple" with her boyfriend and another female took her anger out on her 2-year-old daughter — hitting the child in the face while she was playing with a teddy bear, cops say.
Emma Spencer, 17, of Kenosha, also attacked her boyfriend while fuming over their "polyamorous relationship," according to a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime.
"The defendant made remarks saying that [her boyfriend] liked [the other female] more than her and that no one loves her," the complaint alleges. "[The boyfriend] tried to reassure the defendant and said, 'If I didn't love you, why would I have a kid with you?' pointing to [their daughter]. At which point the defendant hit [the daughter] in the face with her palm while simultaneously grabbing [the daughter] by the face and pushing her down and making [the daughter] cry."
According to prosecutors, Spencer's boyfriend "confronted" her on Tuesday, July 7, and asked why she attacked their child. She responded by saying "she didn't want to have a baby anymore and she never wanted a baby," the complaint says.
After allegedly attacking their daughter, Spencer set her sights on her boyfriend and started "punching him repeatedly in the chest" after mounting him on their bed, according to prosecutors. The other female in the relationship witnessed both attacks and told investigators that Spencer struck the boyfriend around eight to 10 times before she stopped, the complaint says.
During an earlier incident, Spencer allegedly punched her boyfriend in the groin. She also threw a can of Mountain Dew at him, the complaint says.
After being called to the apartment where Spencer and her boyfriend lived, police spoke to the other female in the relationship and learned that they had only been a "throuple" for three days — with the female moving in with them, according to the complaint.
Spencer and her boyfriend had been together for three years.
"The defendant had recently started dating [the female] approximately one week prior and brought her into the home three days ago for a three-way relationship, which was a mutual decision between the defendant and [the boyfriend]," the complaint explains. "The defendant began having conflicting feelings about the three-way relationship and wanted to take a break. She and [the boyfriend] had been arguing throughout the day about the relationship and their feelings."
Spencer's boyfriend told her that she "disregarded people's feelings and mentally hurt people, which triggered her anger," according to prosecutors. Spencer allegedly claimed she "blanked out" before attacking her boyfriend and child.
"The defendant described having mental health issues for years, specifically with her 'grip on reality,'" the complaint says. "The defendant had started seeing a therapist two to three weeks prior, meeting once per week. The therapist wanted to prescribe medication, but the defendant's mother refused to provide consent."
When Spencer attacked her daughter, the little girl was "toddling around walking and playing with her teddy bear," according to the complaint. Police reported a "small scratch" on the child's nose that appeared old, but there were no other visible injuries.
In Wisconsin, 17-year-olds are automatically charged as adults regardless of the severity of the crime they allegedly committed. They are prosecuted in adult court and held at adult county jails.
Spencer has been charged by the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office with felony child abuse, misdemeanor battery domestic abuse and disorderly conduct domestic abuse. She is being held at the Kenosha County Jail.