Inset: Emma Spencer (Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office). The apartment complex in Wisconsin where Emma Spencer is accused of assaulting her young daughter and boyfriend (Google Maps).
A teenager from Wisconsin, frustrated with feeling like the third wheel in a relationship with her boyfriend and another woman, reportedly vented her frustration on her 2-year-old daughter. Authorities allege she hit the child in the face as the toddler played with a teddy bear.
Emma Spencer, 17, from Kenosha, is also accused of attacking her boyfriend due to anger about their “polyamorous relationship,” as outlined in a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime.
The complaint describes how Spencer voiced her insecurity by claiming her boyfriend preferred the other woman and lamented that no one loves her. In response, her boyfriend attempted to comfort her, saying, “If I didn’t love you, why would I have a kid with you?” and gestured towards their daughter. It was then that Spencer allegedly slapped the toddler and grabbed her by the face, causing the child to cry.
Prosecutors stated that on Tuesday, July 7, Spencer’s boyfriend confronted her about the incident, questioning why she had struck their daughter. Spencer allegedly replied that she regretted having the baby, saying she never wanted to be a mother, according to the complaint.
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.