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From her barstool, Anissa Francis and the 30 or so other patrons at Jug's Hitching Post had just finished watching news accounts Monday night of her friend being charged with shaking her 6-month-old daughter to death, when someone started up the jukebox and Eddie Money's "Shakin' " blared out.
"It was weird. Everyone was just in awe," Jug's owner Jason Jug said Friday, noting that the song was played by another customer who didn't know what had happened.
On Thursday night, just hours after her baby's funeral, Francis, 21, was back at Jug's in rural Kohlsville, singing karaoke until near closing time, Jug said.
"She was singing a bunch of songs. Not love songs, or sad songs. Like party songs," Jug said.
Craig C. Tolonen, 22, was charged Aug. 21 in Washington County Circuit Court with first-degree reckless homicide for violently shaking Serenitee Halbert, Francis' daughter, and then throwing her on a couch the morning of Aug. 18, causing injuries that led to her death Aug. 19 at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa.
In addition, Junior Weiss, Francis' boyfriend, was charged with felony child abuse, accused of slapping Francis' 19-month-old son across the face, leaving a hand print across his face and drawing blood.
Washington County Social Services has taken the child from Francis and placed him with a foster family, officials say.
Numerous attempts by a reporter to reach Francis, including three visits to her Allenton apartment, and efforts to reach other family members were not successful.
According to a criminal complaint, Francis, Weiss and Tolonen had been drinking the night of Aug. 17 and into early Aug. 18. Tolonen told investigators he was hung over at the time the baby was shaken.
Tolonen and Weiss have a history of violence and drug and alcohol abuse, which caused one of Jug's employees to not want to be identified by a reporter.
"It's a bad crowd. I don't want them gunning for me," said the employee, who was present Monday night when Francis asked that the jukebox be turned down and the TV turned up.
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