Waupaca County District Attorney John Snider filed reckless homicide and strangulation charges Monday, Sept. 17, against Kevin J. Lombard, 24, Winnebago.
Lombard is accused of choking 18-year-old Amelia Anne Schmitz to death while the two of them were staying in a room at the America’s Best Value Inn in New London on Friday, Aug. 12, 2011.
According to the criminal complaint, Lombard called 911 at 2:26 a.m. Aug. 12 and said he and his girlfriend had been drinking, when she “started hitting me and stuff,” and that he put her in a headlock to keep her from hitting him. He said she was not waking up.
The 911 operator asked Lombard if his girlfriend was breathing and he replied, “No, I do not think so.”
New London Police Officer Chase Schroeder was dispatched to the hotel and arrived at 2:29 a.m. He found Lombard sitting outside the hotel on a bench. Lombard opened the door to his room.
Inside the room, Schroeder found Schmitz lying on the floor, a comforter covering her body and a pillow under her head. There was also a broken necklace beside her. Her lips and mouth were blue. Schroeder reported seeing dark red marks across Schmitz’s throat from ear to ear. She was not breathing and had no pulse. Schroeder started chest compressions.
New London Police Officer Michael Harlow came into the room with a defibrillator and connected it to Schmitz. Then paramedics arrived and began attempting to resuscitate her. Schmitz was taken by ambulance to New London Family Medical Center, where emergency staff continued trying unsuccessfully to resuscitate her.
At 3:29 a.m., Deputy Cornoer Andrew Carlin pronounced Schmitz dead.
Dr. Douglas Kelly, with the Fond du lac County Medical Examiner’s Office, reported the cause of death as asphyxia due to strangulation. Blood tests indicated no alcohol or drugs in Schmitz’s system.
Special Agent Michael Sasse, with the state Division of Criminal investigation, and new London Police Lt. Christopher Gregory, interviewed Lombard’s mother. She said Lombard had called her twice between 2:20 a.m. and 2:25 a.m., saying that he was scared.that he had placed Schmitz in a chokehold and that she was not waking up. During the second call, his mother advised Lombard to call 911 and administer CPR.
Lombard told investigators that he and Schmitz were on their way from Richfield to Eagle River to visit his grandparents. They stopped at a hotel in New London because it was late, according to the complaint.
Lombard had a bottle of bodka and a bottle of Gatorade. He said they planned to drink, relax and watch TV.
Lombard told investigators that Schmitz became upset after he said he had been sleeping with an ex-girlfriend and with the mother on his child while the two of them had been dating.
“She started freaking out on me,” Lombard said, accusing her of screaming at him, scratching and slapping him. He said he put Schmitz in a chokehold to keep her from screaming.
“We both fell off the bed. I thought I heard a crack or something when we hit the ground,” Lombard said. “I tried to see if she was OK. She wasn’t moving. She was just making funny noises.”
According to the criminal complaint, between the time he first called his mother at 2:20 a.m. and called 911 at 2:26 a.m., Lombard left the room, went outside, returned to the room, placed a comforter over Schmitz, then went out to his truck to look at a map.
Lombard faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted of second-degree reckless homicide. He has also been charged as a repeat offender.
Lombard was convicted of auto theft in March 2005 in Washington County and placed on two years of probation.
He was convicted of battery and bail jumping in May 2005 in Washington County and placed on two years of probation.
He was convicted of battery to an officer in Washington County in April 2007 and placed on three years of probation with six months in jail.
In September 2007, Lombard was convicted of criminal escape and battery, sentenced to 60 days in jail and placed on 18 months of probation.
In March 2009, his probation on the battery to an officer conviction was revoked due to an arrest for auto theft. Lombard was sentenced to two years in prison and five years of extended supervision.
After he was arrested in New London in August 2011, Lombard’s extended supervision was revoked and he was returned to prison.
He is scheduled for an initial court appearance before Judge John Hoffmann on Sept. 27.