Couple convicted in prayer death case hope for new start with coffee shop in Stratford

Keith Uhlig | Wausau Daily Herald

STRATFORD - A husband and wife convicted for allowing their daughter to die from diabetes while they prayed for her recovery have opened a coffee shop and craft store in Stratford.

Leilani and Dale Neumann are operating Foxy's Craft & Bean at 1303 S. Weber Ave., which serves specialty coffees and a variety of food such as panini sandwiches, salads and soups. They are also in the midst of building the business as a craft mall, offering hand-made items from vendors.

The Neumanns were thrust into the public spotlight in 2008 when their daughter, Madeline Kara Neumann, known as Kara, died at age 11 from a treatable form of diabetes. Leilani Neumann was found guilty of second-degree reckless homicide on May 22, 2009. In a separate trial, Dale Neumann was found guilty of the same charge on Aug. 1, 2009. On Oct. 6, 2009, the Neumanns were sentenced to six months in jail (to be served a month at a time for six years), 10 years of probation and 120 hours of community service.

The sentencing wasn't the end of the protracted legal battle. The Neumanns appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which in a 6-1 decision upheld the sentencing on July 3, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to rule on the case in December 2013.

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The Neumanns' portrayal by news media, investigators and prosecutors was "not the real story. None of the real story has ever been told about us," Leilani Neumann said in a short telephone interview Wednesday. "We're really great people. ... We never intended to hurt our daughter. ... We weren't aware she had diabetes at all. We had no idea. We were taking care of her the best we could."

Opening Foxy's Craft & Bean is a way to reach out and care for the community, Leilani Neumann said.

"This is something positive. This is something good that we're doing," she said. "We have an opportunity to show kindness, show love. We do it through offering the best coffee, the best food, smiles and welcoming people and listening to them."

The Neumanns have owned and operated at least two other coffee shops in central Wisconsin. At the time of Kara's death, they ran a shop called Monkey Mo's in Weston. They closed that business when they could no longer pay rent and other expenses during their trials. The declared bankruptcy in 2012, according to court records.

In June 2015, they opened the Wooden Cup Coffee Co. in Rothschild. They later sold that business because the rent was too high, Leilani Neumann said.

Leilani Neumann said she hopes people give them a chance in their new endeavor.

"We have people who love and care about us and got to know us on an everyday basis," she said. "This coffee shop is our way to connect. ... We like to be in the community and serve the community and that's who we really are."