Howard woman found guilty of killing boyfriend

• Phillips is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of her boyfriend last summer
• She claims Rosenberg called her obscene names%2C choked her before she grabbed gun from bedside table
• Prosecutors say she%27s spoken of payback%2C telling a neighbor %22something%27s going down tonight%22
• Phillips%27 previous convictions involved welfare fraud in 1994%2C misdemeanor credit card theft in %2799

A Howard woman was convicted Monday of second-degree reckless homicide in the shooting death of her boyfriend last summer.

Tricia N. Phillips, 44, also was convicted of aggravated battery in the death of David Rosenberg, 46. Phillips shot Rosenberg, a truck driver, once in the head with a 9mm Glock pistol she kept by her bedside.

Prosecutors had been scheduled to try Phillips this week on a charge of first-degree intentional homicide, saying she had spoken to a neighbor about seeking payback from people who she felt had wronged her, and threatened hours before the shooting that "something's going down tonight." But attorneys reached agreement on a plea to the lesser charge, saying it assured a conviction and spared family members the pain of testifying.

Brown County Circuit Judge Tammy Jo Hock will sentence Phillips Sept. 18. The convictions can carry a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison and a $150,000 fine, Hock said.

Assistant District Attorney John Luetscher said prosecutors will recommend a prison sentence of no more than 20 years.

Nearly 20 of Rosenberg's friends and family members sat stoically Monday as Phillips repeatedly answered "yes" to Hock's questions about the plea. Outside court, they said the sentence brings them some peace even though it can't bring back their loved one.

"David doesn't get to see his kids graduate college," said Cheri Rosenberg, who had dated David Rosenberg when she was in high school and later was married to him for 23 years. "We don't ever get to talk to him again."

Their 24-year-old son, Kyle, said he would remember his father as someone who showed him what it means to have a strong work ethic. Kyle Rosenberg said he hopes Phillips will receive the maximum sentence for taking his father away.

At Luetscher's request, Hock revoked Phillips' bond. Since the shooting, Phillips has been in the Brown County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bond.

Phillips had claimed to sheriff's deputies that she shot Rosenberg on Aug. 17, 2013, in self defense, saying he choked her and called her obscene names following several hours of arguing. But prosecutors quickly disputed that, saying they found no signs of a struggle in the apartment, and that Phillips showed no signs of bruising from the alleged attack.

They also said Phillips said Rosenberg had never struck her in the past, and allege that Phillips told a neighbor about seven hours before the shooting that she was unhappy that Rosenberg might have been in contact with his ex-wife.

Phillips' has two children and worked as a machine operator at a local printing business. She told Hock Monday that she had dropped out of school in 11th grade.

Online court records show that Phillips has not been charged with violent crimes in the past in Wisconsin. She was convicted of misdemeanor credit card theft by acquisition, and assessed $391.50, in Brown County in 1999. She also was convicted of welfare fraud in Oconto County in 1994, though the penalty in that case was unclear.

— dschneid@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter @PGDougSchneider