Wisconsin – In a deeply disturbing case in Wisconsin that lays bare years of mental health struggles, legal interventions, and a mother’s long-standing fear, a 29-year-old woman, identified as L.Spors is now charged with first-degree intentional homicide and domestic abuse in the brutal killing of her 64-year-old mother, identified as C. Zettel. Authorities say the daughter used a rock to smash her mother’s skull, leaving her lifeless in the backyard of her own home. Spors is currently being held in the county jail on a $100,000 bond, with her next court appearance scheduled for November 21. The case has sent shockwaves through the community, not only for the horrific nature of the act but also for the tragic warnings that preceded it.
It was just after 2 p.m. on October 12 when Zettel placed a desperate 911 call, reporting that her daughter was “being violent.” Within 20 minutes, officers arrived at the home, only to find Zettel lying in the backyard, covered in blood, her head so severely injured that brain matter was visible, according to reports. Beside her body lay a blood-covered rock, estimated to weigh four pounds. Investigators quickly located Spors nearby, allegedly drenched in her mother’s blood. A witness had also called 911, stating they saw Spors standing over her mother, repeatedly slamming a large object down on her, authorities said. Zettel was pronounced dead at the scene.
This wasn’t the first time violence had followed Spors. In 2018, Zettel had told authorities she suspected her daughter, Spors, was responsible for the death of her own father. Zettel claimed Spors struck him with two glass bottles. However, law enforcement found that Spors’s father was known to overmedicate with prescription painkillers and chose not to press charges. In the aftermath, Spors was placed under a domestic violence restraining order, which barred her from contacting her mother. She violated that order twice, but in both cases, she was found mentally unfit to stand trial. In a letter to the court following the first protective order violation, Spors wrote, “My mom says I killed him, but I don’t remember doing it,” referring to her father’s death. She also admitted her mental illness played a role in her behavior.
As the years wore on, Spors’s mental health reportedly declined, and her mother’s concern grew darker. A close friend of the victim, identified as L. Moyer, said Zettel began to fear that her daughter might one day kill her. “She even said, ‘Maybe if she kills me, she’ll get the help she needs,’” Moyer recalled, adding that her friend, Zettel, was hopeless at this point.
Just hours before the murder, Zettel had left a voicemail for Moyer, reporting yet another terrifying encounter with her daughter. Zettel said in the message that Spors had just been at the house, pounding on the doors and windows. She explained that she had called 911, and when police arrived, they briefly caught Spors hiding under a tarp before she ran off again. Zettel added that officers were still at the scene, trying to find her. That police search apparently failed to locate Spors—who would return later that day and carry out the fatal assault.
For years, Zettel tried to get her daughter help. She lived with fear and uncertainty, and in the end, her greatest fear came true. As the legal process now begins for Spors, the haunting question remains: how many warnings does it take before intervention comes too late?
