MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – One of the court-appointed guardians of a 7-year-old boy who died after being beaten and put in a snowbank pleaded not guilty Friday, but the arraignment was delayed for his wife.
Tim Hauschultz and Tina McKeever-Hauschultz were not at home at the time of the incident last April. He faces felony murder and other counts, while her charges include intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child, causing death. Ethan was Timothy’s grand-nephew.
Tim Hauschultz pleaded not guilty Friday, according to the clerk of courts. Hauschultz wants a count of contributing to the delinquency of a child causing death dismissed, because he contends it is duplicative of another count. A motions hearing will be held on April 22. No trial date was set, court records show
McKeever-Hauschultz was scheduled to enter a plea Friday, but that was pushed back to April 29, according to a court official.
Their son, Damian, 15, is charged for with first-degree reckless homicide for allegedly beating Ethan and putting him in the snowbank. He has been ordered to stand trial in adult court. In Wisconsin, children ages 10 and older charged with certain homicide counts have their cases handled by the adult court system, unless moved. He returns to court June 21 to determine if the case will be handled in juvenile or adult court.
The complaint says on April 20, 2018, Timothy told his son Damian Hauschultz to make sure 7-year-old Ethan Hauschultz completed his punishment.
That included, according to the complaint, Ethan Hauschultz being required to carry a 44-pound log for two hours around a path in the backyard of their home. Damian said he had to carry wood for not knowing 13 Bible verses to Timothy’s satisfaction. The punishment was one week of carrying wood for two hours per day. Timothy picked out the logs, but Damian had to supervise the punishment for the younger children.
During that time the complaint says Ethan Hauschultz “struggled to carry his log” and Damian did “hit, kick, strike and poke Ethan approximately 100 times.” The complaint goes on to say Damian Hauschultz also stood on Ethan Hauschultz’s “body and head” while he was “face-down in a puddle.”
The complaint also alleges Damian Hauschultz buried Ethan Hauschultz in about “80 pounds of packed snow” where he was left for about 20 to 30 minutes without a coat or boots.
Ethan died of hypothermia, but also had extensive other injuries, including blunt force injuries to his head, chest and abdomen, and a rib fracture, the medical examiner determined, the complaint states.
