Judge Denies Plea Agreement for Wisconsin Man Charged in Murder of 7-Year-Old Who Died from Abuse

MANITOWOC, Wis.—A judge has turned down a plea agreement for a Wisconsin man accused of facilitating a severe punishment for his 7-year-old great-nephew that resulted in the child’s death.

Timothy Hauschultz, from Manitowoc, was charged by prosecutors in 2019 with eight counts, including felony murder, child abuse, and battery, linked to the death of Ethan Hauschultz on April 20, 2018.

During a court session on Thursday, defense lawyers and prosecutors proposed a deal to Judge Jerilyn Deitz, whereby Hauschultz, aged 54, would plead guilty to two felony child abuse charges in exchange for the dismissal of the other charges, as per online court records and a report from WLUK-TV.

Judge Deitz expressed hesitation about the reduced charges and provided both parties with 30 minutes to reach a new agreement. Upon resuming, Hauschultz’s lawyers again sought her approval for the initial deal, arguing that it is within the prosecutors’ discretion to determine which charges to pursue. Deitz, however, maintained her stance and ordered the commencement of Hauschultz’s trial set for Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Hauschultz instructed the boy to transport a 45-pound (20.4 kg) log around the family’s backyard for two hours daily over a week. He directed his son, then-14-year-old Damian Hauschultz, to supervise Ethan in completing this task.

When Ethan struggled with the log, Damian reportedly struck him around 100 times, as outlined in the complaint. He also stood on the boy’s head while Ethan was face-down in a puddle and buried him in 80 pounds (36 kg) of snow, leaving him there for 20 to 30 minutes without a coat. Ethan ultimately succumbed to hypothermia but had also sustained severe injuries.

Timothy Hauschultz and his wife, Tina McKeever-Hauschultz, served as Ethan’s court-appointed guardians but were not present at home at the time of his death.

Damian Hauschultz pled guilty to first-degree reckless homicide and received a 20-year prison sentence in 2021. The 2nd District Court of Appeals upheld his conviction last year, and his appeal for the state Supreme Court’s review was denied in September.

Tina McKeever-Hauschultz entered a no contest plea to charges of failing to prevent mental harm to a child and child abuse that same year, resulting in a five-year prison sentence.