MANITOWOC (NBC 26) -- A Manitowoc County teenager will be tried as an adult in court for the death of a 7-year-old boy. The decision was made by Judge Jerilyn Dietz in Manitowoc County court Thursday morning. She said it’s because the teen did not meet the court's criteria to be tried as a juvenile. This decision is one the teen's attorney says he's disappointed with.
Damian Hauschultz is facing charges of 1st degree reckless homicide in the death of 7-year-old Ethan Hauschultz. Damian was 15-years-old at the time of Ethan's death. According to court records, on April 20, 2018, Damian was performing a punishment ordered by Timothy, his father, on Ethan.
"It was horrific to listen to what he did to an innocent child he was supposed to be taking care of," said Kimberly Cops, a family friend of Ethan's.
Damian is accused of making Ethan carry a log, two-thirds of his weight, around the yard in which he struggled with. He's also accused of pushing and prodding Ethan with a stick, more than 100 times during a two-hour period. When Ethan fell down, the criminal complaint says Damian stood on him while he was face down. According to the court, Damian then decided to bury Ethan in a snow coffin, in which the judge said the snow weighed about 80 pounds on top of the 62-pound boy.
Timothy and Tina McKeever-Hauschultz, Ethan's court appointed guardians, eventually took Ethan to the hospital. The judge said during that time Damian asked police why they were making such a big deal.
"He asked Detective Bessler why she making such a big deal of this incident," Judge Dietz said, as she read aloud her written statement in court. "This level of alleged cruelty and total disregard for human life makes this offense exceedingly serious."
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office says Ethan's cause of death was hypothermia and other blunt force injuries to the head, chest and abdomen.
Damian's attorney said despite the serious allegations, he doesn't believe Damian should be locked up for the majority of his life. He will also be looking to suppress statements received from Damian as he believes they were obtained illegally.
Timothy and Tina are also facing charges in relation to Ethan’s death. They're both due back in court at the end of the month.
Damian is expected to have a status conference hearing on January 30th.
