- Timothy and Tina Hauschultz, and their son 14-year-old Damian Hauschultz, have been charged in the death of seven-year-old Ethan Hauschultz
-
asserted
Hauschultz → charge → Hauschultz
According to court documents, Ethan was forced to hold a 44-pound log around the yard for two hours over a one-week period for not knowing Bible verses
- When Ethan failed to perform the task, he was punished with beatings and buried in snow while not wearing a coat or boots
-
uncertain
he → accord → coat
He died from hypothermia and blunt force trauma to the head, abdomen and chest, and a fractured rib.
asserted
He → die → head
A seven-year-old boy was allegedly forced to carry a 44-pound log in freezing Wisconsin cold before being beaten and buried alive in snow as punishment ordered by his great-uncle for failing to learn his Bible verses.
uncertain
boy → force → verses
Ethan Hauschultz weighed just 62 pounds when he died on April 20, 2018, after being subjected to hours of grueling physical activity outside his family’s home in Newton, Wisconsin.
asserted
he → weigh → Newton
More than eight years later, his great-uncle and legal guardian, Timothy Hauschultz, 56, is finally standing trial over the boy’s death, accused of orchestrating the sequence of events that killed him.
asserted
that → stand → him
Jurors in Manitowoc County heard Wednesday that Ethan and his twin brother were ordered to carry heavy logs around a backyard track for two hours – a punishment the boys regularly faced.
asserted
boys → hear → hours
According to the original criminal complaint, Ethan failed to learn 13 Bible verses, prompting the cruel discipline.
Timothy’s teenage stepson at the time, Damian Hauschultz, was also accused of abusing the young boy.
Ethan Hauschultz weighed just 62 pounds when he died on April 20, 2018, after being subjected to hours of grueling physical activity outside his family’s home in Newton, Wisconsin.
uncertain
he → accord → Newton
Now 22, he took the stand Wednesday to testify against his stepfather, describing how the punishment turned into a fatal ordeal after Timothy and his wife left the house to run errands.
asserted
Timothy → take → errands
Damian’s testimony brought the courtroom back to April 20, 2018.
asserted
testimony → bring → April
He told jurors that Timothy personally approved the logs the children had to carry and instructed him to make sure they followed orders.
asserted
they → tell → orders
Evidence presented in court showed that Ethan’s log weighed more than 44 pounds, while his twin brother carried one weighing 35.6 pounds.
asserted
brother → present → pounds
The boys began struggling after about 45 minutes, repeatedly dropping their logs as they grew tired.
asserted
they → begin → logs
Damian admitted hitting, kicking and striking the children with a branch and belt in an effort to push them harder.
asserted
Damian → admit → them
Timothy Hauschultz' teenage stepson at the time, Damian Hauschultz, was also accused of abusing the young boy.
asserted
stepson → accuse → boy
According to the criminal complaint, Damian struck, kicked and poked Ethan approximately 100 times.
uncertain
Damian → accord → Ethan
He was also accused of standing on the child’s body and head while the boy lay face-down in a puddle.
asserted
boy → accuse → puddle
Ethan eventually collapsed and stopped responding.
asserted
Ethan → collapse → ?
Damian told jurors he initially thought the boy was pretending to be unresponsive and tried to force him to move.
asserted
boy → tell → him
Instead of seeking immediate medical help, he covered Ethan with snow, first with his hands, then with a shovel.
asserted
he → seek → shovel
He said he left a small opening near the boy’s head as he packed snow around his body.
asserted
he → say → body
The teenager had previously described the makeshift burial as a ‘snow coffin,’ according to Court TV.
uncertain
teenager → describe → TV
More than eight years later, Ethan's great-uncle and legal guardian, Timothy Hauschultz, 56, is finally standing trial over the boy’s death.
asserted
uncle → stand → death
Ethan remained beneath the snow for about 20 minutes before Damian uncovered him and realized it was far worse.
asserted
it → remain → him
He testified that he called Timothy and his mother, Tina McKeever-Hauschultz, after Ethan stopped moving and told them the boy was acting strangely.
asserted
boy → testify → them
When they arrived, they tried to warm the child with a bath and fresh clothes before driving him to the hospital.
asserted
they → arrive → hospital
Doctors spent hours trying to revive Ethan, whose internal body temperature had fallen to 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
asserted
temperature → spend → Fahrenheit
He died from hypothermia and blunt-force injuries.
asserted
He → die → hypothermia
Damian, who was 14 at the time, later pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
asserted
who → plead → prison
His testimony Wednesday is central to prosecutors’ case against Timothy, who faces six felony charges, including neglect of a child resulting in death and intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child resulting in death.
asserted
who → face → death
Prosecutors argue that Timothy bears responsibility for Ethan’s death despite not being present when the fatal abuse occurred because he devised the punishment, selected the logs and left Damian in charge.
asserted
he → argue → charge
But Timothy’s defense insists the teenager acted on his own and that the violence went far beyond anything he had been told to do.
asserted
he → insist → anything
During cross-examination Wednesday, Damian acknowledged that Timothy had never ordered him to hurt Ethan or the other children.
asserted
Timothy → acknowledge → Ethan
Defense attorney Donna Jean Kuchler has argued that Timothy told Damian to leave Ethan alone after learning the boy was struggling.
asserted
boy → argue → Ethan
Damian also admitted he became frustrated with the younger children and lost control of his emotions.
asserted
he → admit → emotions
The trial comes after years of legal wrangling that left Timothy’s prosecution in limbo long after the other two people charged in connection with Ethan’s death had been convicted.
asserted
people → come → death
Timothy, his wife Tina and Damian were all charged in 2019, nearly a year after Ethan’s death.
asserted
Timothy → charge → death
Tina was sentenced to five years in prison for her role in the events leading up to the boy’s death and failing to prevent it.
asserted
Tina → sentence → it
She was released to extended supervision in January 2024.
asserted
She → release → January
Damian pleaded guilty in June 2021 and received his 20-year prison sentence, but subsequent appeals complicated the case against Timothy.
asserted
appeals → plead → Timothy
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
