"Angry After Eating Cake"... US Man Charged with Murder for Beating 5-Year-Old Son to Death

A man who beat his 5-year-old son to death because he was angry that the son ate his cheesecake. Photo by YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] A heartless father in the United States who beat his 5-year-old son’s face and abdomen to death because the child ate the cheesecake he received on 'Father's Day' was found guilty of murder charges.

On the 9th (local time), the Washington Post (WP) reported that a jury found Travis E. Stackhouse (30), who was charged with second-degree reckless homicide, child abuse, and child neglect, guilty on the 5th, and he is expected to receive a prison sentence of up to 37 years.

According to WP, in the early morning of June 22, 2019, in Milwaukee, Stackhouse and his girlfriend, who lived in the same house, called 911 saying "the child is not breathing." When 911 paramedics arrived at the scene, they performed CPR, but the son, Emer (5), who had been subjected to indiscriminate assault, died on the spot.

At the time of discovery, Emer had severe bruises on his eyes. There were also wounds on his lower lip. However, father Stackhouse gave false testimony to the police, saying, "My son fell down the stairs while playing with his siblings." But the police, suspicious of the wounds on Emer’s face, conducted an investigation targeting his other children.

Emer’s older brother, who was one year older, told the police, "My younger brother did not fall down the stairs," and testified, "I saw my father clench his fist tightly and hit my brother’s abdomen and back." The autopsy revealed that Emer’s abdominal organs were ruptured and there were bruises on his kidneys. The medical examiner concluded that Emer’s cause of death was "abdominal trauma caused by blunt force" and classified it as 'homicide.'

A man who beat his 5-year-old son to death because he was angry that the child ate his cheesecake. Photo by Twitter capture

Stackhouse was immediately arrested by the police and eventually admitted to hitting the child. He said, "I was angry that three children, including Emer, were eating the cheesecake I received on 'Father's Day,'" and "Emer ate a piece, and I hit Emer’s abdomen." He also admitted to hitting Emer’s face with the back of his hand and a metal rod.

He also acknowledged that his girlfriend repeatedly warned him, "Don’t hit the children too hard."

It is known that Stackhouse met with friends and drank until dawn after assaulting his son. When he returned home around 2 a.m., his girlfriend informed him, "There seems to be a serious problem with the child," and then called 911.

The police said Stackhouse had five children and mainly took care of them, but he did not even know the exact birthdates or correct spellings of their names.