Man convicted of fatally punching 5-year-old son, allegedly over Father's Day cheesecake

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Man convicted of fatally punching 5-year-old son, allegedly over Father’s Day cheesecake

Travis E. Stackhouse told authorities that he had eaten only one piece and was upset that others were eating the cake.

By Paulina Villegas
General Assignment reporter
May 8, 2021 at 9:33 p.m. EDT

A jury this week convicted a Milwaukee man of murder for the 2019 death of his 5-year-old son. Prosecutors say he fatally punched the child over a piece of cheesecake on Father’s Day.

Travis E. Stackhouse, 30, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree reckless homicide, child abuse and child neglect in the death of his son, Sir Amer Stackhouse. The guilty plea followed two days of testimony from the state’s witnesses at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, according to state prosecutors.

Stackhouse had originally told police that his 5-year-old son was playing with one of his siblings in his home when he fell down the stairs in June 2019. Eventually, prosecutors say, he would admit punching the child in the stomach because the boy had eaten a piece of Stackhouse’s Father’s Day cheesecake.

The father also admitted using the back of this hand, which had a metal rod inside it, to hit his son in the face, authorities said.

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By Paulina Villegas
Paulina Villegas is a General Assignment reporter covering breaking news and national enterprise stories for The Washington Post. Previously, she worked at the New York Times' Mexico bureau, where her work focused on drug crime, government corruption and human rights issues. Twitter https://twitter.com/paulina_vv