Damian Hauschultz has officially testified in the Timothy Hauschultz trial.
After being sworn in and describing his step-father’s home, he testified that he, his sister, and three cousins, including Ethan and Anthony Hauschultz, were living there in April of 2018. He said that the children were assigned punishments by Timothy, including what he called “carrying wood.”
This is when the kids would be forced to pick up a piece of wood and walk a designated path in the backyard.
The wood would be picked by the kids at first, but Damian testified that if Timothy believed the wood was too small, he would “pick one for them.”
That piece of wood was then their assigned piece for all future punishments.
He told police at the time that the logs Ethan and his brother Anthony were carrying were “hefty” but less than 50 pounds, which was corroborated by the weights collected by investigators.
These punishments would typically last one to three hours, according to Damian’s testimony, including a punishment on April 19th, 2018. The following day, another punishment was ordered by Timothy.
Damian testified that Timothy ordered Ethan, Anthony, and himself to “carry wood” for two hours while Timothy and his wife, Tina McKeever-Hauschultz, left the home.
Damian recalled Ethan and Anthony beginning to struggle with their logs around 45 minutes into the punishment, which he was ordered to make sure was being completed. Damian admitted to pushing, kicking, and hitting them with a branch and a belt to “encourage them to keep going.”
There were also times when Ethan would fall, resulting in the log falling on him. A little over an hour into the punishment, Damian recalled Ethan lying down on the ground and not moving.
He responded by kicking and prodding the 7-year-old to get him moving. When that didn’t work, Damian said he started covering him with snow, saying it was “enough to cover him with an inch or so.”
Damian said he called Timothy and Tina to let them know Ethan was “acting weird,” to which they allegedly said they would be home “in a bit.”
Anthony and Damian would continue their punishment, and Damian said he unburied Ethan “about 20 minutes after covering him.
That was when Damian said he noticed Ethan was non-responsive.
He again called Timothy and Tina, who came home, changed his clothes, and rushed him to the hospital.
The court is now in recess for lunch, and the defense will cross-examine Damian this afternoon.
