A man who admitted to killing his 5-year-old son over a slice of cheesecake has since learned his fate following the violent crime he committed against his own child. Was it enough after you hear the details involving the trauma the boy experienced in his final moments at the hands of his own father? You decide.
Travis Stackhouse, a 30-year-old Wisconsin man, wanted everyone to believe that his 5-year-old son, named Sir Ameer, had fallen down the stairs when the boy suddenly passed away. Sadly, the dad would later make a shocking admission about the painful injuries that led to the child’s death.
After the 5-year-old succumbed to a ruptured stomach and other injuries, Stackhouse eventually admitted that he had punched the child in the stomach and struck him in the face. Making matters worse, the dad had dished out the beating because the boy, who was described as “little” and “tiny,” had one piece of cheesecake, which Stackhouse — who has four other children — had ironically received for Father’s Day.
Stackhouse became angry and got violent over the slice of cheesecake, pummeling his son to death over the Father’s Day dessert. Then, after hitting the child, Stackhouse went to the bar and didn’t return home until 2 a.m., at which time his girlfriend called 911, according to the NY Post. When officers arrived, it was already too late. They found Stackhouse’s 5-year-old son dead.
The child reportedly sustained bruising to both eyes, a cut to his lip, and a laceration to his sternum. The dad initially tried to explain away the ordeal, telling police he saw his son “somersaulting down the stairwell,” but saying the boy did not appear to be injured. However, the paramedics and police, who responded to the 911 call, didn’t believe the injuries were consistent with a fall.
What’s more, the boy’s 6-year-old brother told police his younger brother did not fall down the stairs. Then, an autopsy revealed that the child suffered blunt force trauma to the abdomen, and his death was ruled a homicide. Travis Stackhouse, of course, was the prime suspect, and when police interviewed him, he admitted his girlfriend often warned him “not to hit the children so hard.”
Prosecutors initially charged Stackhouse with one count of first-degree reckless homicide. With some reports stating that he was facing 37 years behind bars while others said he faced up to 60 years in prison if convicted, Stackhouse decided to plead guilty to reduced charges, including second-degree reckless homicide, neglecting a child, and child abuse-intentionally cause harm.
In addition to a ruptured stomach and the other injuries mentioned, Sir Amer also reportedly suffered bruised kidneys and a torn adrenal gland. Deputy District Attorney Matthew Torbenson described the excruciating pain the child experienced in his final moments, painting a disturbing picture for the court as he pointed out that “there should be no safer place in our community for a child than their own home.” The judge seemingly agreed.
Before handing down his sentence, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski tore into Stackhouse, calling his behavior abhorrent and the situation terrible. “The average person that hears about this case can’t understand how you would beat or punch any living human being as badly as you did in this case – let alone your own child,” Borowski said. “How can you live with yourself ever for a day – I don’t understand.”
Travis Stackhouse will have two decades to ponder the judge’s question as he was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by eight years of supervised release, Fox 6 reported. It seems like a small price to pay for subjecting a 5-year-old to such heinous abuse over a piece of cake and stripping the child of the long life he had ahead of him.
Thankfully, there is at least one plus side to the seemingly paltry sentence. Stackhouse’s other children should all be grown before he sees the light of day as a free man, and I hate to be the one to break it to him, but I highly doubt he will be getting any cheesecake in prison. Instead, he’ll spend his next 20 Father’s Days just as he should — behind bars, caged like the monster he is.
