US boy, 9, beaten to death by mother's boyfriend for eating birthday cake without permission

Jack Garcia's uncle, Jacob Andrew Barajas (left), and mother Oriana Garcia. PHOTO: REUTERS

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - A coroner has concluded that a 9-year-old Maryland boy who was fatally beaten over a missing piece of birthday cake died from head injuries, a spokesman for the agency said on Tuesday.

The death of the boy, Jack Garcia, was a homicide, the spokesman for the District of Columbia's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said.

Prosecutors allege that Jack was handcuffed and beaten by his mother's boyfriend, Robert Wilson, for eating a piece of birthday cake without permission on June 30 in Hagerstown, Maryland, about 80km north-west of Washington.

Jack died in a Washington hospital on July 5. Wilson has been charged in Washington County, Maryland, with second-degree murder, child abuse and other counts.

Jack's mother Oriana Garcia and his uncle Jacob Barajas face similar charges.

Police say Garcia did not allow emergency responders to provide medical treatment to her son after knowing he was beaten.

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