Boy beaten over piece of cake died from head injuries

WASHINGTON — 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 spokeswoman for the agency said on Tuesday.

The death of the boy, Jack Garcia, was a homicide, the spokeswoman 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 50 miles (80 km) northwest 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.