The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office filed two felony charges Sunday morning against James Hutchins -- the Milwaukee man arrested for shooting and setting his wife, Tyvitta Dischler, on fire and also abusing their 5-year-old child.
Less than a month before this incident, Dischler sought a temporary restraining order against her husband, but that request was denied.
On Wednesday, Milwaukee police found Dischler dead in her northwest side home. The medical examiner says Dischler suffered two gun shot wounds to the head and severe burns over 60 percent of her body. They found soot and discoloration in Dischler's airway, leading them to believe she was still alive when she was set on fire.
According to Dischler's five-year-old son, Hutchins shot her in the head while she sat in a chair in the kitchen. Then, Hutchins threw his son to the ground, causing a skull fracture.
The boy told police he looked at his mother while she was laying on the ground and she was making noises. He said, "She was trying to wake up but didn't wake up."
The boy says he heard his father say, "When I get back I am going to finish you off."
Hutchins took the boy to his sister's home, where she observed large bruises on the boy's forehead. The boy fell asleep at her home and when he woke up later, there was blood on his pillow from a cut on his head. The woman called Hutchins to tell him she was taking his son to the hospital to which he responded, "Do what you have to do, take care of my son."
After examining the boy, a doctor says he had a skull fracture and other damage that required seven stitches to close. Because of the severity of the injury, the doctor says the injury is life-threatening due to the potential for increased intracranial pressure and may require surgical drainage.
The boy continued to talk to police and said, "My mommy is killed now. Someone should put my daddy in jail because my daddy killed my momma."
In court, the State cited Hutchins' violent past as a reason he should be given a higher bond. The State says he had charges for a sexual assault in 1986, felony possession of a firearm in 1992 and 1994, fleeing in a hit and run in 1995 and battery in 1998.
The judge ordered a $250,000 cash bond and Hutchins will be back in court June 6.
Be sure and watch TODAY'S TMJ4 on Roku! We are the only station in Milwaukee to provide the latest news, weather and sports on the device. Search for us on Roku today!