MILWAUKEE — A competency exam has been ordered for a Milwaukee woman accused of killing her 4-year-old son by setting him on fire.
Twenty-three-year-old Amelia DiStasio appeared in court Friday on a charge of first-degree intentional homicide. A preliminary hearing was postponed until the mental exam can take place. A report is due by Nov. 3.
The criminal complaint states that the Milwaukee Fire Department was dispatched to the home at 17th and Grant after reports of smoke at around 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 28. DiStasio was not home when first responders arrived.
Firefighters noticed smoke coming from the apartment and forced their way inside. They saw coming from the stove, as well as a pile of clothing in the bathroom’s bathtub was smoking, according to the complaint.
Inside the apartment, firefighters found Antonio’s lifeless body in a bathtub. His arms and hands had been tied behind his back by seven belts, while a plastic bag had been pulled over his face and tightly knotted behind his head.
Investigators discovered the victim’s body had been set on fire with the use of an unknown accelerant, believed to be canola cooking oil found in the bathroom sink. A pet guinea pig was found drowned in its cage next to the tub.
Police spoke to Di Stasio’s neighbor, who said that she heard Antonio say, “Please, Mommy. Stop! I won’t do it again.”
The criminal complaint revealed the apartment’s smoke detector had been removed and placed in water.
A police officer later found DiStasio walking and arrested her.
