COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Iowa police say a 2-year-old boy died after a man sat on the child for allegedly taking his cellphone.
Pottawattamie County court records show 31-year-old Larry Murphy is charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. He’s jailed on more than $1 million bail.
Murphy’s attorney didn’t return a call from The Associated Press.
Police allege the boy’s mother says Murphy was staying with her and her sons at a Council Bluffs motel when he became angry at the 2-year-old for taking his cellphone. She says he sat on the boy for around 20 seconds on a motel bed.
Police said that Murphy is the primary caretaker for the boy, Oakland Oburu, whose mother has cerebral palsy.
Police say Murphy is 6 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds.
At the hospital, doctors found “no obvious trauma” or “large wounds” on Oakland, but found broken blood vessels in both eyes, which can often be a sign of asphyxiation, according to police.
The boy became unresponsive. Investigators say he was pronounced dead at a hospital where a doctor noticed signs of asphyxiation.
