COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — 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 say 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 Tuesday 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 say Murphy is 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and weighs 160 pounds (72.6 kilograms).
The boy became unresponsive. Investigators say he was pronounced dead at a hospital where a doctor noticed signs of asphyxiation.
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