COUNCIL BLUFFS — Police say a 2-year-old boy died after a Council Bluffs man sat on him.
Pottawattamie County court records say 31-year-old Larry Murphy is charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. Murphy remains in custody pending bail of more than $1 million. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Murphy’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.
Police say Murphy had been staying with the boy’s mother and her two sons at a Council Bluffs motel. She told police Murphy became angry at the 2-year-old for taking his cellphone Friday, so he sat on the boy for around 20 seconds as the boy lay on a motel bed. Murphy was described as being 6 feet tall, weighing 160 pounds.
The boy was unresponsive when Murphy checked him later and was pronounced dead after being taken to a Council Bluffs hospital. The criminal complaint says a doctor noticed signs the boy may have been asphyxiated.