Father charged in baby’s death denies hurting son

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man accused in the death of his infant son in Iowa City denies he ever hurt the boy.

Brian Dykstra is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his son, Isaac, in 2005. The Gazette in Cedar Rapids reports Dykstra took the stand on Tuesday and told the jury “absolutely not” when asked if he ever “beat up” the child, who was adopted from Russia.

Dykstra says Isaac fell down two stairs three days before he was rushed to the hospital on Aug. 13, 2005. Dykstra described a knot on his son’s head, and said it turned soft. He also described a slow change in behavior and said he wished they would have taken him to the hospital after the fall.