A Charles City man has been found guilty of charges in the death of his infant son two-and-a-half years ago.
27-year-old Shane Morris has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment resulting in death, with guilty verdicts handed down Thursday in Floyd County District Court.
Three-and-a-half-month-old Xander Morris was taken to Floyd County Medical Center on August 3, 2019 for treatment of injuries while in the care of his father, was transported to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and died August 4. An autopsy on August 5th indicated the child died from blunt force trauma to the head and was ruled a homicide.
Court records showed Morris first denied any knowledge of what happened to his son, but later changed his story, telling authorities that he tripped while walking with his son in his arms resulting in the child hitting his head on the kitchen counter and the father falling on top of the boy.
Morris was originally charged with first-degree murder, a Class A felony, which would’ve resulted in a mandatory life sentence without parole. Involuntary manslaughter is a Class D felony. The child endangerment charge is a Class B felony and could mean up to 50 years in prison for Morris.
Sentencing is set for March 25th in Floyd County District Court.
