Jury acquits SC man in baby’s death in Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A jury has found a father not guilty in the death of his infant son in Iowa City.

The Gazette in Cedar Rapids reports Johnson County jurors acquitted Brian Dykstra on Thursday in the death of his 21-month-old son, Isaac, who was adopted from Russia. The jury began deliberating the case on Wednesday.

Dykstra, who moved to Central, South Carolina, was charged with second-degree murder in 2008, three years after the boy died of head injuries in August 2005. He claimed his son fell down two stairs three days before he was rushed to the hospital.

After the verdict, Dykstra started weeping. Dykstra’s former wife, Lisa DeWaard, says they can “finally grieve our son.” Sobs erupted from a large group of other supporters gathered in the courtroom.