A Ramsey County father is headed to prison for nearly 16 years after assaults that prosecutors say left his three-month-old twin sons with roughly 60 fractures and severe brain injuries. A judge ordered his sentences to run one after the other, a move that will keep him locked up well into the next decade.
Judge Hands Down Near 16 Year Term
On Monday, a judge sentenced 20-year-old Dylan Raymond Strain to 189 months in prison, choosing consecutive terms instead of a shorter concurrent sentence, according to KSTP. The outlet reports that Strain was convicted of first-degree assault and is being held in the Ramsey County Jail while he waits to be transferred to a state prison.
Charging Papers Detail Dozens of Tiny Fractures
Charging documents say doctors at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis found one of the babies had 46 fractures, including multiple broken ribs, spinal hemorrhaging and bleeding on the brain, while his twin had 14 fractures along with cuts and retinal bleeding consistent with abusive trauma, for a total of about 60 broken bones, as reported by the Star Tribune. The complaint states that the more seriously injured twin arrived at the hospital with seizures and dangerously low oxygen levels after Child Protective Services contacted St. Paul police.
Relatives Describe Alarming Household
The twins were living with their parents and other relatives, and family members painted a disturbing picture for investigators. The babies' grandmother told police, "My grandbabies are in the hospital because some man don’t know how to control himself," according to the Star Tribune. She told officers she had heard Strain screaming at the infants and had seen enough to conclude he "can’t handle this," the complaint says.
Conviction, Custody and What Comes Next
Strain’s first-degree assault conviction led the judge to stack his sentences, resulting in the 189-month total, KSTP reports. The station notes that he is expected to be moved from the Ramsey County Jail to the St. Cloud Correctional Facility to begin serving his time.
What Minnesota Law Allows
Under Minnesota law, a conviction for first-degree assault, which covers assaults that inflict great bodily harm, carries a maximum possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, with actual punishment guided by state sentencing guidelines, according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. Strain’s 189-month sentence falls below that legal ceiling but reflects the severity prosecutors described in their filings.
