Joseph J. Davis, the Coeur d’Alene man accused of killing his 17-month-old stepson last year, said he and the boy had a good relationship and he did not know how the toddler died.

A recorded conversation between Davis and a friend was used as evidence Thursday by prosecutors.

On the third day of Davis’ murder trial in First District Court in Coeur d’Alene, prosecutors played for the jury the audio recording that was difficult to understand in the vast, high-ceiling courtroom of the old federal court building on Fourth Street. The recording’s jumping decibels were interrupted only by the turning of pages, in unison, as 14 jurors followed along using a transcript of the recording provided by prosecutors Arthur Verharen and Laura McClinton.

“The kid loved me,” Davis told longtime friend Amanda Bowen, in the telephone conversation that took place shortly after toddler Maliki Wilburn suffered brain-damaging injuries. “He was always excited to see me coming and play with me”/Ralph Bartholdt, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

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