A US COUPLE have been found guilty of the death of their adopted seven-year-old son, who died of head injuries two years ago.

Nanette and Michael Craver, from Pennsylvania, were found guilty of the involuntary manslaughter of their son, Nathaniel, who died in August 2009. An autopsy report concluded that Nathaniel had died from repeated blows to the head.

The Cravers adopted twins Nathaniel and Elizabeth from a Russian orphanage in 2003. Nathaniel suffered from foetal alcohol syndrome and attachment disorders and, the Cravers claim, continually self-harmed because of his psychiatric disorder.

On the morning of 20 August 2009, the Cravers brought Nathaniel to hospital, saying he had run head-first into a stove the night before. They said the boy had seemed fine when they put him to bed but was unresponsive when they checked on him in the early hours of the morning.

Nathaniel died five days later of a subdural haematoma, never having regained consciousness.

An autopsy report outlined a wide range of injuries on Nathaniel’s body, and also revealed evidence of malnutrition.

The Cravers were arrested over Nathaniel’s death in February 2010 and their daughter was taken into the care of a relative.

Throughout the trial, the couple’s legal team insisted that Nathaniel’s injuries were self-inflicted. However, the prosecution argued that Nathaniel had been chronically abused and sought a verdict of murder.

Tim Barker, York County’s chief deputy district attorney, told jurors: “Common sense tells you that he didn’t do this to himself. Common sense tells you that they did this to him… and they prevented him from getting medical care.”

The case has garnered much attention in Russia; the Russian authorities claim that at least 17 Russian children adopted by American parents have died in domestic-violence related situations, reports the BBC.

After it emerged that Nathaniel – who was originally named Ivan Skorobogatov - had retained his Russian citizenship, the country’s Investigation Committee filed criminal charges against the Cravers, reports Russia Today.