CASS COUNTY, Mo. -- A man accused of beating a child to death was beaten himself in court.

Javier Barker, 29, made his first appearance in a Cass County courtroom Monday on a charge of second-degree murder.

Barker is accused of killing his girlfriend's 3-year-old son, Dillon Bahorski, in December at a house in Pleasant Hill.

Police said he beat Bahorski because he would not go to sleep and continued to cry.

During the court appearance, two of Dillon's cousins attacked Barker and began punching him in front of the judge.

Relatives of the accused and the victim said the attack was not planned.

"They just sat there long enough and their emotions got the best of them, and I think they just kind of fell apart," said Leigh Anne Kerschner, the victim's grandmother. "This is really hard, that's the first time we've seen him since Dillon was killed."

Police took Matthew, 17, and Aaron McClain, 20, into custody in connection with the attack. They have not yet been charged.

Barker said he was not guilty in Bahorski's death and remains behind bars.