Man who threw 7-month-old son off bridge sentenced to 70 years in prison

A Connecticut man who threw his 7-month-old son off a bridge was sentenced Wednesday to 70 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Middletown Superior Court Judge Elpedio Vitale handed down the maximum sentence to Tony Moreno, 23, for the July 2015 death of Aaden Moreno. WVIT reported that Tony threw Aaden off the Arrigoni Bridge 90 feet below into Connecticut River. Tony was seriously injured when he jumped off the bridge.

“Enjoy your new life without us,” Moreno wrote to the child’s mother, Adrianne Oyola, on the night in question. “He’s dead. Soon I will be too.”

Emergency crews were able to quickly retrieve Tony because he called his mother, Denise Moreno, who reported his suicidal behavior. Denise and her son got to the Arrigoni Bridge after the 7-month-old was thrown from it. A kayaker found the body 14 miles downstream two days later, according to the Hartford Courant.

Defense attorney Norman A. Pattis unsuccessfully argued that Tony only intended to take his own life but the baby slipped from his hands and into the water. Philly.com reported that he told police that he intentionally threw Aaden.

Tony was convicted for his son’s death in late February. Judge Vitale ordered the 60-year murder charge and 10-year risk of injury to a minor charge be served consecutively. In Connecticut, a murder conviction eliminates an inmate from parole eligibility, the Courant pointed out.

“You taunted his mother as you committed the act with text messages that can only be described as demonic,” Judge Vitale said. “At any point in the two mile [walk to the bridge] you could have stopped and gone back. You wouldn’t be deterred from committing this heinous act.”

“I won’t see my son grow up. You took my whole world in front of me. You took my life.”

“Every time I wake up, I pray the nightmare will be over and my son will be in my arms,” Oyola said during Wednesday’s sentencing. “Just know I tried to forgive you, but that’s impossible.”

[Featured Image: Connecticut State Police/Middletown Police Department]