Father who threw his infant off bridge faces 70 years in prison

(FOX NEWS) - A Connecticut man who killed his 7-month-old son when he threw the boy off a 90-foot-high bridge, then survived the plunge himself, has been sentenced to 70 years in prison Wednesday.

A judge imposed the maximum prison time on Tony Moreno, 23, who was convicted by a jury in February of murder and risk of injury to a minor.

"The utter depravity of the crime, a father killing his infant son, speaks for itself," Middletown Superior Court Judge Elpedio Vitale said.

Police said the 23-year-old Moreno threw his son, Aaden, off the Arrigoni Bridge over the Connecticut River in Middletown in July 2015. He then jumped off and was seriously wounded, but survived. He testified during his trial that he accidentally dropped the boy and did not intend to harm him, despite having confessed to police that he threw the baby off the bridge.

Right before he jumped, Moreno sent angry texts to Aaden's mother and she begged him not to hurt their child.

Moreno's text read, "Enjoy your new life without us. He's dead. Soon I will be too."

In the months prior to the incident, Aaden's mother refused Moreno's marriage proposal and there was debate over custody of the infant.