The sign at the Calgary Courts Center in Calgary is seen on January 5, 2018. A Calgary father has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his infant son. The trial for Anthony Karl Kurucz, 32, began Monday in the Court of King’s Bench in Calgary. It is scheduled to last for almost three weeks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Graveland A Calgary father has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his infant son, as a court heard the man’s 911 call in which he said he was trying to calm the baby. The trial for Anthony Karl Kurucz, 32, began Monday in the Court of King’s Bench in Calgary. It is scheduled to last for almost three weeks. Police said emergency crews were called to a Calgary home in April 2018 to help a three-month-old with a medical problem and that Kurucz was alone with his son at the time. The infant, Jayden Cyluck-Kurucz, was unconscious and died at the hospital two days later. Kurucz was charged in September 2019 after police said the story he gave to medical staff was inconsistent with the boy’s symptoms. On Monday, the court heard a recording of the 911 call from Kurucz that came in around 12:15 p.m. on April 25, 2018. “My baby was freaking out,” Kurucz said in the phone call. “I was trying to calm him down, rock him, that kind of thing.” He said his son’s nose was bleeding. “I’m freaking out because my wife just went to take our dog to the vet,” Kurucz said. She told the dispatcher she believed the boy’s heart was still beating. “He’s very floppy, he’s very lame,” Kurucz said. When asked by the dispatcher if the baby was breathing, she replied, “I can’t say. I know his heart is beating, though.” He then asked if his son was going to live. “I don’t know what to do,” Kurucz said in the phone call. “I didn’t do anything to him, I was just trying to calm him down and rock him. “He’s not going to die, is he? Kurucz asked the dispatcher, Craig Moxley, if the police were coming. Moxley said paramedics and firefighters were on their way. Moxley confirmed the call during his court testimony Monday. Court heard fire crews were the first to arrive at the home in southeast Calgary. One of the senior firefighters, Greg Heise, testified that the crew found Kurucz outside. “The father was holding Jayden down on the sidewalk,” Heise said Monday. “I guess they caught us a little off guard. “The father said, ‘He’s not breathing.’ Heise said first responders placed Jayden on the ground. His colleague began CPR while trying to open Jayden’s airway, he said. “I wasn’t able to do that,” Heise said, noting there was dried blood around the baby’s nose and mouth. He said the father didn’t give much information when Kurucz was asked what happened. “He was freaking out,” said Heise, who noted it was difficult to get a straight answer from the father. “He stayed with us at first. “At one point, he mentioned he needed to have a cigarette.” Heise said he and his colleague continued to treat Jayden until medics arrived minutes later. “He was pale,” Heise said, adding that there was a blue tint around the baby’s nose and mouth. “His eyes were open but not reactive.” Another firefighter and paramedic are scheduled to be on the scene Monday afternoon.
