Father who fatally shook and threw infant son guilty of manslaughter not murder

A Calgary father who shook and threw his infant son, causing fatal injuries, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

Anthony Kurucz, 34, was charged with second-degree murder in the 2018 death of three-month-old Jayden.

On Tuesday, Justice Glen Poelman ruled that he could not find that the accused intended to kill the infant.

Poelman heard evidence that Kurucz was home alone with Jayden on April 25, 2018, when he called 911 in the early afternoon.

Taken off life support

He told the 911 dispatcher that the infant was "freaking out" and suddenly went limp and began bleeding from his nose.

Jayden was suffering from serious head trauma.

• 'My baby was freaking out': 911 call played in trial of father accused of killing infant

Two days later, the baby's mother was told by medical staff that "no medical treatment could restore Jayden."

He was taken off life support.

Operation Honest

Shortly after, Calgary police launched Operation Honest, an undercover investigationtargeting Kurucz.

Eventually, Kurucz confessed, in detail, his involvement in Jayden's death.

Kurucz described feeling "panicky, angry and frustrated" with the crying baby.

His "emotional" description of the situation to the undercover police officer painted the picture of a father who was inexperienced in caring for young infants, the judge found.

Poelman also said Kurucz's confession showed "he spoke truthfully and wanted to unburden himself of a difficult secret."

The judge will hear sentencing submissions from defence lawyer Darren Mahoney and prosecutors Hyatt Mograbee and Alexandra Russell later this year.