MIDDLETOWN -- Tony Moreno will spend 70 years in prison after being sentenced Wednesday in Middletown Superior Court.
Moreno, 23, was found guilty of murdering his infant son in February. Judge Elpedio Vitale sentenced him to 60 years for murder, as well as 10 years for risk of injury to a minor. He will serve the sentences consecutively.
Police said Moreno threw his 7-month-old son, Aaden, off the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown in July 2015. He then jumped off himself, but survived.
Moreno’s relationship with the boy’s mother Adrianne Oyola had become strained in the months leading up to Aaden’s killing. She refused his marriage proposal, and a custody dispute was settled just days before the bridge incident.
After Moreno was sentenced, Oyola read the following statement to reporters outside of the courthouse:
I would like to thank Judge Vitale for the maximum sentence in this case and now Aaden can rest in peace knowing that justice was served.
I feel bad for Denise Moreno. She did the best she could with her son. It is not her fault. My prayers are with her.
I would to thank the Middletown Police Department; State's Attorney; the police, the first responders, and everyone who searched and rescued for my son; and the victims advocate especially.
Please continue to respect my privacy while I continue to mourn my son and to please keep Aaden in your prayers and thoughts.
During the February trial, Moreno testified that he accidentally dropped Aaden while on the bridge and did not intend to harm him.
On Wednesday, Moreno's defense attorney Norm Pattis argued for the mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years. Pattis did not wish to comment after sentencing.