Tony Moreno accused of throwing 7-month-old son into the Connecticut River pleads not guilty

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Tony Moreno, 21, allegedly threw his son Aaden off the Arrigoni Bridge
Police say he then jumped over the railing into the cold water in the river
The baby's dead body was recovered on July 7 by a passing canoeist
He appeared in Superior Court in Middletown on Thursday to face charges
Moreno is charged with murder and murder with special circumstances

By Belinda Robinson For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 05:48 EST, 11 September 2015 | Updated: 09:58 EST, 11 September 2015

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A man accused of killing his seven-month-old son by throwing him off a bridge into the Connecticut River has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

Tony Moreno, 21, from Middletown, Connecticut, allegedly threw his son Aaden off the Arrigoni Bridge on July 5.

A police affidavit states Moreno called his mother from the bridge asking her to pick up a phone with pictures of the baby and a stroller and then threw himself off the bridge once she arrived.

Tony Moreno, right, appears in Middletown Superior Court, Connecticut, on Tuesday July 21 with his lawyer, James McKay

Moreno, pictured here with bruises on his face, is accused of throwing his infant son, Aaden, off the Arrigoni Bridge and into the Connecticut River in July

Officers searched for the baby, pictured, for two days, he was eventually found on July 7 by a canoeist in waters near the East Haddam swing bridge

Police say Moreno jumped over the railing into the river once his mom and brother and police officers arrived. But he survived the fall.

His baby did not.

Officers searched for the baby's body for two days, and he was eventually found by a canoeist on July 7 in waters near the East Haddam swing bridge.

Documents show Moreno and Aaden's mother were going through a custody dispute. A judge denied a permanent restraining order against him days earlier.

Moreno appeared in Superior Court in Middletown on Thursday. His public defender would not say if he is planning to pursue an insanity defense.

Moreno waived his right to a probable-cause hearing, the Hartford Courant reports.

These types of hearings are mandatory in Connecticut for any defendant charged with a crime punishable by life in prison.

Police say Moreno jumped over the railing into the river after he allegedly threw the baby off the bridge

Moreno appeared in Superior Court in Middletown on Thursday. His public defender would not say if Moreno is planning to pursue an insanity defense.

Moreno, nodded to his mother and other family members as he left the court in prison uniform after the hearing.

His relatives said he was 'doing all right.'

Moreno's lawyer, James McKay would not say if Moreno is planning to pursue an insanity defense.

However, he told the Hartford Courant that his client's behavior was 'obviously abnormal'.

Adding: 'We're taking any steps that you'd expect us to take [like tests to evaluate his mental health].'

Police search and rescue teams staged a widespread search for the baby after the horrific incident

Moreno is charged with murder and murder with special circumstances and violating a restraining order on June 25 when he talked to Aaden's mother and the baby at a friend's house.

The baby's mother, Adrianne Oyola, applied for a temporary order. She was denied a permanent restraining order at a hearing on June 29.

According to Fox CT Oyola, told officers she had lived with Moreno, his mother and his brother from February 2013 to June 17, 2015, and that in the months leading up to her moving out the couple was not getting along.

Court documents show Oyola feared for her baby's safety.

The baby's mother, Adrianne Oyola, Aaden, pictured, was denied a permanent restraining order at a hearing on June 29 but previously told a judge that she feared Moreno could hurt their baby

Court documents show Oyola, pictured here, feared for her baby's safety after she said Moreno told her 'he could make my son disappear anytime of the day'

She first applied for a restraining order on June 17 against Moreno saying: 'He has told me he could make my son disappear anytime of the day.'

She told the court that a month or so before Aaden died, Moreno pushed her off of a bed, which caused her to fracture her ankle.

And, in April Moreno was watching Aaden and left him alone on a bed upstairs, and then left the house.

Oyola said she decided to move out on the day of her graduation from high school, June 16. Oyola and Moreno drew up their own custody agreement after the restraining order stopped.

On July 5 at 8 p.m. she called Moreno. A few hours later the two text messaged back and forth for 25 minutes.

She text: 'Please don't try and take him [Aaden] from me!!!!'

He text: 'You tried to take him away from me. You failed. I didn't, enjoy your life without us now.'

Moments later, Moreno allegedly threw Aaden into the river.

Moreno is currently being held at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield with bail set at $2.1 million.

He is due back in court on November 17.