Dying Calgary baby’s father seemed unconcerned, police tell court

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The father of a dying Calgary infant seemed more worried about removing his cell phone than going to the hospital to see his son, police said Tuesday.

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Constant Amy Langowski told the court that Anthony Carl Kurz rejected her offer to take him to Rockview General Hospital.

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“I remember telling Mr. Kurtz that he needed to go to the hospital,” Langoski said of his interaction with the accused in his basement suite in southeastern Calgary.

“He said before coming to the hospital…he had to go to the pawn shop to get his cell phone,” Langowski told prosecutor Alexandra Russell.

“He didn’t care,” she said of Kurtz’s demeanor.

“He was more worried about his cell phone.”

However, under cross-examination by defense attorney Darren Mahoney, officers said they were unaware that Kurtz had an outstanding arrest warrant at the time.

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Mahoney challenges the admissibility of Kurtz’s statements and the observations made about him by officers at the Atlanta Crescent SE residence where paramedics arrive.

The child died in hospital two days after calling 911 on April 25, 2018.

Both Langowski and her partner, Const. Mike Wilton said they were most concerned about getting information to help their child when interacting with Kurtz.

However, both of them told Mahoney that they didn’t know how the child was injured, so they thought the accused could be a suspect.

Kurucz was charged with second-degree murder in his son’s death.

Wilton said he was in the Rocky View emergency room where Jaden was taken when the family, including Kurtz and the boy’s mother, showed up.

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“Mr. Kurucz’s behavior was not consistent with the rest of the family,” Wilton said.

He said Kurtz seemed more concerned with cops while other relatives focused on the care given to Jaden.

“Mr. Kurtz was focused on my presence in the room,” he said.

He agrees with Mahoney’s opinion, saying that people with good warrants don’t like dealing with the police.

Meanwhile, an intensivist working at Alberta Children’s Hospital at the time said Jaden arrived in critical condition that afternoon.

Dr. Jonathan Gamble testified that the cerebral hemorrhage that caused the infant to cling to life was consistent with trauma.

“The initial diagnosis was due to trauma, specifically a head injury,” Gamble told Russell.

Doctors said they suspected a head injury even before tests were performed because Jaden’s heart had stopped before he was hospitalized.

“It’s the leading cause of cardiac arrest in previously well-behaved children,” Gamble said.

KMartin@postmedia.com

twitter: @KMartinCourts