Fort Saskatchewan mother testifies against ex-partner about death of their baby

A Fort Saskatchewan mother testified Wednesday against her former partner — the man charged with second-degree murder in the death of their baby. 

The 33-year-old man is also accused of assaulting his daughter who was five years old at the time. 

The court has imposed a publication ban on the identities of the children, so the father cannot be named. The mother has a different last name. 

When she left her townhouse on a Saturday afternoon in November 2019 to work a dinner shift at a restaurant, her children were "perfect," Ashton Bishop told the jury. 

Her daughter was clinging to her leg, begging her not to leave, Bishop said. Her partner was snuggling with their one-year-old baby boy on the living room couch. 

Three hours later, her husband called her in a panic, she said. He was hysterical.

"He told me to come home right away," Bishop said. "He said he just woke up and [our son] was bleeding out of his mouth and he was dying."

By the time she got home, she took one look at her son and was afraid he was already dead.

"Nothing could have prepared me for when I got home," Bishop said, wiping away tears. 

She said she frantically began giving her baby CPR. 

"I tried, but I'm pretty sure he was already gone," she said. 

A paramedic arrived and quickly reported Code Blue, then scooped up the baby and ran with him out to the waiting ambulance. 

On Tuesday, the paramedic told the jury that most of the baby's head was purple and there was "considerable swelling" to one eye. He couldn't see any signs of breathing and testified there was no pulse.

The baby was pronounced dead by the attending physician soon after arriving at the hospital.