Fresno jury hears 911 call in toddler murder trial

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Testimony began Monday in the trial of a Fresno man charged with killing his girlfriend's 23-month-old child.

Jurors in the murder trial against Xavier Hawkins heard the first call for help by the suspect after his girlfriend's 23-month-old stopped breathing.

In the 911 tape you can hear dispatchers tell Hawkins how to perform CPR on the toddler. But when emergency responders get on scene minutes later, they said the boy was lifeless. Then, they noticed something suspicious.

"When I laid the child down on the gurney, I noticed bruising on the left side of his body," said Brandon Griffith, a Fresno firefighter.

"And where on the left side of his body?" prosecutor Lara Clinton asked.

"He had the jaw line, neck and chest area," Griffith responded.

Prosecutors say 23-month old Syre Bridges was supposed to celebrate his 2nd birthday with a Spongebob-themed bash. Instead, in the weeks before his birthday, his family was planning his funeral.

"He was an adored nephew and cousin," said Clinton. "He never made it to his 2nd birthday. He was brutally and savagely beaten to death by the defendant."

Prosecutors say Syre was so severely beaten, he suffered several broken ribs and hemorrhaging all over his body. There was also evidence he was sexually assaulted.

Hawkins was the live-in boyfriend of Syre's mother, Emiley Bridges. Hawkins' attorney denies the abuse.

"In this case, there will be evidence of deception, drugs, depression and death," said Scott Baly.

Monday, Syre's grandmother Laverne Cail also took the stand, testifying about the loving relationship she had with the little boy and the tense relationship she developed with the defendant, who was also considered a close family friend, especially after she saw him reprimand him in the shower for a potty training accident.

"I heard Syre scream, not the gasping for air, just the scream," said Cail.

Jurors were also shown photos of bruises on little Syre's body.

Hawkins' trial is expected to last at least a week.