Anthony Sukto was 8-years-old when his father murdered his mom and brutally attacked him. In 2004, near Seattle where they lived, 911 dispatchers received a call from Anthony. He was terrified. It was 4 a.m.
“Please help me. My daddy killed me with a knife, and I’m gone,” Anthony said. “I woke up suddenly. My dad, he was killing my mom. And then my dad told me to go to the other bed, and then he was like, ‘You’re next.’ Then he killed me… I was still alive. I kind of survived.”
Tony Sukto, Anthony’s father, had killed his mom and then stabbed his son six times in the stomach, face, and neck. His dad thought they were both dead and left. His son made the 911 call. When emergency personnel arrived, they searched for the boy and could not find him. The address in the dispatch system was wrong. The 911 dispatcher was still on the line with Anthony, and his dad had returned. Anthony hung up.
Just as Tony had returned to where Anthony and his mom were, police arrived just in time to capture him. Anthony was near dead. “I threw up a prayer right there,” said Sergeant Mark Eakes who was on the scene, “I didn’t know if he was going to make it. I’ve seen a death look, as we call it, before. And he had that look in his eyes.”
Anthony survived, explaining that angels had told him to play dead. The angels also told him to call for help. “The angels lifted me up to the phone,” he said.
When Anthony was 18, a senior in high school, living in Texas with his aunt and uncle, he appeared on the “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” television show. At that time, Anthony told Oprah, “I’ve been doing great. I’ve got a lot of support from my aunt and uncle, and friends.”
Tony Sukto was convicted of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to more than 25 years in prison. As of the time of the airing of that tv show, Anthony has had no contact with his father. He said he does hope to talk with him someday. “Once he’s up for parole, I’d actually love to sit down and talk to him,” Anthony says. “I’m sure he doesn’t know that I still forgive him and I love him. I just want to tell him that.”
Anthony Sukto was a remarkably brave boy who turned into a remarkable man.
