Indian origin man charged with assaulting, killing mom on Mother's Day eve

New York, An Indian origin man has been charged with assaulting and killing his own mom on the eve of Mother's Day, according to a New York prosecutor.

"What should have been a celebration of Mother's Day became a brutal, tragic nightmare for a Queens family," Melinda Katz, the prosecutor for the Queens County of New York City said on Sunday.

Announcing the arrest of Pushkar Sharma, she said, "The defendant in this horrific case allegedly choked, punched, sexually assaulted and killed his mother in their home on Saturday.

Sharma, 28, who surrendered to police, was produced on Sunday before a judge charged with murder and sexual abuse, Katz said.

If convicted, he will face a maximum jail sentence of 25 years for the category of murder he is charged with. Criminal penalties are determined by state laws and New York State does not have the death penalty.

Katz said that the accused approached his mother "Soraj Sharma, from behind, placed his hands around her throat and then began to choke and punch her multiple times in the face."

"The defendant and his mother struggled for several minutes, falling to the floor as he allegedly continued to punch and strangle her. The defendant then allegedly sexually assaulted his mother and continued to strangle her until she lost consciousness," the prosecutor said.

Afterwards, he went to his room to pick up his wallet and keys and walked to a police station to report the crime.

Quoting police, CBSN New York TV reported that in the meanwhile, the daughter of the victim, who was 65, found her unconscious in the basement of their home and called the emergency services. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.