Who is Pushkar Sharma? NYC man sexually abuses, strangles mother, 65, to death day before Mother's Day
QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: A man was charged on Sunday, May 9, with fatally beating and sexually abusing his 65-year-old mother, prosecutors said. The 28-year-old man reportedly walked into a Queens police station on Saturday morning, May 8, and confessed to the crime, the New York Police Department said.
Pushkar Sharma allegedly carried out the deadly attack at his home in Jamaica, a middle-class neighborhood in the borough, around 8 am the morning before Mother's Day, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
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Who is Pushkar Sharma?
Sharma reportedly had blood on his clothing when he showed up at the 105th Precinct station house shortly after 8.30 am on Saturday and told officers he had killed his mother. Around the same time, Emergency Medical Service workers were trying to save the life of 65-year-old Saroj Sharma. The victim’s daughter, per the NYPD, had called 911 after finding her mother unconscious in the basement of her home. Saroj reportedly had bruising to her face and neck. She was taken to Long Island Jewish Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Sharma has been accused of grabbing his mother from behind and choking and punching her until she fell to the ground, prosecutors said. Sharma allegedly continued the attack, strangling and punching his mother. Officials say Pushkar then allegedly sexually assaulted her and continued to strangle her until she lost consciousness.
According to authorities, immediately after killing his mother, Sharma went up to his room, retrieved his wallet and keys and walked to the police precinct where he confessed to the murder. “What should have been a celebration of Mother’s Day became a brutal, tragic nightmare for a Queens family,” Katz said in a statement. A Democrat, Katz previously served as the Queens Borough President. Katz was also a New York City Councilwoman from 2002 to 2009.
Sharma has been charged with two counts of murder in the second degree and sexual abuse in the first degree. Murder in the second degree is a Class A-I felony crime that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Also Known as “intentional murder”, the New York Penal Code section 125.25(1) provides that a person is guilty of murder in the second degree with intent to cause the death of another person, if he causes the death of such person or of a third person.
According to New York Penal Code 130.65, first-degree sexual abuse is a felony Class D crime. This may be charged if an individual has engaged in sexual contact with another individual without the latter’s consent. Grounds for first-degree sexual abuse are present when the perpetrator uses force and when the victim is physically helpless. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison. No details of the sex abuse charge were provided. It wasn't clear if Sharma had an attorney who could comment on the charges.
If you have been sexually assaulted, call the New York State Hotline for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence at 1-800-942-6906.