Background: A section of Marine Terrace apartments in Astoria, Queens, New York (Google Maps). Inset: George Tsintzelis in a photo dated August 23, 2022 (Facebook).
A New York man is set to spend the next quarter of a century behind bars for pushing his mother out of their third-story apartment window because of a feud over money.
A Queens County Supreme Court justice sentenced 37-year-old George Tsintzelis to 25 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision, the Queens District Attorney”s Office announced. A jury convicted the defendant in December of charges including attempted murder in the second degree, two counts of assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree, and aggravated criminal contempt.
On Nov. 15, 2024, at about 9:10 p.m., Tsintzelis and his mother were at their apartment in Astoria, Queens, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and evidence presented in court. They “became engaged in an argument over money,” and the defendant became violent.
Tsintzelis “beat his mother with a cane” before grabbing two knives from their kitchen and threatening her with them, authorities went on. He “held the knives against his mother’s body and forced her onto the window ledge and pushed her out of the window, causing her to fall three stories to the ground.”
Neighbors at the Marine Terrace apartment complex saw the 64-year-old woman fall to the ground and called 911, local digital news outlet QNS reported. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and treated for injuries, including “multiple broken bones, a laceration of her tongue, a laceration of the intestines and internal bleeding.” She had to undergo multiple surgeries, was intubated, and continues to recover from her injuries more than a year later.
“This defendant committed an unthinkable act of violence against his own mother,” Katz said. “George Tsintzelis held two knives against his mother’s body as he forced the 64-year-old woman onto a window ledge and threw her out of their third-story apartment.”
The district attorney described the woman’s survival as “miraculous” and noted that she “bravely testified” against her son a year after the crime.
During his trial, Tsintzelis was indignant on the stand, according to courtroom footage obtained by the New York Post.
“I love my mother. The DA is trying to destroy my family,” he said. “I want to see my mother and help her. She has a mental health issue. It’s not fair that I lose my freedom for somebody that has mental health problems. She did that to herself.”
After the mother’s fall, Tsintzelis “called 911 and he pretended to have no idea what just happened,” Assistant District Attorney Christina Mavrikis said, per the newspaper. “Arguably the worst part of this is he left her there to die on the ground.”
The mother, for her part, said her son “needs help” and that she tried to assist him with programs and letting him live with her but is also scared of what he could do if he is to be released from prison, Mavrikis reportedly stated.
Astoria is located in northwest Queens, just east of Manhattan in New York City.
