BRENTWOOD, N.Y. — A defense lawyer says a Long Island man charged with suffocating his 98-year-old mother with a plastic bag thought he was dying and didn’t want to leave her alone.
Juan R. Gonzalez pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder Thursday at a hospital arraignment in Bay Shore.
Teresa Astete was found dead at the studio apartment they shared in Brentwood.
Attorney Michael Brown says his client suffers from skin cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. He says Gonzalez “thought his own death was imminent” and was distraught over what would happen to his mother.
He says the 69-year-old was the primary caregiver for his bedridden mother and “adored” her.
Police said previously that Gonzalez attempted suicide after his mother’s death.