A Long Island man was indicted Thursday for allegedly stabbing his 59-year-old mother to death in their Brentwood home and remaining with her dead body for hours, prosecutors said.
Jason Kurumoglu, 30, was arrested earlier this month after police received a 911 call reporting that Melida Velasquez had been discovered by her daughter inside the home they shared on West White Street, the Suffolk County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
When officers arrived, they found the victim “with a knife lodged in her back and a pool of blood surrounding her,” authorities said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
As police began to clear the house, Kurumoglu emerged from inside and surrendered. He appeared to have dried blood on his hands and on a shirt he was carrying from his room, officials said.
The victim had been alone in the home until just before 1:30 p.m., when Kurumoglu returned home after being fired from his job, investigators said. About 10 minutes later, a downstairs tenant reported hearing “a loud thump, followed by the victim screaming, ‘Help me, Lord.’” The tenant also told police they heard a male voice with the victim.
Kurumoglu remained inside the house until police arrived, the DA’s office said. Investigators believe Velasquez had been dead for about three hours by that time.
“After allegedly stabbing his mother to death, this defendant callously left her lying where she died,” District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney
In the weeks before the murder, Kurumoglu allegedly had repeated arguments with his mother and stepfather, prompting the stepfather to temporarily leave the home, prosecutors said.
Kurumoglu was indicted Thursday on a second-degree murder charge. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail, online court records show.
He is due back in court Oct. 18 and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Kurumoglu’s attorney, Peter Mayer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.
