A Rego Park man admitted to bludgeoning his mother to death and dumping her body in the lake at Flushing Meadows Corona Park back in 2016, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Roman Gorbunova, 24, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on June 17. He is due to return to court on July 9, where a judge indicated he would sentence Gorbunova to an indeterminate term of 24 years in prison.
“This defendant has admitted to one of the most unthinkable crimes — killing the woman who gave him life,” said acting District Attorney John M. Ryan. “This was a heinous act and instead of taking responsibility for his actions, the defendant tried to cover up what he did by getting rid of his mother’s dead body and dumping her in a lake in a nearby park. The defendant will now spend many years behind bars for his actions.”
According to charges, on Sept. 27, 2016, Gorbunova got into an argument with his mother, 58-year-old Lyubov Gorbunova. Following the argument, Gorbunova fatally wounded his mother by striking her in the head with a plate and numerous times with a blunt instrument, ultimately leading to her death.
Gorbunova then stuffed his mother’s remains into a body bag and ordered a car service, who took him to Flushing Meadows Corona Park. He dumped his mother’s body into the lake.
The mother was reported missing one week later on Oct. 4, 2016. Her body was discovered on Oct. 8, and Gorbunova was arrested shortly afterward.
