An Astoria man who shoved his mother out of their third-floor apartment window during an argument over money was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court.
George Tsintzelis, 37, of Shore Boulevard, was convicted by a jury in December of attempted murder, assault, and other related crimes for subjecting his 64-year-old mother, Paraskevi Tsintzelis, to a sequence of terrifying events that included beating her with a cane, threatening her with knives, before forcing her onto a window ledge before pushing her out of the unit at the Marine Terrace apartments on the East River waterfront in 2024.
“This defendant committed an unthinkable act of violence against his own mother,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
According to the charges and trial testimony, on the night of Nov. 15, 2024, at approximately 9:10 p.m., the defendant and his mother, Paraskevi Tsintzelis, became engaged in an argument over money. During the verbal dispute, he beat his mother with a cane, displayed two knives he grabbed in the kitchen and threatened her with them. Tsintzelis held the knives against his mother’s body and forced her onto the window ledge and pushed her out the window, causing her to fall three stories to the ground.
Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria responded to multiple 911 calls at around 9:15 p.m. after frantic neighbors at the Marine Terrace apartment complex saw the 64-year-old woman falling from the building. EMS rushed the victim to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was treated for injuries, including multiple broken bones, a laceration of her tongue, a laceration of the intestines and internal bleeding. The victim underwent multiple surgeries and had to be intubated.
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, Queens Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone sentenced Tsintzelis to 25 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“This defendant committed an unthinkable act of violence against his own mother,” Queens District Attorney Melinda 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. Miraculously, Paraskevi Tsintzelis survived and bravely testified against the defendant a year after the incident. We hope today’s sentencing brings a measure of solace to Ms. Tsintzelis as she continues to recover from her injuries.”
