An Astoria man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for pushing his mother out of their third-floor apartment window. According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, George Tsintzelis, aged 37, faced a multitude of charges, including attempted murder and assault, for his crime committed against his 64-year-old mother, Paraskevi Tsintzelis, back in 2024.
During the trial, evidence revealed a dispute over money escalated to a violent episode on November 15, 2024, around 9:10 p.m. The convict reportedly beat his mother with a cane, then brandished two knives and finally forced her onto the window ledge before thrusting her out to fall three stories. The victim suffered severe injuries, including multiple broken bones and internal injuries. "This defendant committed an unthinkable act of violence against his own mother," DA Katz said in a statement obtained by the Queens District Attorney's Office.
In the resulting court proceedings, which concluded in December, Tsintzelis was convicted of second-degree attempted murder, first and second-degree assault, aggravated criminal contempt, and multiple counts relating to criminal possession of a weapon. Queens Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone Jr. handed down the 25-year sentence, plus five years of post-release supervision for the defendant.
Meanwhile, Ms. Tsintzelis' recovery is still a work in progress. After the incident, she was hospitalized, undergoing multiple surgeries and was even intubated in the hospital. Katz expressed a hope that "today’s sentencing brings a measure of solace to Ms. Tsintzelis as she continues to recover from her injuries." Despite the gravity of the assault, her ability to testify against her son a year post-incident was a pivotal factor in the trial, underscoring her resilience and the severity of the crime, as per the Queens District Attorney's Office.
Assistant District Attorneys Christina Mavrikis and Valerie Sakellaridis, from the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau and the Domestic Violence Bureau respectively, prosecuted this case. The prosecution was under the oversight of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Bureau Chief of Career Criminal Major Crimes, and under the general supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.
