Editor's note: The story in the video player aired on July 15, 2024.
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX11) – A man accused of murdering his mother at a Manhattan park Sunday allegedly admitted to police why he killed her, NYPD officials said.
Miguel Duval, 22, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his mother, 44-year-old Vianel Garcia, police said. Duval allegedly beat his mother to death in Fort Washington Park near West 165th Street and Riverside Drive in Washington Heights around 4:15 p.m., according to police.
The day of her death, Garcia visited her son at a homeless shelter he was living at in Washington Heights. When Garcia saw her son, he was bleeding from his hands, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. It’s unclear why he was bleeding.
“She tries to convince him to go to the ER. He says he wants something to eat first,” Kenny said.
The NYPD chief added that Duval was “acting a little bit erratic.” The mother and son then picked up food and went to the park to eat, according to Kenny.
“Witnesses see them eating at the edge of the park where suddenly the victim begins to scream,” Kenny said. “They basically both fell down a ravine area onto an embankment near the Henry Hudson Parkway. People hear the woman still screaming. The screaming suddenly becomes muffled.”
Garcia was badly beaten and suffered fatal head injuries, authorities said.
Duval reappeared up on the street covered in blood and scratches, according to Kenny. Police apprehended Duval after witnesses called 911.
Duval allegedly admitted to police that he killed his mother because of “family issues related to past abuse,” according to Kenny. The suspect didn’t elaborate any further, Kenny said.
Duval used to live with his mother in Harlem but no longer did, police said. Police were unsure why they no longer lived together.
Duval was under the care of a psychiatrist at a hospital near the shelter he was staying, police said.
Duval had a prior arrest for a criminal trespassing incident in 2020, authorities said.
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Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.
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