Death of 84 y.o. woman on UWS in ‘23 Ruled a Homicide, Son Indicted for Manslaughter
Edward Asencio, 54, was indicted on Oct. 21 for allegedly killing his mother–in the apartment they reportedly shared at 70 W. 93rd St.–using blunt force trauma in July 2023. He also also “neglected and isolated” her for months, prosecutors further alleged.
A man has been indicted for allegedly beating his 84-year-old mother to death in the Upper West Side apartment they shared at 70 W. 93rd St., according to prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. The July 2023 incident followed months of neglect by the man, who bore responsibility for his mother’s medical needs, the indictment charges.
Edward Asencio, 51, was hit with manslaughter and assault raps. He was only arrested in the neighborhood on Oct. 17, after it was classified as a homicide by the medical examiner in January of this year–six months after the death occurred. The authorities did not originally deem it suspicious, and believed that she had sustained her injuries in a fall.
“The defendant’s alleged attack on his own mother, who relied on him for care, is abhorrent,” D.A. Alvin Bragg said. “Older New Yorkers deserve quality care, and those who abuse the people in their care will be held accountable.”
Prosecutors allege that Asencio had beaten his elderly mother Ana on the chest, head, and neck on July 17, 2023. She died of blunt force trauma.
At around 10:06 p.m. that same day, which the D.A. says was after the incident occurred, Asencio reentered the apartment with a friend. Upon observing Ana Asencio on the floor of her “squalid” bedroom, the friend called 911, prosecutors said. She was pronounced dead on the scene by responding EMS.
The D.A.’s office said that a court-authorized search warrant related to Edward Asencio’s internet searches reflects suspicious details; he reportedly looked up “information” about elder abuse, why an autopsy’s status would be “pending,” and how police conduct investigations prior to an arrest.
Asencio was reportedly Ana’s sole caregiver, the D.A.’s office added, and had been neglecting her “extensive” medical needs for several months. He had allegedly refused to bring her to medical appointments, and had even physically abused her prior to her death, prosecutors said.