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Man admits he killed his mother, but says unintentional
By Associated Press
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WOODBURY, N.J. -- A New Jersey man has admitted killing his mother, but said it was not intentional.

Thirty-one-year-old Benjamin Martin pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated manslaughter in the death of Nancy Martin of Carbondale, Ill.

Martin could be sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in prison. Defense lawyer Craig Mitnick said he’ll argue for the minimum at the sentencing hearing Feb. 15.

Answering his lawyer’s questions in court, Martin said his mother, who worked at Southern Illinois University, arrived unexpectedly at the Pitman, N.J., home that she owned and where her son lived in March 2006.

Over 12 hours, his mother drank heavily and criticized him, Martin said. Relatives said later that she was upset over the messy condition of the home.

Eventually the struggle turned physical and he put his hand around the 51-year-old woman’s neck. Martin said he didn’t mean to kill her and that it was only after her arm went limp that he realized what had happened.

After that, Martin reported his mother missing, but did not tell police what happened.

“I freaked out,” he said.

He said he left her body in the garage for a few days and later dumped it in a remote part of Gloucester County. Her body was not found until two weeks after she was killed.

Martin, who was unemployed at the time of the slaying, will undergo psychiatric and psychological testing before he is sentenced, Mitnick said.

The lawyer also said that Benjamin’s two brothers want to testify at the sentencing to ask a judge for leniency.

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Reader comments on this story - 2 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Penny wrote on Nov 29, 2007 6:55 AM:

" Whether it was his mother or not, he should have walked away. Whether she was overbearing and abusive, he should have walked away. She was a human, even if she was a toxic person, she was a person. He had a choice....he had the freedom to choose how he reacted to this situation, and he made that choice. Now, he must accept the consequences. "

I do believe~~ wrote on Nov 28, 2007 11:32 PM:

" a judgemental and critical mother can cause anyone to do just about anything. I had one!! I had to walk away to keep from smacking her; but she never had a good thing to say about me my whole life. I can understand his feelings but he should of walked away; after all that was his mother. It was even worse because she was drinking and probably drunk. Great mother figure! If he has mental issues that should be considered also. It's a shame all the way around. "
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