Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that George Tsintzelis was sentenced to 25 years in prison following a jury conviction on charges of attempted murder, assault and other crimes. The defendant defenestrated his 64-year-old mother¸ Paraskevi Tsintzelis, out of their third-floor apartment window in 2024.

District Attorney Katz said: “This defendant committed an unthinkable act of violence against his own mother. 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.”

Tsintzelis, 37, of Astoria, was convicted in December of attempted murder in the second degree, two counts of assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree, aggravated criminal contempt, four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and two counts of criminal contempt in the first degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone Jr. Justice Vallone sentenced the defendant today to 25 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.

DA Katz said that, according to the charges and trial testimony, on November 15, 2024, at approximately 9:10 p.m., the defendant and his mother, Paraskevi Tsintzelis, became engaged in an argument over money. During the argument, the defendant beat his mother with a cane, displayed two knives retrieved from 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 of the window, causing her to fall three stories to the ground.

The victim was taken to a local 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 was intubated in the hospital.

Assistant District Attorney Christina Mavrikis of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Valerie Sakellaridis of the Domestic Violence Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Bureau Chief of Career Criminal Major Crimes, and Roni C. Piplani and Timothy Regan, Deputy Bureau Chiefs, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.