Father in Queens accused of killing son, then attempting to kill himself

FRESH MEADOWS (WABC) -- Police say a father in Queens killed his 8-year-old son and then tried to kill himself.

Officers were called to the home on Underhill Avenue in Fresh Meadows Sunday night just after 10 o'clock.

They say the 41-year-old father, Boujeke Kenmoe, was emotionally disturbed and apparently had self-inflicted wounds on his wrists.

"This is a horrifying case of a father accused of murdering his own son, a defenseless 8-year-old boy, by choking him to death," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. "The defendant's actions, if true, are incomprehensible in a civilized society and must be severely punished."

He is in custody at Queens General Hospital, where he is in stable condition.

The boy, Jerry Kenmoe, was found unconscious in a bed and pronounced dead at the scene.

The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, but sources tell Eyewitness News he may have been strangled.

Kenmoe is charged with second-degree murder, and police say he has made statements implicating himself.

The boy's name is being withheld pending family notification.

Neighbors say it doesn't make sense.

"If you were to ask me I would say that guy's the perfect father," neighbor James Lana said.

On the outside, Kenmoe looked like a caring, loving father, rarely seen without his son.

Lana says he would see father and son almost everyday.

"The little boy with the red school bag," he said. "I'd see him every morning. Like I said, I envied the guy, what a loving father."

If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.