Rego Park man pleads guilty to killing mom, dumping body in lake

By Jonathan Sperling

A Rego Park man charged with beating his mother to death with a blunt object and dumping her body in a lake within Flushing Meadows Corona Park pleaded guilty on Thursday.

An argument between Roman Gorbunov, 24, and his mother, Lyubov Gorbunova, turned deadly on Sept. 27, 2016, when Gorbunov began to strike his mother in the head with a plate and numerous times with a blunt instrument, according to Acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan.

Gorbunov, “admitted to one of the most unthinkable crimes — killing the woman who gave him life,” Ryan said in a statement.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Ira Margulis said that Gorbunov would receive a 24-year prison sentence on July 9 when he returns to court.

After killing his mother, Gorbunov reportedly stuffed her remains into a body bag and ordered a car service to take him to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, where he dumped Gorbunova’s body into the water. The body was recovered 11 days later.

“This was a heinous act and instead of taking responsibility for his actions, the defendant tried to cover up what he did by getting rid of his mother’s dead body and dumping her in a lake in a nearby park,” Ryan said. “The defendant will now spend many years behind bars for his actions.”