California man pleads not guilty to trying to kill mother

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California man has pleaded not guilty to trying to kill his ailing 86-year-old mother, which he says he did at her request.

Thomas Beck entered the pleas Friday in San Mateo County Superior Court, where he is charged with attempted murder and elder abuse.

The 58-year-old told police he increased his mother’s pain medication and tried to suffocate her with a pillow on May 16, 2017 in the South San Francisco home they shared. Beck’s mother suffered from Parkinson’s disease and Beck was her primary caregiver for 18 years.

Beck said he stopped suffocating after about 10 minutes and left her bedroom. He said he found her dead about 15 minutes later.

Prosecutors say Beck wasn’t charged with murder because the coroner couldn’t determine the cause of death.