Merrick Man Pleads Guilty To Strangling His Wife: Nassau DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Merrick man pled guilty to manslaughter for the strangling death of his wife in their home last year, the Nassau District Attorney's office said.

John Gerges, 61, pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter Tuesday.

At his sentencing, scheduled for September 13, Gerges is expected to face 21 years in prison and five years post-release supervision, the D.A.'s office said.

"John Gerges brutally strangled his frail wife after a petty argument and fled the home leaving their adult son to find her body in her bed,” Acting D.A. Joyce Smith said in a statement. "The defendant returned to the house the following day, was apprehended and, by this plea, will be held responsible for this act of ultimate domestic violence."

During the early morning hours of February 22, 2020, Gerges strangled his wife, 58-year-old Marvat Gerges, inside their Merrick home following a 3:00 a.m. verbal altercation over the cleanliness of their home, Smith added.

The wife, who was homebound with severe arthritis, was found by the couple's adult son on February 22 in a guest bedroom with marks around her neck, the D.A.'s office said.

John Gerges was not home when the body was discovered. He was questioned the next morning and, subsequently, arrested by Nassau County Police Department detectives, the district attorney's office said in a statement.