Cold Spring Harbor Man Accused of Drowning Mother Pleads Not Guilty

A Cold Spring Harbor man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to drowning his mother in their family pool in August, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Denis D. Cullen Jr., 23, was arrested Aug. 17 and charged with second-degree murder after Lloyd Harbor Police officers responded to a White Hill Road home at 4 p.m. to check on the welfare of 63-year-old Elizabeth Cullen, police say.

The woman was found dead in the backyard, police say.

Cullen told police in a recorded statement that he argued with his mother over him not taking his medication and he drowned her in their backyard swimming pool, the DA says.

Cullen, who has no criminal record, hid his mother’s body in a shed, covered it with a dinghy and took a train to Manhattan to confess the murder to his sister, NBC reports.

A judge remanded Cullen to county jail without bail. A court conference is planned for September 28.

Image via SCPD