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Dad Strangles 8-Year-Old Son and Tries to Kill Self, Police Say

 Boujeke Kenmoe strangled his son Jerry, 8, and then cut his own wrists, prosecutors said.
Boujeke Kenmoe and son, Jerry
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QUEENS — A Flushing father overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of his son alone after his wife left strangled the 8-year-old son and then tried to kill himself Sunday night, sources said.

Boujeke Kenmoe, 41, strangled his son Jerry Kenmoe and lay his body on a bed, before drinking Liquid-Plumbr, taking Oxycodone pills and slitting his wrists, police said.

The elder Kenmoe quickly had second thoughts about his actions, calling 911 and told police, "I did a bad thing... I choked him," sources said. "I hope he's fine. He's in bad shape."

He told the operator that his wife had left him three days before and he was struggling with his parental duties. "His mom's crazy. She wouldn't help and I couldn't do it alone."

Police rushed to the scene and found the boy dead with bruising on his neck and broken blood vessels in his eyes, an indication of strangulation, prosecutors said. The Medical Examiner will determine the boy's cause of death.

The elder Kenmoe was taken to Queens General Hospital in stable condition, where he was arrested on murder charges, the NYPD said.

“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.  The defendant’s actions, if true, are incomprehensible in a civilized society and must be severely punished,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

Classmates of the boy, a third grader who at one time practiced taekwondo at Eagles gym on 162nd Street, were shocked by his death.

"He used to hang out with me and my other friends. We liked to play tag and cops and robbers," 9-year-old Kyle Bahrey said, standing next to his mother.

"He was smart. He was good at reading," Bahrey said.

Police did not immediately have an explanation for the attack. A neighbor said she heard a scream come from the apartment at 7:30 p.m. Sunday night.

"It was just an outburst, a long one. I didn't think anything of it," said Eleanor Blaha, 76.

Neighbors added that they had not seen any signs of trouble and described Kenmoe as a caring father.

"Whenever I saw them, they were holding hands. He seemed loving," said neighbor James Lana, 75. "He looked like a good father."