NYC man charged with murder for allegedly hacking mother with machete to 'point of near-decapitation': Prosecutor

A New York City man has been extradited from New Jersey and charged with murder one year after he was accused of fatally attacking his elderly mother with a machete.

On Feb. 24, 2021, Osvaldo Diaz, 46, allegedly used the weapon to repeatedly hack 78-year-old Maria Diaz to death at the apartment they shared in Queens Village, Queens.

The same day, police said, the victim’s daughter went to the residence to see her mother but couldn’t get in touch with her. When she finally spoke with her brother, he told her to go to a store. Surveillance video allegedly shows Osvaldo Diaz left the apartment, and he then failed to respond to his sister’s calls, WABC-TV reported.

The sister got in contact with the apartment building’s owner and gained access to her mother and brother’s home, where she found Maria Diaz dead and wrapped up in bedding.

“The defendant allegedly attacked his mother with a machete to the point of near-decapitation,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “This outburst of violence has devastated the victim's family, which includes her other six children. The defendant fled the state but was apprehended and extradited to Queens.”

Osvaldo Diaz was arraigned on Jan. 12 for second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, according to WABC-TV.

If found guilty of the charges against him, the suspect faces 25 years to life in prison.