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'I Put Her Down,' Says Missouri Man After Allegedly Torturing Mother To Death
The man allegedly told police that he had assaulted his mother for hours, and even tried to sexually assault her.
A Missouri man, who allegedly tortured his mother to death, repeatedly smacking her with a toilet plunger until it broke, reportedly told a neighbor that he had “put her down.”
Police received a phone call from Lucas Mauritizen’s neighbor on Aug. 26, telling dispatchers that the 38-year-old had just relayed the disturbing message to him. The neighbor, Clinton Russel, was perplexed at the statement, and asked if Mauritzen was referring to a pet dog.
The man reportedly replied, “Mom,” according to charging documents obtained by Oxygen.com. Russel than told his aunt to phone the police.
Upon arrival at Mauritzen’s residence in Independence, police discovered the lifeless body of Tamera Rainey, the Mauritzen’s mother, according to a Jackson County Prosecutor press release.
She had been badly beaten and covered in blood. Investigators found blood in every room of the house and noted blood spatter reached “all the way to the ceiling.”
Although no motive has been established and it’s unclear what the nature of the mother-son’s relationship was, Mauritzen told detectives that he had inflicted chronic torture on his mother.
In the hours leading up to her death, Mauritizen admitted, he assaulted Rainey “for several hours throughout the day.”
At some point, the man’s mother took a shower. But when she got out, police say he continued to terrorize her. The son kicked her in the head with the bottom of his foot, retrieved a burner from the kitchen stove, and delivered the final blows to his mother.
“He decided that he had to kill her so he hit her again and she started to breathe heavy,” the charging documents described.
Mauritizen told authorities he didn’t try to help her and that his mother died shortly afterwards. He then took the family’s dog and slept over at a friend’s house.
Police charged Mauritzen with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He could face the death penalty or life in prison without the eligibility of parole if he’s found guilty. Mauritzen is currently incarcerated at the Jackson County Detention Center, according to online court documents. He’s being held on a $350,000 bond.
Michael Mansur, a Jackson County Prosecutor spokesperson, declined to comment on the case further.
