Man who strangled mother in their home gets 25-year sentence

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A New Jersey man who strangled his mother to death at their home during a Thanksgiving holiday weekend has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Frank Polera will have to serve about 21 years before becoming eligible for parole under the sentence imposed Thursday. He initially was charged with murder in the November 2016 death of 61-year-old Patricia Polera, but eventually pleaded guilty in January to aggravated manslaughter.

Patricia Polera was found dead in the family’s Old Bridge home. An autopsy showed she had died from asphyxiation by compression.

Authorities say the 31-year-old Polera initially claimed his mother had fallen out of bed. They have not disclosed a motive for the attack.