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17-Year-Old Indian-American Arrested for Strangling His Own Mother

The incident occurred in North Carolina, in 2015 when Nalini Tellaprolu was found with a plastic bag over her head.

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A 17-year-old Indian-American boy was arrested in North Carolina in connection with killing his mother, in a rare incident of matricide that has sent "shock waves" through the community.

Arnav Uppalapati was arrested by Cary police on Friday after more than a year for the death of his 51-year-old mother Nalini Tellaprolu who worked at Duke Medical Center.

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Tellaprolu was strangled on 17 December 2015 with a plastic bag over her head.

Friends of the family were shocked when the police charged Uppalapati with her murder.

“It’s very devastating. There’s never been an incident where a son has taken the life of his own biological mother. It really sends shock waves,” Satish Garimella, a Morrisville town councilman of Indian descent, was quoted as saying by the local The News&Observer.

Uppalapati was 16 when he reported coming home from school and finding his mother's body in the garage with a plastic bag over her head. She may have been beaten before she was strangled, the report said, citing findings from the autopsy.

Uppalapati was a person of interest in the case from the outset, said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.

One telling clue were early reports that indicated there were no signs of a forced entry into the family's two-story, $450,000 home at the Upchurch Farms subdivision, Freeman said.

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We’re shocked as a community. This was not something we expected to hear. She focused all of her energy on her kids.
Padma Tummala, Friend of Tellaprolu

"I still don't believe it. This is completely out of the blue," said Vijay Javvadi, another family friend.

It wasn't clear how police finally broke the case or what motive played a role.

Police said in a statement that Uppalapati would be tried on a class B1 felony charge, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Tellaprolu's death was ruled a homicide by the Medical Examiner's Office. Her body was covered with bruises and scratches on her face, neck, torso and arms. There were minor blunt force injuries, and the cartilage in her neck was fractured, the report said.

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Topics:  Murder   Indian-American   Mother 

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