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Lohud | The Journal News
Briarcliff Manor couple charged in death of husband's elderly mother
By Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News,
11 days ago
A Briarcliff Manor man allegedly drove the emaciated body of his mother to a hospital in Columbia County last year to mislead investigators as to where she died, according to an indictment charging him and his wife in the death of the elderly woman.
Michael Weiss and Kazuko Idemitsu-Weiss pleaded not guilty last week to charges including second-degree manslaughter in the February 2023 death of 87-year-old Sandra Weiss.
According to authorities, the mother lived with the couple, was malnourished ‒ weighing just 60 pounds ‒ and her death resulted in part from a minor infection that went untreated.
After Weiss’ death, according to the indictment, the defendants cleaned up her bedroom and Michael Weiss drove her body 90 miles from their South State Road home to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson.
As part of the effort to hide where the woman died, according to the indictment, they told state police investigators that Sandra Weiss had been living with them in an Eastchester apartment and that they had traveled with her and their son on Feb. 18, 2023, to their home in East Jewett in Greene County. It was there, they claimed, that they found her dead in bed on Feb. 21.
Michael Weiss also allegedly made calls to his wife to make sure they got their stories straight as to where they lived and where his mother died, according to the indictment.
In addition to manslaughter, the couple is facing felony charges of criminally negligent homicide, first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and tampering with physical evidence and misdmeanor charges of making a punishable false written statement and fifth-degree conspiracy.
The manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison. A lawyer for the couple did not return a phone message.
Idemitsu-Weiss' LinkedIn page identifies her as a vice president of health benefits at Marsh JCS Inc.
At their arraignment last week, bail was set at $30,000 cash, $125,000 bond and $300,000 partially secured bond. Westchester County Judge Maurice Williams ordered them to surrender passports and other travel documents as a condition of bail. For several days, the couple claimed they could not access them.
Idemitsu-Weiss, 54, was released Monday and returned to court Tuesday to turn in her passport. Michael Weiss, 63, remained at the county jail until Wednesday, when he made a brief appearence in county court and posted bond.
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