A 34-year-old man who strangled his mother in October 2008 sobbed Monday and told Pima County Superior Court Judge Howard Fell he was sorry.
"I didn't know what I was doing," Jacob Bynog said moments before Fell sentenced him to 16 years in prison for second-degree murder.
On Oct. 4, 2008, Bynog's sister called the Pima County Sheriff's Department because she hadn't been able to reach her mother for a couple of days.
Patricia Bynog, 65, was found in a freshly dug grave on her property. An autopsy revealed she'd been strangled.
Jacob Bynog pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was facing between 10 and 22 years in prison.
Before sentencing Bynog, Fell listened to the testimony of neuropsychologist James Sullivan, Bynog's sister and Bynog's father.
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Sullivan testified Bynog suffered "profound" brain damage in a car accident in 2000 and will never improve.
Tests show Bynog suffered damage to the frontal lobe of his brain, which controls impulsivity, inhibitions, emotions and memory, Sullivan said.
Bynog said he felt helpless because his mother had been demanding sexual favors and money from him since the crash, Sullivan said.
"He felt strongly that what was happening was very bad, but he didn't have the problem-solving skills to figure his way out of it," Sullivan said.
The situation was exacerbated by the fact both Bynog and his mother smoked marijuana and drank, Sullivan said.
Bynog's father, Robert Bynog, told Fell he was aware his son and former wife shared drugs and alcohol, and his daughter told him she suspected the pair were having sex.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
