Winter Park police: Man tried to strangle own mother

Winter Park police say a local man tried to kill his mother following an argument.

According to police reports, Robert Chester Courtney, 31, attempted to suffocate his mother Monday, Aug. 3, inside their home before officers had a chance to intervene and subdue him.

The incident started when police received a frantic phone call from a neighbor, who heard a woman screaming next door. According to the caller, there had been an incident just a couple of days beforehand, when the caller saw a man attacking a woman outside of the house.

Responding officers heard screaming from inside the home. Once inside, officers found Courtney standing in the living room.

From there, the situation escalated. Originally, Courtney was compliant with officers’ demands before becoming aggressive — which led to officers physically restraining him.

According to reports, the victim told the officers she and her son had gotten into an argument and that she had asked to leave. That’s when things turned violent.

When the victim tried to leave the house, reports said Courtney grabbed her and dragged her to the bedroom. There, in what the victim called a drug-induced paranoia, Courtney threatened to kill her and himself.

Police reports state Courtney tried to smother the woman by placing his hands over her nose and mouth. The victim attempted to escape — and even made it outside — but Courtney grabbed her and dragged her into the house.

Once inside, Courtney told his mother to count backward from 30 before he planned to kill her.

That was the moment officers arrived on the scene. Officers arrested Courtney and booked him into the Orange County Jail. He faces several charges, including attempted murder, false imprisonment and obstructing justice (tampering in the first degree).

According to records, this isn’t the first time that Courtney has had problems with the law. In November 2015, Courtney was arrested for burglary of a dwelling, structure or conveyance. Seven months later, in June 2016, Courtney was sentenced to prison, where he served one year and one day.

With the current six charges brought against Courtney, his bond now sits at $26,550. There is no date set for Courtney’s court appearance.