KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man has been charged in the fatal beating of his mother.

Jackson County authorities say Lucas Mauritzen, 38, Independence, Mo., was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Court records indicate his mother, Tamera Rainey, was found dead Saturday at an Independence home.

Court records say Mauritzen told a detective he hit his mother throughout the day Saturday and did not try to help her when had trouble breathing. After she died, Mauritzen left and slept at a friend’s house. Mauritzen reportedly told a detective he went back to the home Monday and then went to a neighbor’s house, where he allegedly said “I had to put her down.”

Online court records don’t identify an attorney for Mauritzen.