A man charged with sacrificing his mother and strangling the cat claimed he did it “to stop the devil,” local broadcaster Fox61 reported.

Eric Megan, 34, was arraigned in Superior Court in Torrington, Connecticut, Tuesday after police arrested him for drowning his mother in the Housatonic River at Harrybrook Park. according to Fox 61.

Citing an arrest warrant, Megan called her mother, Victoria Palmer, 56, on Monday to go for a walk, according to the media. The two are said to have followed their usual trail route in New Milford Park, along the river. But Megan suddenly pushed her mother into the river while she was walking, and locked her in a headlock until she couldn’t move, the newspaper accused Megan of confessing to police. reported by citing

Megan called 911 to report she killed her mother, CT Insider reportciting local police.

“I had to do it to stop the devil,” Megan told law enforcement. He likened the feeling to invisible insects “touching and hurting me,” according to the paper.

Fox61 reported that police arrested Megan at the scene and handcuffed her to a rock while paramedics performed chest compressions on her, but Palmer did not respond. (Related article: Teenager sentenced to life for stabbing parents to ‘take responsibility for his life’)

Megan was taken to Danbury Hospital for tests and was cleared for incarceration. The newspaper said his bail was set at $2 million and he was ordered not to contact his father and two sisters.

Local park user Janice Perrone told Fox61 that she continued to walk the riverside trail on Tuesday and was aware that the alleged crime was an isolated incident.

“Especially when you think about that mother, what was she going through before all this happened,” Perone said, according to the newspaper. She said, “I am concerned because the current mental health situation is not very good, but this was an individual case.”

Megan has reportedly admitted to strangling her cat a week before the alleged murder and signed up for an NRA handgun training course two days earlier. According to FOX61, he also said he had thoughts of shooting his family.

The alleged murderer’s sister, Elena Megan, said she woke up the next morning to her father crying, CT Insider reported. She told the outlet that the last time she spoke to her mother was the night before her death, when she was looking for a movie to watch together.

“She was a loving mother and would do anything for me,” Elena said, according to the newspaper. She said, “I don’t know what happened to him… I was in no hurry to jump to her conclusions.”

FOX61 reported that Meghan was “not responding” and embarrassing her family until the incident happened. The newspaper said the suspect was frustrated that her mother didn’t understand her when asked to justify her own actions, and that her mother loved her the most. He told police he was someone.

Megan is scheduled to return to court in Torrington on July 11.