The man accused of strangling a young expectant mother and leaving her body in a Staten Island park told cops he was just trying to quiet her, sources told The Post.

“He said she started screaming and he put his hands around her neck to quiet her,” a source said.

Pedro Martin, 27, was arraigned yesterday on second-degree murder and ordered held without bail in the killing of Megan Marotte, 20, who disappeared Aug. 4.

Marotte’s partially nude body was found in Willowbrook Park last Thursday after an extensive search that included “missing” posters being placed outside Martin’s door.