Woman Pleads Guilty In Mother's Death

A 46-year-old Lakewood woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to second degree manslaughter in connection with the death of her 67-year-old mother.

Lisa Foster made the plea before Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels, saying she was responsible for the death of her mother, Claudette, a resident of the Original Leisure Village in Lakewood.

Lisa Foster faces a potential jail term of up to 10 years. The actual term imposed in this case will be determined by Daniels when he imposes sentence on Feb. 28, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

The investigation began on March 1, 2012 when the Lakewood Township Police Department received a call from a third party reporting that a woman might be dead in the Foster home, according to the prosecutor's office.

Police later confirmed that the anonymous source was Foster. Lakewood Police responded to the home and found Claudette Foster’s body.

Investigators determined that Foster had been dead inside the home for a substantial period of time, perhaps as long as a month. The defendant and the victim lived together at the residence.

While police were investigating the scene, Lisa Foster arrived; she was questioned and later taken into police custody, according to the prosecutor's office.

“Our investigation found that the mother and daughter had a contentious relationship, and often argued over finances," according to the prosecutor's office. "At some time during February of 2012, an argument between them in the bedroom of the victim escalated into a physical confrontation in which the defendant pushed the victim, causing her to fall and to strike her head on a metal bed frame. Mrs. Foster lost consciousness and later died, although the exact date and time of death cannot be accurately determined."

An autopsy performed by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office found that the cause of death was arteriosclerotic coronary vascular disease and blunt force trauma.