TOMS RIVER – A judge determined that a man charged in his mother’s murder is not a threat to others due to his child-like nature and allowed his release pending trial.
Thomas Foster, 63, is currently incarcerated for the murder of his mother, Carolyn Foster, 85. They lived together in a Cedar Glen West home.
She died in January, and due to her age and medical history, officials determined the manner of death unsuspicious.
However, a family member later came forward claiming Thomas Foster had killed his mother. A post-mortem investigation concluded that “other contributing factors may have been involved in Carolyn Foster’s death,” according to a press release from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
In a detention hearing, Superior Court Judge Wendell Daniels read letters from people who knew the defendant, and vouched for his gentle demeanor and child-like ways. The judge also described testimony that Thomas Foster found his mother slumped over and that he attempted to revive his mother, at one point punching her in the throat because he read in a book that an action like that could provoke a miracle from God. He waited all night for the miracle to happen, checking in with her throughout the night.
The state has let it be known that it is filing an appeal to Daniels’ decision. The state would want to keep the suspect incarcerated. Therefore, the judge said that Thomas Foster would remain in jail until the appeal is decided.
