Prosecutors say La Quinta woman, overwhelmed and angry over mother's dementia, killed her
Prosecutors on Friday outlined their case against a La Quinta woman accused of killing her elderly mother in March, describing a strained relationship and a caretaker who snapped.
Sally Martha Webster, 59, is charged with murder and faces the possibility of a death sentence for allegedly beating her mother, Rosemary Webster, 85, to death in their La Quinta home on March 16.
Sally Webster has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and elder cruelty and was present for Friday's hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, during which new details were presented about the case.
Prosecutor Anne Marie Lofthouse presented graphic photos from Rosemary Webster's autopsy, discussing several severe injuries to her neck, head and thigh.
Investigator John Adams testified that Webster died from several injuries and added the medical examiner said that the neck injuries could have been caused by a strangulation attempt.
John Dolan, Sally Webster's defense attorney, said his client had told police that some of her mother's injuries could have been caused by a fall in the shower shortly before her death.
Riverside County Sherriff's department Investigator Nicholas Jones told the court that he was dispatched to the 51200 block of Avenida Ramirez in La Quinta on March 17, where Rosemary Webster had been found dead. Jones interviewed Sally Webster at the sheriff's Thermal Station; she had been arrested when deputies found evidence indicating there had been an altercation before her mother's death.
Jones testified that Sally Webster quickly made statements taking responsibility for the killing, saying: "Let’s just get this over with. I beat the crap out of her, and she died."
Jones described Webster's account of the events leading up to the fight as a series of conflicts related to the alleged decline of Rosemary Webster's health as she fought a form of dementia. Jones said Sally Webster had an altercation with her mother when she attempted to bathe her, resulting in the elderly woman being injured by falling in the shower.
Sally Webster went to get food the next day, March 16, and when she returned, Jones testified, Rosemary Webster was in the front doorway, screaming. Jones said that Sally Webster found that her mother was contemplating driving to go see a relative — even though she was no longer able to safely operate a vehicle — and the two fought.
Jones said Sally Webster told him: "I had enough. I guess I lost my temper and really beat the crap out of her."
He testified that Sally Webster said she struck Rosemary Webster, who fell on the living room floor, where she continued to beat her. She tied her up, sealed her mouth with tape and went into the other room to sleep. The next day, when she woke, she found Rosemary Webster had died. She called police.
Dolan, the defense attorney, countered that the relationship between Sally and Rosemary Webster had long been deteriorating and that the daughter had been attacked on a number of occasions.
Dolan questioned Jones about how Sally Webster described the fight, saying: "she lost her temper and she beat the crap out of her mom because her mom was beating her up." Dolan continued that Sally Webster described her mother as "mentally ill and belligerent."
The defense team said it planned to have the autopsy report reviewed by a third party to determine the exact cause of Rosemary Webster's death and if her dementia was somehow a factor. The hearing is scheduled to resume in December.
Webster is incarcerated at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: La Quinta woman Sally Webster accused of killing mother with dementia
