The first time Yolanda Steele was caught stealing money from the ailing elderly man she was caring for, his family forgave her, authorities say.

The second time, on Dec. 11, 2007, authorities say, the unlicensed home-health-aide hit the man, Sidney Wenof, across the head with his cane inside his Cherry Hill condominium.

Wenof, 82, fell, and, authorities say, his injuries led to his death a little more than a week later.

"We both became agitated," said a soft-spoken Steele, who pleaded guilty yesterday to aggravated manslaughter. "We had an altercation."

Initially charged with murder, Steele, of Camden, accepted a plea agreement yesterday, admitting to Camden County Superior Court Judge Alvin Snyder that she knew that the blow to Wenof's head and the subsequent fall could have ended his life.

She could face up to 25 years in jail when sentenced in August.

One man seemed to disapprove of the deal, on Steele's behalf. "Yolanda, is you crazy?" the man blurted out as he left the courtroom.

Steele spent up to five days a week taking care of Wenof and his wife, Theora, in their condo in the Mark 70 building, off Route 70. Theora Wenof, who witnessed the attack, died in May 2008, after a lengthy illness.

Wenof lost consciousness at the home after the attack, and died at Cooper University Hospital on Dec. 19, 2007. An autopsy concluded that Wenof had died as a result of blunt-force trauma followed by pneumonia.

As part of her deal, Steele will pay $10,184.65 in restitution for the money she stole from Wenof's accounts. Some of that money will be donated to the Counseling Center for Trauma and Grief, in Mount Laurel, as per the Wenof family's request.

The family declined to comment after the hearing.