Woman gets 25 years for killing man with his own cane

A Superior Court judge today sentenced a Camden woman to 25 years in jail for beating an elderly Cherry Hill man to death with his own cane - and in front of his terminally ill wife - after the man confronted her about missing money.

Yolanda Steele, 34, who had been hired to care for the couple, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter last month.

"You just don't get it," Superior Court Judge Irvin J. Snyder said to Steele, referring to her criminal history.

Sidney Wenof, 82, a retired meat wholesaler, confronted Steele on Dec. 11, 2007, after he noticed unusual expenses on credit cards and money missing from accounts.

The confrontation turned violent when Steele grabbed Wenof's cane and hit him in the head, causing him to fall.

Wenof, who had hired Steele as a full-time caretaker on the recommendation of a previous caretaker, was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he died Dec. 19, 2007.

Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Mary Alison Albright said previously that an autopsy had determined that Wenof died of blunt-force trauma. She said he also had pneumonia.

Steele initially was charged with murder and faced a possible life sentence. She entered a plea agreement with prosecutors that allowed her to plead guilty to the lesser charge. Prosecutors also agreed to drop theft charges.

Steele was ordered to pay $10,185 in restitution to Wenof's family, which relatives previously said they would donate to a counseling center for trauma and grief.

Wenof's family members sat quietly in the courtroom this morning, some crying at times.

Officials said Steele had not worked for the Wenofs long. She had been caught stealing twice; the first time, the Wenofs accepted her apology.

The beating took place after Wenof had confronted Steele the second time while his wife, Theora, was waiting for her daughter to take her to a doctor treating her for pancreatic cancer.

The couple told police Steele had beaten Wenof with a cane and a telephone. Steele initially had said that Wenof fell and hit his head, and that be became combative as she tried to help him.

Aware that Theora Wenof was gravely ill, attorneys had questioned her about the slaying during videotaped testimony prepared for a trial. She has since died.