Son Charged in Mother's Murder in Lakewood

A 41-year-old Lakewood man has been charged in the murder of his mother, with whom he lived, officials have announced.

Brian Cassidy, who lived with his mother Gail Conway, 61, on Sumac Court in Lakewood, was taken into custody Tuesday evening after a Lakewood police officer spotted him getting out of his deceased mother's car to take a dog for a walk at Deerwood Park in Howell.

Police discovered the body of Conway in her home after 8 a.m. Tuesday morning after co-workers at the CVS Pharmacy in Toms River where she worked called and asked for a welfare check when she did not come to work and wouldn't answer her phone.

With nobody answering the door, officers entered the residence on their own and found Conway's body in her bed.

"Blood evidence and the condition of the body made it clear that Conway was the victim of a homicide," said Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Lakewood Police Chief Robert Lawson, in a joint statement issued Wednesday afternoon.

As the investigation began, the statement said, officers discovered that Conway's Honda Civic was missing from her driveway, but her son's Nissan Sentra was still there. At that point, a search began for the victim's car.

At 5:29 p.m., the statement said, Lakewood Police Detective Jason Pederson spotted the Honda Civic traveling on Lakewood-Allenwood Road in Howell Township. The vehicle then turned into Deerwood Park and pulled into a parking space near the park hockey rink.

A white male, who Pederson identified as Cassidy, the victim’s son, exited the vehicle and began to walk a dog near the wood line of the park, the statement said. Pederson kept a visual on Cassidy until additional units arrived, at which point he was taken into custody without incident.

Once he was in custody, detectives "were able to piece together events that led to Gail Conway’s death and confirm Cassidy’s role in the murder," the statement said, without elaborating.

Cassidy was charged with first degree murder, three counts of third degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, and third degree theft of a vehicle.

Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels set Cassidy's bail was set at $1 million cash. He is currently lodged in the Ocean County Jail in lieu of bail.