Woman enters plea in beating death of her elderly mother
March 14, 2011 - 1:01 am
RENO -- A Sparks woman awaits a Dec. 5 trial after pleading not guilty to a charge of murdering her elderly mother.
The Sparks Tribune reports 48-year-old Catherine Eisley entered the plea during an arraignment Thursday in Washoe County District Court.
She's accused of beating her 70-year-old mother, Cherry Clasen, with a baseball bat and slashing her throat in November.
Detectives say she killed her mother in retaliation for childhood abuse. They say she told investigators she read about inflicting neck wounds, then bought a new knife.
Police say she smoked a cigarette after the killing before calling 911. Officers arrived to find Clasen dead inside Eisley's home.
Eisley has been found mentally competent to face the charges.