Waheed Foster, a man with a violent criminal history, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for strangling his girlfriend, Jessica Miller, to death. Foster, now 44, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and third-degree assault in connection with Miller’s death. This sentence will run consecutively to a 22-year term he received for an unprovoked attack on a commuter in Queens, which took place shortly after Miller’s body was discovered.
The tragic events leading to Miller’s death occurred on August 4, 2022. Foster and Miller had visited a mental health facility in the Bronx, where Foster was staying. After signing in at the front desk, they went to his room, but later that evening, Foster left the facility and did not return. Two days later, an employee conducting a wellness check discovered Miller’s lifeless body in Foster’s room. It was later determined that she had been strangled to death.
In the weeks following Miller’s death, Foster was involved in another violent incident. On August 15, 2022, he attacked Elizabeth Gomes, a commuter at the Howard Beach-JFK Airport subway station in Queens. The unprovoked attack left Gomes severely injured, including the loss of her right eye. Foster punched and kicked Gomes in the head, causing her to suffer permanent physical and emotional trauma. Gomes later spoke about the ongoing psychological effects of the attack, stating that she still feels afraid every time she boards a train.
Foster’s criminal history is deeply troubling. In 1995, when he was just 14 years old, he murdered his 82-year-old foster grandmother. Years later, he stabbed his sister with a screwdriver. Foster’s violent tendencies continued into adulthood. In 2010, he attacked workers at a psychiatric outpatient treatment center after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, paranoid type, and antisocial personality disorder. Foster stabbed one employee with a knife and struck two others before fleeing the facility.
In his jailhouse interview, Foster expressed remorse for the subway attack but claimed that he had not intended to kill Gomes. He stated that he only meant to give her a “real good whooping” and insisted that if he had stomped on her face, she would have died. Foster’s comments were met with outrage, as his violent actions have caused irreparable harm to both Miller and Gomes.
During the sentencing for the subway attack, Queens Supreme Court Judge Ira Margulis remarked that Foster should not have been on the streets at the time of the assault. Judge Margulis noted that Foster’s history of violent behavior, combined with his failure to adhere to mental health treatment, indicated that he should have been in a state hospital receiving care rather than being allowed to roam free.
Foster’s violent outbursts and criminal behavior highlight the dangers of failing to adequately treat individuals with severe mental health issues. His repeated offenses, despite previous incarcerations and mental health diagnoses, underscore the need for a more effective approach to managing individuals who pose a risk to public safety due to untreated psychiatric conditions.
