GOSHEN — On Feb.15, Laura Lippie, 48, of Stow Creek, died of liver failure while incarcerated in the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, Clinton, Hunterdon County.
She was in prison on a vehicular homicide offense that occurred on Route 47 in Middle Township.
On June 21, 2008 at 3:43 p.m., Laura Lippie was driving drunk on Route 47 at milepost 15.8 when her red Chevrolet Trailblazer crossed into oncoming traffic and struck head-on a motorcycle driven by 18-year-old Joshua Moren, of Vineland, killing him instantly.
According to court reports from the time, Lippie had spent much of that day drinking vodka. Her blood-alcohol content was 0.37, more than four times the legal limit.
Moren was reportedly on his way to meet family at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood when the accident occurred. He was a 2008 graduate of Sacred Heart High School in Vineland, where he was a standout baseball player.
On Jan. 15, 2009, Lippie received a nine-year prison term after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter. At her sentencing, Lippie apologized to the family for what she had done. Chuck Moren, Joshua’s father, accepted the apology.
Lippie was scheduled to serve at least 85 percent of her sentence before she was eligible for parole. According to the state Department of Corrections, Lippie’s projected parole eligibility date was Feb. 12, 2016.
According to her obituary, she was in failing health, but her death was unexpected.
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com
