Man Who Killed NFL Superstar RB’s Father Is Now Accused Of Murdering His Niece
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
A New York man accused of killing his niece reportedly has a disturbing criminal history tied to a former NFL star’s family.
Authorities charged 58-year-old Michael Foster with fatally shooting his niece, Julia Anderson, outside her workplace in the Bronx on Monday.
Investigators believe a long-running dispute over family property sparked the deadly encounter.
Law enforcement sources said Foster allegedly shot the 39-year-old several times as she prepared to get into her Jeep, per the New York Post.
The case has since uncovered a decades-old connection to former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.
Michael Foster Previously Served Prison Time In High-Profile 1988 Homicide Case
According to New York state corrections records, Foster was one of four people charged in the 1988 drive-by killing of Calvin Reed, Rice’s father.
Rice was just a toddler when his father died.
A court later convicted Foster of first-degree manslaughter. He received a prison sentence of four to 20 years.
State records show parole officials denied Foster three times before releasing him in 1999.
The latest charges stem from an alleged property dispute involving a home in Mount Vernon, New York.
Property records show Foster and Anderson had been involved in legal proceedings over ownership of the residence before the shooting.
Police arrested Foster shortly after the incident.
He appeared in Bronx court on Thursday, where prosecutors formally arraigned him on the charges.
Rice went on to become one of the NFL’s top running backs during a six-year career with the Ravens. He helped Baltimore win Super Bowl XLVII and earned three Pro Bowl selections.
His playing career ended in 2014 after video footage surfaced showing him striking his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer, inside an Atlantic City casino elevator. The two later married and remain together.
The latest allegations against Foster have brought renewed attention to his criminal past, including the decades-old case that changed Rice’s childhood.
