First He Beat 'Mother Teresa.' Then Cops Shot Him In Mantoloking.

The whole thing didn't seem to make sense. But it wasn't supposed to.

A man by the name of Ed Walsh dated a woman named Teresa Lonigro, who was about 16 years older than him. She's a mother and friend to everybody – so much so that they call her "Mother Teresa."

To Walsh, however, that didn't seem to matter. He severely beat her at her Sayreville home on Nov. 11, causing multiple fractures to her head and face and broken ribs. He came close to killing her, her family said.

Then he robbed her and stole her car. A wanted man, Walsh eventually fled to the wealthy Jersey Shore town of Mantoloking, seemingly hiding in plain sight at a family member's house.

There, in a town where there are no shooting deaths, the Manahawkin man was shot dead by police, one day after he beat "Mother Teresa."

Now family and friends are left picking up the pieces, trying to push Teresa through hospital care after she was placed in the ICU. And all they're left wondering is: Why?

"She is a wonderful person and mother who does not deserve this fate," read her GoFundMe page that's been set up for her as she tries to recover from the beating.

Teresa is also a bartender with limited medical insurance and resources. She remains in the hospital even though she's apparently left the ICU.

Walsh definitely troubles. On April 22, 2017, Stafford police charged Walsh with aggravated assault on a domestic violence victim, criminal mischief and making terroristic threats, according to The Asbury Park Press.

Walsh pleaded guilty to simple assault in July 2017, served a year of probation and paid a $100 penalty, according to The Press. He also was arrested in 1998 for possession of a small amount of marijuana but that charge was dismissed in 2000 after he paid $780 in various fees and fines.

And after the beating, Walsh was wanted for kidnapping, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and theft of the victim/girlfriend's vehicle, a third degree offense.

Still, the family said, Walsh never raised his hand to Teresa or anybody before as they dated off-and-on over the past year.

Then, on Nov. 11, Walsh locked Teresa in her bedroom for four hours, her daughter told Jersey Shore Online. He held a knife to her throat, and struck her with the dull end.

Walsh kicked Teresa until her ribs were broken, her daugher, Samantha Smith, told the publication. “He punched her. He hit her. He thought she was dead. He left her for dead.

“She lasted through something that should have killed her,” she told the publication.

Walsh eventually got himself to at 914 Barnegat Lane in Mantoloking. Detectives believed that Walsh was there because he was previously married to a family member of the prior owner.

At 11:47 a.m. on Monday, the Mantoloking Police Department were contacted to alert them of Walsh's presence. Three Mantoloking police officers, one Ocean County Sheriff's officer with K-9 Officer Kane and one Bay Head police officer were dispatched to 914 Barnegat Lane, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

After approximately 45 minutes, and with the permission of the current homeowner, the police entered the residence and commanded Walsh to drop a knife, according to the OCPO.

He refused, and after the K-9 dog officer Kane was released, Walsh, who was within approximately 20 feet of the officers, stabbed the dog with a knife, according to the OCPO.

The officers then fired.

Walsh also had a self-inflicted knife wound across his neck, according to the OCPO. The Ocean County Medical Examiner pronounced Walsh dead on the scene. An autopsy is pending.

"K-9 Officer Kane was transported to Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls and thankfully is expected to make a full recovery," Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. The dog was released from the hospital.

In the meantime, Mother Teresa's family continues to care for her as she goes through physical rehabilitaiton. And they're still wondering why anybody could do so much harm to the "most generous person around."

"She is the type of person who would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it," according to the GoFundMe page. "If you were having a bad day she would put her problems aside and be your shoulder to cry on."

Photo of Teresa Lonigro courtesy of GoFundMe, a promotional partner of Patch