EAST BRUNSWICK — The woman convicted of killing New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in East Brunswick in 1973 has died in Cuba.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry announced on Friday the death of Joanne Chesimard, born Joanne Deborah Byron. She had a number of aliases, including Assata Shakur.

"On September 25, 2025, American citizen Joanne Deborah Byron, 'Assata Shakur,' passed away in Havana, Cuba, as a result of health conditions and her advanced age," the Cuban Foreign Ministry said on social media.

Chesimard, 78, was added to the FBI's most-wanted list in 2013, 40 years after Foerster was killed.

Chesimard, and two others, all members of the Black Liberation Army, were stopped by troopers in East Brunswick in 1973. She was wanted for her involvement in several felonies, according to

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