A woman indicted yesterday on a charge of murdering her 55-year-old mother at her Halawa Heights home last week may be suffering from "undiagnosed mental health issues," a city deputy prosecutor said.

Carol Weidman, 25, does not have a known criminal record, city Deputy Prosecutor Rom Trader said, but the preliminary investigation indicates she may be suffering from mental issues and would be a danger to herself and others if she is released on bail.

Trader asked that the bail for Weidman be increased from $50,000 to $100,000, which was approved by Circuit Judge Derrick Chan.

If convicted of the second-degree murder charge, Weidman would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with possibility of parole.

Deputy Public Defender Darcia Forester, who will be assigned the Weidman case, said it's too early for her to comment on the allegations because she has not seen the police reports. Forester said her client will plead not guilty when she is arraigned later this month.

Weidman is accused of murdering her mother, Lisa Weidman, who died from what the city medical examiner's office said was manual strangulation and stab wounds. The indictment said the mother was also known as Lisa Wu.

The mother's boyfriend found her body late May 30 at her Pa'ihi Street home, according to police. Police said they recovered three knives.

Carol Weidman was also at the home and arrested early the next morning, according to a police affidavit filed in court.

She told police her father told her that Lisa Weidman tried to kill him and her two brothers before the parents got divorced, the affidavit said.

Carol Weidman told an officer, "I had to kill her before she killed me," the affidavit said. "It was always on my mind."

Weidman was here from California and had been staying with her mother for about a month, Trader said.

A man who identified himself as Donald R. Weidman of Sacramento, Calif., father of Carol Weidman, told The Advertiser last week his daughter had been suffering from "severe mental problems."

Carol Weidman remains in custody at the O'ahu Community Correctional Center. She will be arraigned later, at which time she will be given a trial date.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.