Age: Young Adult – Page 10 – Disability Day of Mourning

Grant Heckman

Photo of Grant Heckman, a young man wearing a white sweater and smiling at the camera. He has fair skin and brown eyes and hair. Name: Grant Heckman.
Died: June 19, 2017.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Westphalia, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Grant was shot by his father in a murder-suicide.

Grant was named prom king at his special education graduation ceremony. He liked going on walks with his grandfather, and his favorite song was Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Case status:
George Heckman (Father), deceased.

Source:
‘Saw his son suffer too much, too long,’ friend says of principal in murder-suicide
Principal suspected of killing son, himself in murder-suicide
Police: Pewamo-Westphalia principal killed son, self
Death of elementary principal, son shock small Michigan town
“Losing touch with Reality”: The science behind murder-suicides
Principal suspected in murder-suicide acted ‘out of love,’ friend says
Principal kills himself and disabled son
Murder-suicide of principal, son “leaves a big hole in everyone’s heart”
Why? George Heckman Pewamo-Westphalia principal shoots disabled son dead then self – Scallywag and Vagabond
Police: Michigan elementary school principal killed severely handicapped son, self
Now what? A familiar fear when disabled children turn 26.

Herlene Narosa

No Photo Name: Herlene Narosa.
Died: May 4, 2017.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Banga, Aklan, Philippines.
Disability: Depression (Rape survivor).

Details:
Herlene was beaten to death by her younger brother.

She left behind a 6-month-old baby.

Case status:
“Laboy”, her 14-year-old brother; exempt from criminal liability due to his age.

Source:
Shocking: 14-year-old boy beats 22-year-old sister to death
Banga boy ‘slays’ 22-year-old sister
14-year-old boy beats elder sister to death in Aklan

Walter Brown Jr.

Name: Walter L. Brown Jr.
Died: April 12, 2017.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Sepsis, pneumonia.
Location: Bridgeton, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, epilepsy.

Details:
Walter died from a combination of malnutrition, pneumonia, and sepsis from pressure sores. He weighed 73 pounds when he died.

Case status:
Cinnamon A. Corley (Mother), convicted of reckless manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Source:
Plea deal in disabled man’s murder not likely, defense says
Millville mother charged with murder in disabled son’s death
Disabled man died emaciated and covered in bed sores. Now his mother is charged with murder
Woman charged in death of disabled, adult son gets closer to trial
Offender Details

Tyson Clark-Robertson

Name: Tyson Timothy Clark-Robertson.
Died: July 20, 2016; body found April 11, 2017.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Mayfield, Tasmania, Australia.
Disability: Unspecified; received disability pension.

Details:
Tyson lived with his ex-girlfriend, who had recently started dating their housemate. The housemate became angry and hit him in the head with a hammer, killing him. They buried him in a shallow grave. For the next seven months, they pretended Tyson was still alive by impersonating him on social media and stole his disability pension from his bank account.

Case Status:
Ian Rosewall, pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 12.5 to 22 years.
Renae Lorraine Donald (Ex-girlfriend), pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder, sentenced to 3-6 years.

Source:
STATE OF TASMANIA v RENEE LORRAINE DONALD, COMMENTS ON PASSING SENTENCE
Murderer ‘lost it’ after victim’s ‘paedo dog’ comment, court hears
Human remains found at Launceston house, three charged

Samantha Link

Name: Samantha J. Link.
Died: March 31, 2017.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Peosta, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression.

Details:
Samantha was stabbed to death, and her boyfriend was charged with murder. Convicted at his first trial, he was granted a new trial because he had not been allowed to produce evidence of Samantha’s mental illness as a way to argue that she had stabbed herself. “Everything points to him as a murderer, not a suicide,” her father says, “so they’re just dragging my daughter’s name through the mud.”

Samantha owned dogs named Winnie, Bear, Stewie and Duke.

Case Status:
Fontae C. Buelow (Boyfriend), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 34-50 years; new trial granted, convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 34-50 years.

Source:
Man sentenced for second time in death of girlfriend in Iowa
Dubuque County woman’s mental health in spotlight during man’s murder trial
Samantha Link murder: Iowa Supreme Court orders new trial in 2017 case
Iowa Supreme Court orders new trial for Dubuque man convicted of killing his girlfriend

Judson Duncan

Name: Judson Cash Duncan.
Died: March 19, 2017.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Auto accident.
Location: Antlers, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Judson’s father put him in the car and led the police in a high-speed chase. He crashed the car, killing Judson. It is unknown whether the wreck was an accident, but since Judson died because his father endangered him during the course of the commission of a crime, his father was charged with felony murder.

Case status:
Carl Duncan (Father), pleaded guilty to felony murder, sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Source:
Judson Cash Duncan – View Obituary & Service Information
Okla man to serve 30 years in prison for killing son
Oklahoma man sentenced to prison for murder after disabled son dies in car crash
Fatal wreck may not have been an accident, Denison Police say
Judson Duncan Obituary – Antlers, Oklahoma
Man pleads guilty to murder in son’s death

Jaylynn Keith

Photo of Jaylynn Keith, a young woman with light skin, brown eyes, and wavy blonde hair. Her light makeup is carefully applied and she is wearing a blue-and-white top. The photo is somewhat overexposed and taken from close-up, probably a selfie. Name: Jaylynn Amanda Keith.
Died: March 15, 2017.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Palm Springs, California, USA.
Disability: Depression, interstitial cystitis.

Details:
Jaylynn was being treated for depression when her boyfriend shot her. He tried to disguise the death as a suicide, claiming she had shot herself; but the evidence didn’t add up, and police arrested him for murder. Jaylynn had been planning on leaving him, fearing for her safety, when he killed her.

Case status:
James Beushausen (Boyfriend), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to 50 years to life.

Source:
People v. Beushausen, E071434 | Casetext Search + Citator
‘I knew it was him,’ says friend of Palm Springs murder victim about man’s arrest
Brother of man accused of killing girlfriend in Palm Springs speaks out

Kanchana

No Photo Name: Kanchana.
Died: March 7, 2017.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Trang, Thailand.
Disability: Chronic encephalitis.

Details:
Kanchana’s mother strangled her before committing suicide.

She left behind two children, aged two and nine when she died. They went to live with relatives.

Case status:
Somjai (Mother), deceased.

Sources:
Mother kills ailing daughter, then hangs herself

Jhalandia Butler

Photo of Jhalandia Butler, a young woman with long dark-brown hair and tan skin, wearing a red tank top. Name: Jhalandia Elaine Butler.
Died: March 5, 2017.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Stab wounds.
Location: Crofton, Maryland, USA.
Disability: PTSD, bipolar disorder (claimed by killer).

Details:
Jhalandia’s boyfriend was abusive and had already been charged with assault once for choking and punching her. He murdered Jhalandia by stabbing her to death.

Jhalandia was a US Army veteran who had served for six years and two tours of duty in Iraq. She had met her boyfriend while they were both being treated for PTSD at a military hospital.

Case status:
Ryan Hollebon (Boyfriend), pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Iraq war veteran gets life in prison for Crofton murder of girlfriend
Jhalandia Elaine Butler, 28
Crofton veteran who pleaded to killing girlfriend appeals life sentence

Brandon Strauss

Photo of Brandon Strauss. He is a teenage boy with fair skin. He is wearing a striped polo shirt and his hair is hidden under his bulky helmet. He is leaning on something off to the right of the picture. Name: Brandon Strauss.
Died: February 20, 2017.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Polymicrobial gram negative sepsis, drug intoxication and medical neglect.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, epilepsy, autism.

Details:
Brandon was badly burned in the shower over 12% of his body. His parents say that while his father was washing him, he had a seizure in the shower and accidentally turned on the hot water, causing second- and third-degree burns. Brandon’s parents covered the burns with ointment and bandages; but they did not seek medical attention.

As several days passed and the burns began to look worse, Brandon’s parents put off taking him to the emergency room–until one morning they found him dead. On autopsy, he was found to have dangerous levels of medication in his body.

Case status:
Yolanda Strauss (Adoptive mother), charged with murder and abuse of a vulnerable person, charges dropped.
Ross Strauss (Adoptive father), charged with murder and abuse of a vulnerable person, charges dropped.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Brandon Strauss
Murder charges against Las Vegas couple dismissed
Las Vegas couple charged with murdering their special needs son, 21
Couple charged with murder in death of their special needs son
Pair face murder charges in Vegas man’s Feb dying – Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas couple are charged with murdering their 21-year-old adopted special needs son who was found with lethal levels of medication in his system
Las Vegas couple face murder charge in death of special-needs son
Pair face murder charges in Las Vegas man’s February death
Las Vegas couple suspected in death of their special-needs son indicted