Mx. Daxer – Page 67 – Disability Day of Mourning

Chet Scharnick

Photo of Chet Scharnick, an older man wearing a Cardinals baseball cap, sporting a wispy white goatee and mustache. Name: Chester Rubin “Chet” Scharnick.
Died: January 18, 2019.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Fresno, California, USA.
Disability: Blind in one eye.

Details:
In his youth, Chet was a baseball player; as an adult he became a professional painter who painted murals in downtown Fresno.

He was found dead, and his step-granddaughter was arrested for his murder. She had previously been renting an apartment from him, but was evicted when she set the building on fire.

Case status:
Katreeva Woolf (Step-granddaughter), charged with murder, burglary, attempted arson, and possession of a stolen car; pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 25 years to life plus one year.

Source:
Clovis, CA woman sentenced for murder of stepgrandfather
84-year-old man murdered at Fresno home was well-known painter with big heart

Julie Burdett

No Photo Name: Julie Burdett.
Died: January 15, 2019.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Pressure ulcers, malnutrition.
Location: Leicester, England, UK.
Disability: “A disease similar to multiple sclerosis”; wheelchair user.

Details:
Julie died from extreme pressure sores. Allegedly, she was not moved or fed properly, and before she died, was left alone in her bedroom for two weeks.

Case Status:
Philip Burdett (Brother), convicted of gross negligence manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years.
Ralph Burdett (Father), convicted of allowing death, sentenced to 2 years, suspended for 2 years.

Sources:
‘Extreme hoarder’ Philip Burdett jailed for gross negligence manslaughter after death of vulnerable sister
Brother of vulnerable woman jailed for gross negligence manslaughter
Julie Burdett: Woman left to die ‘surrounded by filth’ after her father and brother failed to care for her, court told
Immobile woman ‘left to die alone in agony by extreme hoarder father’

Sudesh Gupta

No Photo Name: Sudesh Gupta.
Died: January 9, 2019.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Strangulation.
Location: Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Disability: Paralysis.

Details:
Sudesh’s wife told police that masked assailants had killed her husband. However, police say that when they questioned her further, she told them she had been frustrated at the expense of medical treatment and the effort of caring for him and strangled him.

Case status:
Subash Kumari (Wife), charged with murder.

Source:
Murder Mystery solved in Jammu : Wife killed Bed-ridden Husband
Elderly woman strangulates bedridden husband to death: Police
Gandhi Nagar police solved murder case; accused apprehended

George Rusnack

No Photo Name: George Rusnack.
Died: January 9, 2019.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Necrotic pressure ulcers.
Location: Collier County, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia, stroke, mobility impaired.

Details:
George lived with two family friends who served as his caregivers. A home-care agency reported that George was poorly cared for, but when George was finally taken to the hospital, he was too sick to recover. After he died from severe, untreated bedsores, his caregivers came under scrutiny. They are now accused of neglect, allegedly having left him dirty, let pressure sores develop, and denied him his medication while they took money out of his bank account.

Case status:
Ronald Everwine, convicted of aggravated manslaughter with culpable negligence of an elderly or disabled person and exploitation of the elderly for less than $10,000; sentenced to 4 years and due to be released after 1 year.
Jennifer Everwine, charged with aggravated manslaughter with culpable negligence of an elderly or disabled person and exploitation of the elderly for less than $10,000.

Source:
Collier County caretaker couple arrested for negligent death of bedridden man
CCSO: Caretaker couple charged in January death of bedridden Golden Gate Estates man
Caretaker couple arrested for negligent death of bedridden Golden Gate Estates man
Couple charged with neglect in elderly man’s death

Willie Moore

Name: Willie Frank Moore.
Died: January 8, 2019.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
A neighbor had not seen Willie for some time and called the police to check on him. The welfare check triggered a five-hour standoff, after which police found Willie dead.

Neighbors remember him as a kind man who used to help his neighbor move her trash cans.

Case status:
Chivalery Alexander Moore (Son), charged with murder.

Source:
Man shot by deputy during Durham standoff charged in father’s death
WARRANT: Kinston man texted about killing dad, sent photos
Obituary for Willie Frank Moore

Zha-Nae Wilkerson

Name: Zha-Nae Wilkerson, aka Zah-Nae, aka Zah-Nae Rothgeb.
Died: January 3, 2019.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Warwick, Rhode Island, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Zha-Nae lay neglected in a filthy house while her mother left her fifteen-year-old brother, also disabled, to care for her. She was denied her wheelchair because the house was either not accessible or simply too cluttered for the chair to fit, and had to crawl down the hall. She was found face-down in the bathtub, having died from drowning, and her mother was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Later she was also charged with neglecting Zha-Nae’s seven siblings.

Case status:
Michelle Rothgeb (Adoptive mother), pleaded no contest to manslaughter and 8 counts of cruelty or neglect to a child; sentenced to 18 years in prison and 15 years suspended.

Source:
Rothgeb Sentenced to 18 Years For 9-Year-Old’s Death
Woman whose adoptive special needs daughter dies in bathtub changes plea
New charges filed against Warwick woman accused of manslaughter in death of 9-year-old
Warwick woman pleads not guilty in adopted girl’s death
9-year-old RI child’s death due to ‘inaction’ by DCYF, report notes
Child Advocate’s Office to release report on death of Warwick child
Mom charged with manslaughter in death of 9-year-old Warwick girl
Warwick woman charged with manslaughter in death of adoptive daughter
DCYF Director: Neglect, deficiencies contributed to 9-year-old’s death
Warwick girl whose death is under investigation had cerebral palsy, according to uncle
Police arrest guardian in death of 9-year-old Warwick girl
Guardian arrested in death of Warwick girl
DCYF: Child, 9, dies; Police investigating
Mother held on bail at arraignment in death of 9-year-old Warwick girl
Handicapped 9-Year-Old Dies In Filthy Home, Mother Jailed
DCYF head to address questions surrounding death of 9-year-old girl in Warwick
Disabled girl died after mom made 8 adopted kids fend for themselves to beat flu
Mother of 8 adopted children with special needs arrested after one dies
DCYF making changes in light of 9-year-old’s death in Warwick
A year before death of 9-year-old girl in Warwick, DCYF social workers raised red flag
Warning signs missed in home where Warwick girl died
Biological family has ‘questions and concerns’ for DCYF after child’s death
Death of girl prompts changes to RI child welfare agency

John Likeness

Photo of John Likeness, a heavyset man with muttonchops, wearing glasses and a camo baseball cap. Name: John Matthew Likeness.
Died: December 30, 2018.
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Sharp-force trauma.
Location: Menomonie, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired; disabled veteran.

Details:
John’s roommate killed him by shooting him with a crossbow and cutting him with a knife. His roommate claimed that he felt sorry for him and wanted to “put him out of his misery”.

John was an Army veteran who had served in the military for 10 years. He enjoyed traveling by train, accompanied by his dog Sienna.

Case status:
Richard Seehaver (Roommate), pleaded no contest to second-degree intentional homicide; sentenced to 25-40 years.

Source:
Charge: Western Wisconsin roommate kills disabled Army vet with arrow to the chest
Charges: Wisconsin man kills roommate with crossbow, butcher knife
1 dead, 1 arrested after man dies in Menomonie

Baby Boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: December 21, 2018.
Age at death: 29 days.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Location: Neelasandra, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Unknown congenital defect.

Details:
This little boy was born one of a pair of twins. He was weak at birth and had to spend ten days in the hospital after birth, and needed continued medical attention after he came home.

With the baby’s mother feeding his twin in another room and his father out buying medicine, the baby’s grandmother allegedly strangled and smothered the baby to death.

Case status:
Vijayalakshmi (Grandmother), arrested.

Source:
Days after month-old infant found dead in Bengaluru, grandmom arrested for murder
Grandmother held for infant’s murder

Frank Novak

No Photo Name: Frank Novak.
Died: December 20, 2018.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Hempfield, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Early dementia.

Details:
After he argued with his son about a missing cell phone, Frank’s son beat him to death with the wooden armrest from a dining room chair; then he set the house on fire.

Frank was a World War II Navy veteran who worked at American Window Glass. He had three grandchildren.

Case status:
Douglas Novak (Son), pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder, sentenced to 10-30 years in prison.

Source:
Man beat his dad, 92, to death because he thought he was a vampire
Hempfield man pleads guilty but mentally ill in elderly father’s beating death
Frank Novak – Thursday, December 20th, 2018

Delanie Manning

No Photo Name: Delanie Manning.
Died: December 19, 2018.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness; bedbound.

Details:
In the six months she had had to stay in bed, Delanie was only moved three times. She developed severe pressure sores and lost more than a third of her body weight. When she died from neglect, she weighed 90 pounds and had a broken femur and multiple pressure sores.

Case status:
Serviano Ruiz (Husband), convicted of abuse of a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 2 years; died while incarcerated.

Source:
Man charged with neglect in death of bedridden wife
Lincoln man charged with abuse after bedridden wife found with skin peeling, bone exposed
Nebraska Man Charged With Abuse After Bedridden Wife Dies