Margaret Sims

Photo of Margaret Sims, an elderly woman with pale skin and dark-gray hair pulled back in a hair band. She is wearing a black shirt and a gold pendant necklace.Name: Margaret Rose Sims.
Died: August 20, 2017.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Stanford-le-Hope, England, UK.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Margaret was strangled by her daughter.

Case status:
Keeley Barnard (Daughter), convicted of murder, sentenced to 18 years to life.

Source:
Daughter allegedly strangled mother, 70, to death
Daughter’s ‘rage’ behind mother murder
A Chelmsford woman has denied murdering her own mum
Woman appears at Crown Court after elderly woman “strangled”
Inquest opens into death of Margaret Sims, of Clacton, as murder probe continues
Daughter accused of mum’s murder tells court ‘I did not strangle her, I massaged her throat to revive her’
Daughter who strangled own mother jailed

Hui Yee Tang

Photo of a young Asian woman with short black hair, wearing a yellow shirt and a lanyard around her neck.Name: Hui Yee Tang.
Died: August 20, 2017.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Stab injury.
Location: Pasir Ris Street, Singapore.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability.

Details:
Ms. Tang lived with her father, mother, and two siblings. She liked to play with water, and would stand under the shower for hours at a time. Neighbors remember her as “a pleasant, quiet girl”. She was enrolled in a program at the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS).

Ms. Tang’s father stabbed her to death before committing suicide. He was “worried about her future”.

case status:
Soh Ha Tang (Father), deceased.

Source:
Pasir Ris double deaths: ‘Depressed’ father was worried about future of autistic daughter
Father fatally stabbed intellectually disabled daughter, jumped to his death: Coroner’s inquiry
Pasir Ris double deaths: Man who killed daughter had history of mental problems
Pasir Ris deaths: In life as in death, father and daughter were inseparable
Pasir Ris double deaths: Neighbours describe father and daughter as ‘loving’

Vivian Nelson

Photo of Vivian Nelson, an elderly woman with pale skin and short curly white hair. She is thin, wearing a floral blouse and blue slacks, and sitting in a big beige chair with one leg propped up on the chair.Name: Vivian Nelson.
Died: August 13, 2017.
Age at death: 94.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA.
Disability: Dementia; frail elder.

Details:
Vivian’s son took her home from the nursing home where she lived. He made her a cup of coffee, then shot her in the head.

Case status:
Leslie Charles Nelson (Son), convicted of murder, sentenced to 15 years.

Source:
Texas Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Killing Mother
CCPD: Woman, 94, found shot dead in wheelchair; son arrested
Medical examiner identifies Corpus Christi woman allegedly killed by son
Vivian Nelson Obituary
Medical examiners release name of elderly woman shot in the head
Trial set for man accused of killing wheelchair-bound mother
Leslie Nelson convicted of murder in elderly mother’s death

Leah Cohen

Photo of Leah Cohen, a middle-aged woman with fair skin and short, straight brown hair. She is wearing a turquoise blouse and small gold hoop earrings.Name: Leah Cohen.
Died: August 11, 2017.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: London, England, UK.
Disability: Unspecified physical and mental disability; walked with a cane.

Details:
Leah Cohen and her daughter Hannah were stabbed to death by her son. Apparently, he was upset that he had been left out of his father’s will.

Leah and her family own Beigel Bake, their family business, a London bakery famous for its salt-beef bagels. Hannah and her sister ran a cake shop, which closed when Hannah was killed; Leah’s other two sons now run the bagel shop.

Case status:
Joshua Cohen (Son), pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility; received an indefinite hospital order.

Source:
Joshua Cohen, who killed his mother and sister, admits manslaughter
Brick Lane bagel tycoon’s son ‘murdered mother and sister at home’
Man charged in North London bagel dynasty murders
Golders Green murder – son, 27, charged with murder after his bagel millionaire mum and sister are stabbed to death’ in their North London home
Heir to famous London bagel shop ‘arrested over knife murder of mother and sister’
Bagel murder suspect had been cut out of family fortune weeks before killings, documents show
Tributes paid to mother and daughter ‘stabbed by schizophrenic son’
Son arrested after allegedly stabbing mum, 66, and daughter, 33, to death in North London

Ann Marie Boardman

No PhotoName: Ann Marie Lawlor Boardman.
Died: August 10, 2017.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Bellows Falls, Vermont, USA.
Disability: Stroke; mobility impaired.

Details:
Ann Marie’s daughter neglected her; she died from infected bedsores for which her daughter made no attempt to seek medical care.

She worked many jobs over her lifetime, including being co-owner of a laundromat and ice cream shop.

Case status:
Nancy Boardman (Daughter), pleaded guilty to neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in serious bodily injury; given an 8-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Obituary for Ann Marie (Lawlor) Boardman
Woman pleads guilty to neglect, abuse charge in mother’s death

Donita Elliott

Photo of Donita Elliott, a middle-aged woman with fair skin and very long dark-brown hair, wearing glasses, a white sweater, and a gold necklace. She is smiling broadly at the camera.Name: Donita Elliott.
Died: August 8, 2017.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Donita was shot by her husband, who claimed he had done it in self-defense because she had bipolar disorder and was coming at him with a knife. Later on, a recording on his cell phone recording proved that he had shot her, refused to help as he watched her die, and planted the knife himself.

She was a devout Presbyterian and avid cook who loved cats and kittens.

Case status:
Patrick Elliott (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to 54-75 years.

Source:
Elliott sentenced to 75 years for killing his wife
Husband guilty of murder for killing his mentally ill wife
Patrick Elliott in letter to church: ‘My choice included her death’
Donita Marie Elliott: Obituary
Ind. Man Allegedly Recorded Himself Shooting Wife and Watching Her Die as She Begged for Help
Police called to victim’s house hours before fatal fight
Husband shot wife and watched her die, police said
Husband Claims Self-Defense In Murder Of His Wife
Suspect recorded killing of his wife on his cellphone, sheriff says

Ursula Cabalzar

Photo of Ursula Cabalzar, a heavyset woman wearing a red sweater. Her graying blonde hair is cut short; she has sunglasses propped up on her head. Her skin is pink.Name: Ursula Cabalzar.
Died: August 8, 2017.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Santa Clara, California, USA.
Disability: Killer believed she had dementia.

Details:
Ursula’s husband believed she was in the early stages of dementia, so instead of going to a doctor, he shot her dead and then killed himself.

Case status:
Michael Reyer (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Ursula Cabalzar, age 68
Police Investigate 2 Deaths in Santa Clara as Murder-Suicide
PRESS RELEASE – Murder / Suicidea
Santa Clara murder-suicide: Mental decline cited as motive for killing

5-year-old girl

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: August 6, 2017.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Fatal abuse.
Location: Jahra, Kuwait.
Disability: Special needs.

Details:
For two months, this five-year-old girl was beaten and burned by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend because they “wanted to get rid of her” and resented her for the attention she needed. She died from a particularly vicious beating, and only then did her mother finally call the police, claiming that her daughter had fallen from a window.

Case status:
Mother and mother’s boyfriend, both convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

Source:
Boyfriend, woman hearing adjourned in disabled girl’s killing
Woman, boyfriend sentenced to death in disabled girl’s murder
Mother, boyfriend sentenced to death for killing special-needs daughter
Kuwaiti mother sentenced to death for murdering her disabled daughter
Kuwaiti mother and boyfriend kill 5-year-old daughter, get death sentence
Kuwait Sentences Mother, Boyfriend to Death for Killing Daughter with Special Needs
Five year old girl murdered by mother and her boyfriend

Courtney Turney

Photo of Courtney Turney, a young woman with dark-brown hair and tan skin. She is smiling for the camera.Name: Courtney Ann Nemea Turney.
Died: August 5, 2017.
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Torture.
Location: Seaside, California, USA.
Disability: Unspecified special needs due to complications during birth.

Details:
Courtney moved in with a friend, only to have her so-called friend imprison her, force her to perform physical labor, starve her, and abuse her for around a decade before killing her. She weighed 54 pounds and had a fractured skull.

Case status:
Corrie Denise Arriaga (Housemate), charged with first-degree murder, in addition to torture, human trafficking, false imprisonment of a dependent adult and theft from a dependent adult; pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Manuel Jesus Lopez Jarquin, pleaded guilty to abuse of a dependent adult and accessory after the fact, sentenced to 7 years 8 months.

Source:
Monterey County DA: Seaside man played a role in death of woman prisoner
Seaside woman pleads guilty to murder by torture of dependent adult
Courtney Ann Nemea Turney (1984-2017) – Find A Grave
Calif. woman arrested for torture, murder of special needs woman
DA: Seaside woman arrested for murder, torture of special needs woman
Seaside woman arrested for torture, murder of special needs woman

Savannah Leckie

Photo of Savannah Leckie, a teenage girl with fair skin and light-brown hair, wearing a knit cap and sweatshirt. She is holding two black-and-white goat kids.Name: Savannah Leckie.
Died: August 4, 2017.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Unknown homicide.
Location: Ozark County, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Autism, depression, ADHD.

Details:
Exactly how Savannah died is unknown because her body was burned and only bone fragments were found. Her birth mother was convicted of abuse of a corpse.

She was a junior firefighter who liked to do volunteer work and care for farm animals.

Case status:
Rebecca Ruud (Birth mother), convicted of abuse of a corpse for burning Savannah’s body; acquitted of murder because suicide could not be ruled out as a cause of death; sentenced to 4 years, released on time served.
Robert Peat Jr. (Birth mother’s boyfriend), charged with first-degree murder and child abuse; charges dropped after he testified against Ruud.

Source:
Missouri Woman Sentenced to Time Served for Abandoning 16-Year-Old Daughter’s Corpse
Autism Memorial: Savannah Leckie
Missouri woman acquitted of murder in teen daughter’s death after judge deliberates for nearly a month
Missouri woman acquitted for killing her austic daughter
Ozark County woman Rebecca Ruud found not guilty of murder in daughter’s death
What happened to Savannah Leckie? Case explored as Rebecca Ruud is acquitted of murder in 2017 death of daughter
Missouri woman acquitted of murder in 2017 death of autistic teen daughter she gave up for adoption as a baby
Missouri woman acquitted of murder in teen daughter’s death after judge deliberates for nearly a month
Mum dragged ‘dead’ daughter onto fire – then knocked her out when she screamed
Trial set to begin for Ozark County mom accused of killing 16-year-old autistic daughter
Missouri Supreme Court says recording with attorney can be used against Ozark County murder suspect Rebecca Ruud
Recording Allowed as Evidence in Mother’s Alleged Slaying of Daughter
Candlelight vigil planned for murder victim Savannah Leckie
Savannah Leckie murder case broadens out of state
Teenage murder victim remembered
Husband, wife indicted in death of Ozark County teenager
Amid allegations of torture, Ozarks boyfriend and mother charged with murder of teen girl
Southern Missouri couple indicted in death of woman’s teen daughter who had autism
Adoptive mom, boyfriend at Leckie murder arraignment
Adoptive mother of Minnesota girl killed in Missouri asks, ‘What if?’
New trial date for woman accused of killing daughter
Suspect in Savannah Leckie homicide to be released after ‘developments’ in case