Age: Adult – Page 22 – Disability Day of Mourning

Ozlem Karakoc

Name: Özlem “Ozzie” Karakoç.
Died: July 14, 2017.
Age at death: 34.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Ozzie’s ex-boyfriend killed her because she had ended the relationship and wanted to marry another man. He drowned her in the bathtub, and then claimed that they had had a suicide pact (there is no evidence that they ever did).

Case status:
Murat Davsanoglu (Ex-boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 18-23 years.

Source:
Man jailed for drowning girlfriend after she told him she was marrying someone else
Man jailed for drowning girlfriend after she told him she was marrying someone else
‘Suicide pact’ man facing murder trial for girlfriend’s bath drowning
‘You left us too soon’: Family pays tribute to young mum found dead in Lalor
Melbourne man ‘drowned partner in the bath in suicide pact’
Vic man to stand trial over bath murder
Tributes pour in for Melbourne mum allegedly murdered by partner
Mother allegedly dumped in abandoned house in ‘suicide pact’

Dadirai Mashonga

No Photo Name: Dadirai Mashonga.
Died: July 13, 2017.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Magunje, Zimbabwe.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
When a local businessman offered him $4000 for a human head to use for a ritual, Dadirai’s brother allegedly waited until she was alone, killed her with an axe, and decapitated her.

Case status:
Robert Tazvireva, charged with murder.
Samuel Mashonga (Brother), charged with murder.

Source:
Beheading haunts family
Tempers flare at Karoi ritual murder funeral
Hurungwe man beheads sister
Man beheads sister, two bodies decompose in huts
Villagers burn ritual murder suspect’s business complex
Zimbabwe: Man offered $4,000 for human head, beheads sister
20-year-old offered $4,000 for human head, beheads his 40-year-old sister
Man who beheaded sister for $4000 and businessman appear in court
HORROR RITUAL MURDER: Court Told How Man Stabbed, Beheaded Sister For Local Businessman

Peggy Schroeder

Photo of Peggy Schroeder, a middle-aged woman with wavy brown hair, fair skin, and glasses. Name: Peggy Schroeder.
Died: July 8, 2017.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Morrison, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Peggy was shot to death by her teenage daughter. Her daughter and her friend then set the house on fire to hide the crime.

She was a faithful churchgoer and avid gardener.

Case status:
Anna Schroeder (Adopted daughter), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 20 years.
Rachel Helm (daughter’s girlfriend), pleaded guilty to concealing a homicidal death and arson, sentenced to 11.5 years.

Source:
Rachel Helm gets over a decade in prison for helping Morrison teen hide mother’s death
‘I’m the child who shot and killed her own mom’: Morrison teen sentenced to 20 years in prison in mother’s 2017 death
“It’s kind of slap in the face”; Police upset with judge’s decision not to charge Anna Schroeder with 1st-degree murder
Neighbors react to fire, death investigation of Morrison resident
Community healing begins after Morrison murder
Teen girl asks DEAF mother to cover face before shooting her in the head, enlists friend to cover up murder by setting house on fire, hides gun in cemetery
Teenage girl posts ‘love you’ after allegedly killing mom
Fundraiser started for Morrison mom’s funeral expenses
Anna Schroeder: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Inside the prosecution debate: When kids kill

Henry Johnson Jr.

No Photo Name: Henry Lee Johnson Jr.
Died: June 13, 2017.
Age at death: 57.
Cause of death: Pneumonia secondary to major brain damage.
Location: Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Henry lived with his girlfriend. His girlfriend’s brother hit her, and Henry tried to intervene. Her brother turned on him, beat him severely, and then wouldn’t let Henry’s girlfriend call paramedics for several hours. After being taken to the hospital, Henry lived for 11 days before dying of his injuries.

Case status:
Allen Clagget (Girlfriend’s brother), convicted of second-degree murder and domestic battery; sentenced to 15 to 60 years in prison.

Source:
Appeals court upholds Claggett conviction
Claggett guilty in 2017 murder, domestic battery
Bond set for man accused in beating death
Obituary for Henry Lee Johnson at Henson-Holcomb Mortuary

Shakira Hicks

Photo of Shakira Hicks. She has dark-brown skin and bushy dark-brown hair. She is smiling at the camera, showing large front teeth. Name: Shakira Hicks.
Died: June 3, 2017.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
As she sat in her wheelchair, Shakira’s brother doused her with rubbing alcohol and set her on fire. She died of her injuries.

Case status:
Nasif Salaam Hibbler (Brother), convicted of first-degree intentional homicide; sentenced to 43 years to life.

Source:
State of Wisconsin v. Nasif Salaam Hibbler
Inmate charged with spitting on guard
Milwaukee man accused of setting sister with cerebral palsy on fire
Man charged for death of disabled sister after he confesses to setting her on fire
Man accused of setting wheelchair-bound sister on fire
“I set my sister on fire:” Man accused of killing woman with cerebral palsy spoke of “voices”
Man Allegedly Set Sister In Wheelchair On Fire
‘I just set my sister on fire:’ Jury convicts man in death of Shakira Hicks, who had cerebral palsy

Lorraine Smith

Photo of Lorraine Smith. She is a woman with light skin and straight brown hair cut to chin-length with bangs. She is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a blue silk turtleneck blouse and some blue beads. Name: Lorraine Gladys Smith, née Shiel.
Died: May 17, 2017.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Jefferson Township, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: “Serious medical issues”.

Details:
Lorraine was shot by her husband in a murder-suicide.

She was a mother of one who enjoyed sewing and collecting Kewpie dolls.

Case status:
Edward Smith (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Washington County couple dies in murder-suicide
Two identified in apparent murder-suicide in Eldersville
Man, woman found dead in apparent murder-suicide
Police Investigating Apparent Murder-Suicide In Washington Co.
Lorraine Smith Obituary

Kathy Smith

Name: Kathy Smith.
Died: May 13, 2017.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Olean, New York, USA.
Disability: Arthritis, emphysema.

Details:
Kathy’s husband stabbed her to death.

Case status:
Edward J. Smith Jr. (Husband), charged with second-degree murder, declared not guilty by reason of insanity, committed indefinitely to a state psychiatric institution.

Source:
Smith not guilty of murdering wife by reason of insanity
Edward Smith’s daughter says mental illness led to murder
911 call played at Olean man’s hearing: ‘I murdered my wife’
Man charged with murdering wife in Olean House released from hospital, held without bail
Olean man accused of stabbing wife to death indicted on multiple counts
Olean man accused of murdering his wife
Police – Husband in Olean calls 911 after murdering his wife
Kathy Smith Obituary
Olean Man Accused of Murdering Wife Appears in City Court

Li Mouyi

No Photo Name: Li Mouyi.
Died: May 9, 2017.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Drugged, strangled.
Location: Guangzhou, China.
Disability: Cerebral palsy (Quadriplegic, non-verbal).

Details:
Li’s mother thought he would have a tough life after she died; so she killed him by drugging him with sleeping pills and then strangling him.

She had other options, but rejected them all. Li could also have gone to stay with his older brother, but his mother didn’t want to burden her other son. And he was eligible for admission to a welfare home, but she preferred to kill him because she did not think they could care for him as well as she did.

Case status:
Ms. Huang (Mother), found guilty of intentional homicide, given a three-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Chinese Court Spares 83-Year-Old Woman Who Strangled Her Disabled Son
Mother Unwillingly Kills Disabled Son
Chinese court shows 83-year-old woman mercy for killing disabled son
Chinese woman who killed her disabled son forgiven by court, praised on Weibo
‘Salute to mother’s love’: Woman praised on Weibo for killing disabled son

Murray Upshaw

Name: Murray Upshaw.
Died: May 6, 2017.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Visually impaired.

Details:
Murray was shot to death by his son, along with Sharietta Jefferson, a 27-year-old acquaintance.

He had recently become a father.

Case status:
Dante Louis Coker aka Dante Binion (Son), pleaded no contest to murder, sentenced to 28 to 50 years.

Source:
Woman, blind man fatally shot on Detroit’s west side
Detroit Man Charged In Shooting Of Father
Murray Upshaw, age 39

Kari Whitley

Sepia-tone photo of a young woman with short hair and big earrings. Name: Kari Marann Whitley.
Died: May 3, 2017.
Age at death: 43.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Gulfport, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Brain cancer survivor, wheelchair user.

Details:
Kari survived brain cancer at age 19 and went on to get a degree in journalism. She worked at the VA as a public relations specialist until she retired due to medical problems.

Kari’s husband, who had in the past assaulted her, took her back to his home from her assisted living facility so that he could get her disability check. A month later, she was dead. He had beaten her to death with a hammer.

Case status:
William Bryant (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to life in prison.

Source:
Man admits to removing wife from facility to get her disability check, then killing her with a hammer
Kari Whitley’s Obituary