Category: Age: Adult

Age 30-59

Heidi Good-Swiacki

Photo of a gray-haired woman in a white shirt and big green scarf, sitting in a wheelchair.Name: Heidi Good-Swiacki.
Died: March 25, 2013.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Location: Solvang, California, USA.
Disability: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Details:
Heidi died when her ventilator failed. At the time, she was in the care of her mother and a hired caregiver. The caregiver left to go shopping, and in the meantime, the ventilator failed. Her mother and caregiver were charged with deliberately sedating her and disconnecting the ventilator, but the jury deadlocked on her mother’s trial, and the caregiver’s conviction was overturned.

Heidi wrote a blog using an eye-based input device. In the introduction to her blog, she said, “I will share my ALS story which will hopefully encourage others. It will show that quality of life comes in many forms… Since I have had ALS I have seen many miracles.”

She was a deeply spiritual woman with two children, and she started a company to set up accounting systems for new wineries. Although non-verbal and ventilator-dependent, Heidi saw her life as “filled with laughter, trust and love”.

Case status:
Marjorie Good (Mother); jury deadlocked on involuntary manslaughter charge; charges dropped.
Wanda Nelson (Caregiver), convicted of involuntary manslaughter; conviction overturned because conspiracy could not be proved.

Source:
Case dismissed for caretaker convicted of involuntary manslaughter of ALS patient Heidi Good
Solvang woman acquitted of murdering her daughter
Case dismissed for caretaker convicted of involuntary manslaughter of ALS patient Heidi Good
Tragic Tale of ALS Patient Heidi Good Swiacki’s Death Emerges in Criminal Grand Jury Transcripts
Good Times

Robert Gensiak

Granite gravestone with a brass plaque reading, "In memory of Robert Gensiak, 2013. Every voice shall be heard."Name: Robert Gensiak.
Died: March 20, 2013.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Robert was severely neglected by his family; he died of blood poisoning from an untreated skin rash his body could not fight because he was so malnourished.

Case status:
Susan Gensiak (Mother), pled to third-degree murder, sentenced to 10-20 years in prison
Joan Gensiak (Sister), convicted of neglect, sentenced to 6 years.
Rebekah Gensiak (Sister), convicted of misdemeanor neglect, sentenced to 6-23 months in jail.

Source:
Susan Gensiak And 2 Daughters Charged With Murder Of Robert Gensiak, Disabled Man
Lackawanna County woman’s sentence overturned in disabled brother’s neglect death
Joan Gensiak re-sentenced to same term for starvation death of brother

Marci Garvin

Photo of Marci Garvin. She is a woman with short, straight hair, sitting in a power chair. A name tag is clipped to her sweater and she is pushing a large button on the table in front of her.Name: Marci Garvin.
Died: March 11, 2013.
Age at death: 39.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, dehydration.
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, epilepsy.

Details:
Marci’s father and sister neglected her so badly that she died of infection, pneumonia, and dehydration.

Marci had spent 18 years working part-time for the Star-Telegram human resources office. Sadly, the same newspaper was later to publish the report on her death.

Case status:
Mike Garvin (Father), convicted of injury to the disabled and sentenced to 10-20 years in prison.
Tabby Martinjak (Sister), convicted of injury to the disabled and sentenced to 10-20 years in prison.

Source:
Father, daughter sentenced to 20 years in prison in death of disabled woman
Failing Marci: A disabled woman’s story of triumph and tragedy | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Failing Marci: Investigation raises questions about care and oversight for disabled woman – Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX), 3/1/2015 Bexar County, Texas

Jamielynn Bleakley

Photo of Jamielynn Bleakley, a heavyset woman with pale skin and curly blonde hair. She is wearing makeup; her expression is solemn.Name: Jamielynn Bleakley.
Died: March 7, 2013.
Age at death: 36.
Cause of death: Head injury, hypothermia.
Location: Denning, New York, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Details:
Jamielynn was beaten, strangled, and left outside in the cold by her fiance. She died of head injuries and exposure.

Before she became disabled, she had been employed in health care; she was a fan of Renegade, NASCAR, and the Yankees.

Case status:
Gerald Babcock (Fiance), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 25 years.

Source:
Appeals court upholds Denning resident’s manslaughter conviction in death of his fiancée
Jamielynn Bleakley Online Obituary, December 29, 1975 – March 7, 2013
Denning woman had reported violence in home prior to being killed, police say; boyfriend charged, held without bail
Babcock convicted of manslaughter in death of girlfriend
Saratoga native, 37, allegedly killed by boyfriend in domestic violence incident
Cause of girlfriend’s death disputed
Savage beating leaves Denning woman dead
Denning man gets 25-year prison term for killing girlfriend

Susan Walter

Photo of a middle-aged woman with short auburn hair and fair skin, wearing a beige sweater.Name: Susan Margaret Walter.
Died: March 2, 2013.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma.
Location: Covington, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Susan was beaten to death by her caregiver.

Case status:
Cornelius Richardson-Bethea (Caregiver), convicted of malice murder and abuse of a disabled adult, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Mentally challenged Newton woman found beaten to death
Caregiver gets life for mentally challenged woman’s beating death

Mary Baker

White marble gravestone reading, Mary F Baker, Sgt, US Air Force, Sep 6 1954, Jan 27 2013, Beloved Mother.Name: Mary Baker.
Died: January 27, 2013.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Prescription drug overdose.
Location: Seffner, Florida, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic.

Details:
Mary’s boyfriend poisoned her with a lethal dose of her prescription medication.

Case status:
Timothy Neil Harrison (Boyfriend, caretaker), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years; paroled after 5 years 2 months.

Source:
Seffner man accused of killing quadriplegic girlfriend with prescription drugs
Man gets 10 years for death of quadriplegic girlfriend

Lynda Riopel

No PhotoName: Lynda Riopel.
Died: January 24, 2013.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Maniwaki, Quebec, Canada.
Disability: Muscular dystrophy.

Details:
Lynda’s husband stabbed her to death.

Case status:
Michael Sabourin (Husband); pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 13 years to life.

Source:
Maniwaki: un homme de 51 ans accusé de meurtre
Maniwaki man sentenced to life in prison for killing disabled wife

Lucie Goudreau

A gravestone for the Langelier family, reading in part, "Lucie Goudreau, nee Langelier, 1959-2012." The inscription is carved onto the base of the headstone, implying that it was an unexpected addition that would not fit onto the main headstone.Name: Lucie Goudreau.
Died: November 27, 2012.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Burning.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Details:
Lucie was diagnosed with progressive MS in her thirties, and when she eventually needed care, her husband helped her. But he died of cancer, and Lucie’s care was left to her son, who routinely mistreated her.

Lucie’s son took out several life insurance policies on his mother, then lit her bed on fire and left her to die in the blaze, knowing her mobility impairment would keep her from escaping on her own. When asked why he had done it, he said he “needed the money”.

Case Status:
Rene Goudreau (Son), convicted of first-degree murder; granted new trial on appeal; convicted of first-degree murder on second trial; sentenced to life.

Source:
Ottawa man convicted of first-degree murder for a second time in mother’s 2012 death
Man convicted of murder in mother’s arson death wins new trial | Ottawa Citizen
Man lit fire to kill MS-stricken mother: Crown

David Mueller

Photo of a man with graying dark-brown hair and tinted, round-rimmed glasses; he has fair skin. He is wearing a blue dress shirt. His expression is neutral.Name: David Mueller.
Died: November 16, 2012.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Prescott, Arizona, USA.
Disability: ALS.

Details:
David had ALS, which is a degenerative disorder, and was setting his affairs in order in preparation for death. David’s wife began an affair with a man she had asked to help her care for David. Then she and her lover murdered David by smothering him with plastic bags and a pillow to “make [his death] quicker.” The murder may have also been financially motivated, stemming from a disagreement over the recipients of David’s life insurance policy.

Case status:
Cynthia Jane Mueller (Wife), convicted of  first-degree murder, conspiracy, fraud, and unlawful use of power of attorney; sentenced to life without parole.
Charles Todd (Wife’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 16 years, released after 4 years.

Source:
David Mueller Murder: Where Are Charles Todd and Cynthia Mueller Now?
Man pleads guilty in death of woman’s husband
Murder of David Mueller by wife Cynthia and her lover Charles Todd profiled on ID
Cynthia Mueller trial highlights victim’s financial plan
Prescott woman on trial for killing bed-ridden husband
Prescott Woman Found Guilty In The Death Of Her Husband – KAFF News
Arizona co-defendant in husband murder case sentenced to prison

Hilary Milner

No PhotoName: Hilary Milner.
Died: November 1, 2012.
Age at death: 55
Cause of death: Chest trauma; injury to heart and lungs.
Location: Leeds, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Hilary died shortly after being beaten by her husband.

Case status:
Trevor Milner (Husband); assault with bodily harm; 4-month suspended sentence.

Source:
Leeds dementia sufferer died hours after attack by husband
Obituary