Age: Adult – Page 37 – Disability Day of Mourning

Allan Heath

No Photo Name: Allan Heath.
Died: November 3, 2010.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Langford, Western Australia, Australia.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Allan had a tenant who lived in a shed in his backyard, and who functioned as a caregiver for him. However, his tenant sold drugs; and though Allan used drugs himself, he was growing tired of having his caregiver do drug deals on the property. Three days after Allan gave the man an ultimatum and told him to move out, the man returned to the house and stabbed him in the stomach, perforating a large vein and killing him.

Case Status:
Christopher John Elliott (Friend, live-in caregiver), convicted of murder, sentenced to 14 years to life.

Sources:
Drug-user jailed for life for stabbing friend
Fatal stab victim was ‘white as a ghost’
Murder accused: ‘I stabbed the dog’
Accused murderer spoke of stabbing man
Tenant living in shed jailed for owner’s murder
Life sentence for stabbing murder

Wieslawa Pytlinski

No Photo Name: Wieslawa Zofia Pytlinski.
Died: October 4, 2010
Age at death: 57.
Cause of death: Multiple blunt force trauma to the upper body.
Location: Knox County, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; confidential.

Details:
Wieslawa was allegedly beaten to death by her boyfriend.

Case status:
Michael Dunn (Boyfriend), charged with second-degree murder.

Source:
Man indicted on murder charge in girlfriend’s death

Jeffrey Bishop

No Photo Name: Jeffrey Bishop.
Died: Late August 2010.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Unknown; was receiving disability checks.

Details:
Jeffrey’s body was found in the basement of the house where he had been staying with his caregivers, who received his disability checks in exchange for caring for him. Police say that one of his caregivers strangled Jeffrey, and when he was dead, they hid his body and continued spending his money.

Case status:
Dennis Mitchell Hall (Caregiver), convicted of murder, tampering with evidence, forgery, and fraud; sentenced to 35-50 years.
Heather Lynn Baringer (Caregiver), charged with murder and tampering with evidence.

Source:
Offender Information – Kentucky Department of Corrections – Offender Online Lookup System
Two charged with murder after body found wrapped in bags in basement

Jorene White

Photo of Jorene White, a middle-aged woman with light, freckled skin and brown hair, wearing a teal shirt. Name: Jorene White.
Died: July 23, 2010.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Madisonville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Severe arthritis.

Details:
Jorene’s husband neglected her. She died of infected bedsores.

Case status:
Darrel White (Husband), convicted of neglect; 5 years of probation.

Source:
Darrel White Allowed Bed-Ridden Wife Jorene White to Be Eaten Alive by Maggots

Wendy Garland

No Photo Name: Wendy Garland.
Died: July 8, 2010.
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Pending autopsy.
Location: Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, cerebral palsy.

Details:
Wendy died when her family left her in a filthy room that, in midsummer, had heated up to 100 degrees. When they found her dead, they moved her out of her room, but when police saw where Wendy had been staying, they arrested her family. It was discovered that she had not seen a doctor in three years.

Case status:
Florence Garland (Mother), charged with neglect of an elderly or disabled person; died in 2017.
Helene Hutchinson (sister), charged with neglect of an elderly or disabled person.

Source:
Inspectors visit building where disabled Jersey City woman died
Family of disabled woman found dead in Jersey City appear in court
Disabled Woman Left in 100 Degree Room Dies; Mother, Sister Charged
Bed-ridden, disabled Jersey City woman found dead in 100-degree room, cops say; sister and mom charged
Death of disabled Jersey City woman who died in squalor requires more investigation: officials

Diane Stewart

Photo of a middle-aged woman sitting at a desk; she has brown, curly hair and fair skin. Name: Diane Stewart.
Died: June 25, 2010.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Bassingbourn, England, UK.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Diane’s husband killed her and claimed she had died of epilepsy. He was not suspected of murder until he also killed his non-disabled second wife, Helen Bailey, and was convicted of her murder. Diane’s body had been cremated, but luckily she had left her brain to medical research, and when it was examined, it showed signs of suffocation.

Case status:
Ian Stewart (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to 35 years to life.

Source:
Killer who murdered wife and fiancee has sentence reduced
Doctor explains how killer Ian Stewart nearly got away with murder
Ian Stewart: Man who killed author guilty of murdering wife
Diane Stewart: How a donated brain helped convict a double killer
Ian Stewart: Murder accused’s 999 call played to trial jury
Ian Stewart murder trial hears oxygen starvation evidence
Ian Stewart: Helen Bailey’s killer on trial over Diane Stewart’s murder
Boyfriend convicted of murdering Helen Bailey charged with new murder
Boyfriend convicted of murdering Helen Bailey charged with first wife’s murder
Man arrested on suspicion of murder over death of convicted killer’s wife
Killer of author Helen Bailey ‘held over death of first wife’
Police quiz man over death of his wife who died suddenly in 2010
Killer Of Author Helen Bailey ‘Arrested Over Death Of Wife In 2010’
Killer of children’s author Helen Bailey ‘quizzed over death of first wife’
Man who murdered children’s author, Helen Bailey, is charged with killing his wife six years earlier

Elizabeth Knowles

Name: Elizabeth Joy Knowles.
Died: April 22, 2010.
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Smoke inhalation.
Location: Kallangur, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Chronic illness, mobility impairment (Wheelchair user).

Details:
Elizabeth died in a house fire that had been deliberately set, with the smoke detectors disabled. Less than a day later, her husband put in an insurance claim on the house.

Case status:
David Maxwell Knowles (Husband), charged with murder, arson, and fraud; found dead on the day he was set to go to court.

Source:
Man charged over wife’s death in fire found dead
ELIZABETH JOY KNOWLES (#54-2010)
Man charged with murdering disabled wife in fire to claim insurance
ELIZABETH JOY KNOWLES (#54-2010)
Motive sought for ‘suspicious’ fatal house fire
Husband charged six years later
Man charged with murdering disabled wife in fire to claim insurance

Amanda Quirk

Name: Amanda Quirk.
Died: April 8, 2010.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Booval, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Unspecified; on disability pension.

Details:
Amanda’s roommates tortured her to make her give them access to her bank account, killed her, and dumped her body.

Amanda had an orange-and-white cat named Megsy. She had a tattoo on her hand that read, “Mum”.

Case Status:
Christopher James Swan (Roommate), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.
Rachel Narelle Smith (Roommate), convicted of being an accessory to murder, sentenced to 3-7 years.
Michelle Anna Mondientz (Acquaintance), convicted of being an accessory after the fact to murder, sentenced to 5 years.

Sources:
Quirk flatmate found guilty of being accessory to murder
Flatmate convicted of murdering Quirk granted re-trial
R v. Swan
AMANDA QUIRK (#48-2010)
Woman ‘tortured and bashed to death’
Witness helped smuggle Amanda’s dead body out of home
Man tells of drive to dump body
Murdered Ipswich woman’s body ‘unidentified’
Family speaks out on Quirk murder

Wesley Lawson

Name: Wesley Wayne Lawson.
Died: March 7, 2010.
Age at death: 39.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Lake Wales, Florida, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Wesley’s mother neglected him; he died of starvation weighing 55 pounds. When he died, his bedsores were so severe that his bones could be seen.

Wesley liked playing the harmonica and wheelchair dancing. He competed in the Special Olympics.

Case status:
Vernetta Lawson (Mother), pleaded no contest to aggravated manslaughter of a disabled adult, sentenced to five years probation.

Source:
Woman Spared Jail Time in Starvation Death of Her Disabled Son
Wesley Wayne Lawson Obituary

Thoretta Miller

Portrait photo of a woman with dark-brown skin and curly black hair, wearing a pink blouse and turquoise scarf. Name: Thoretta Miller.
Died: February 12, 2010.
Age at death: 57.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Texas City, Texas, USA.
Disability: “Legally blind and disabled”.

Details:
Thoretta’s granddaughter beat and stabbed her to death.

Case status:
Cheretta Smith (granddaughter), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 42-84 years.

Source:
Texas City woman who killed blind grandmother gets 84 years
Texas City woman admits to murdering blind grandmother
Cheretta Andurnique Smith v. The State of Texas