Age: Elder – Page 25 – Disability Day of Mourning

Mildred Heid

Name: Mildred “Millie” Heid.
Died: August 7, 2018.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Infected bedsores, malnutrition.
Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Mildred died from neglect, weighing only 75 pounds. She had deep bedsores.

Case Status:
Charles Heid Jr. (Son), pleaded guilty to neglect of an elderly or disabled adult, sentenced to 15 years probation.
Judy Lynne Brassell (Son’s girlfriend), pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and neglect of an elderly or disabled adult, sentenced to 5 years prison and 25 years probation.

Sources:
Augusta man accused of murder in mother’s death pleads guilty to lesser charge
Cops: Augusta Couple Left Bed-Ridden Mom to Die in Horrible Conditions!

Mary White

Photo of Mary White, an elderly woman with chin-length white hair, fair skin and blue eyes. She is photographed in profile and has a thoughtful expression on her face. Name: Dr. Mary E. White.
Died: August 5, 2018.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Barbiturate overdose.
Location: Bundanoon, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Vascular dementia.

Details:
Mary White’s daughter went to the aged care home where she lived and poisoned her with an overdose of medication.

Dr. White was a scientist who studied environment, biodiversity and climate change. She wrote books on environmental sciences and created the Australian Museum’s fossil collection. She also created the Falls Forest Retreat, a rainforest sanctuary in New South Wales. Dr. White was named a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to botany.

Case status:
Barbara Eckersley (Daughter), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to a 2-year community corrections order.

Source:
NSW woman avoids jail after poisoning elderly disabled mother
Woman denies intending to kill elderly mother with lethal dose of drugs
Daughter accused of mother’s nursing home murder to face trial
Dr Mary White – Paleobotanist
Woman, 92, ‘murdered by her daughter’ is an award-winning doctor
Woman, 67, charged with killing her 92-year-old mother in nursing home
Woman charged with murder over death of elderly mother
Former Canberra woman accused of killing her mother granted bail
Famed environmental scientist Mary White allegedly murdered by daughter
Dr Mary White’s daughter granted bail after being charged with her murder
Dr Mary White’s daughter charged with her murder
Nursing home murder: Woman charged with killing her elderly mother
Murder charge defendant granted bail variation in Goulburn Local Court

Stephanie Packman

No Photo Name: Stephanie Packman.
Died: August 1, 2018.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Kemsley, Kent, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Stephanie had dementia and was living in a care home. When her husband came to get her from the care home, staff became alarmed and called police. But they were too late; Stephanie’s husband had already cut her throat. He attempted suicide himself, but survived.

Stephanie’s husband claims that it had been a suicide pact, but no evidence for this has emerged.

Case status:
Michael Packman (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility, given a 2-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Pensioner charged with murdering his wife over ‘failed suicide pact’
Wife killed in ‘failed suicide pact’ named
Sittingbourne man accused of murdering his wife needed hospital treatment too
Murder suspect remanded in custody after death of woman in Sittingbourne
Pensioner who killed wife with dementia in failed suicide pact spared jail
‘Devoted’ husband who fatally cut dementia-stricken wife’s throat is spared jail

Helen Smith

No Photo Name: Helen Smith.
Died: July 29, 2018.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Chandler, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
When Helen wet herself, her grandchild allegedly became angry and cut her throat. Police report that they said that they “wanted to put her out of her misery”.

Case status:
Brandon Smith (Grandchild), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years.

Source:
Man Accused Of Murdering Grandmother Suffering From Dementia, Said He Did Not Want Her To Live In Pain
Suspect didn’t want grandma to ‘live like this anymore’ — and grabbed a knife, police say
Grandchild ‘slit dementia-stricken woman’s throat after she wet herself’
Man accused of slashing throat of grandmother who had dementia
Man Arrested for Killing Grandmother With Dementia: ‘He Did Not Want His Grandmother to Live Like This Anymore’
Grandchild Allegedly Slit Grandmother’s Throat After the 81-Year-Old, Who Had Dementia, Wet Herself
Man stabs his 81-year-old grandma to death because he was tired of caring for her

Ernest Starry

Photo of Ernest Starry, an elderly man wearing a peach dress shirt and suspenders. He has white hair, bushy eyebrows, and pale skin. Name: Ernest Starry.
Died: July 28, 2018.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Robstown, Texas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; elder nursing home resident.

Other victims: Roel Mireles (41), Thelma Montalvo (60), and Isaiah Starry (13).

Details:
Ernest Starry was the oldest of four people killed by his son in a shooting spree that took the lives of his wife Thelma, his stepson Roel, and his grandson Isaiah. After fatally shooting Ernest and his wife, who was visiting him at his nursing home, the killer committed suicide. His motive is still unknown.

Ernest owned a pawn shop.

Case status:
Richard Starry (Son), deceased.

Source:
5 members of same family dead in Texas shootings at home, nursing home in murder-suicide, police say
Teen Boy Among 5 Relatives Killed in Apparent Murder-Suicide That Ended in Nursing Home
Texas Nursing Home Shooting That Left 5 Dead Was Likely Murder-Suicide, Police Say
Family, friends, Scouts, police pay respects to Robstown shooting victims

Laurel Bentley-Bearham

Name: Laurel Doreen Bentley-Bearham.
Died: July 25, 2018.
Age at death: 91.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Terra Linda, San Rafael, California, USA.
Disability: Dementia, frail elder.

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

Case status:
James Leonard Bearham (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Marin coroner IDs couple in murder-suicide
San Rafael police probe murder-suicide shooting in Terra Linda

Barbara Lewis-Brown

Name: Barbara Lewis-Brown.
Died: July 22, 2018.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, sepsis.
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Instead of caring for her, Barbara’s children and grandchildren left her on the couch. There, she slowly died from a combination of malnutrition, dehydration, and stage 4 pressure sores infected by her filthy environment, having been starved down to a skeletal 108 pounds on her 5’8″ frame.

Barbara was retired from the Louisiana Department of Labor, having worked there for more than thirty years. Her co-workers remember her teaching them their jobs when they were new. She was the “life of the party,” good at encouraging others and brightening their day. She had three children, thirteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Case status:
Chasity Lewis (Granddaughter), pleaded guilty to manslaughter and cruelty to the infirm, sentenced to 3 years 6 months to 10 years.
Carlnessa Butler (Granddaughter), pleaded no contest to negligent homicide, sentenced to 5 years.
Carl Lewis (son), charged with manslaughter and cruelty to the infirm; charges dismissed.
Chira Lewis (daughter), charged with manslaughter and cruelty to the infirm; charges dismissed.

Source:
Granddaughter pleads guilty in elderly Baton Rouge woman’s bedsore death; charges for 2 others dropped
2nd family member convicted in malnourished grandmother’s death
New details in Baton Rouge woman’s tragic bedsore death shed light on elderly neglect
Barbara Lewis-Brown’s Obituary on The Advocate
Pair faces manslaughter charge in death of elderly woman
In Memory of Barbara Lewis-Brown — Wilson-Wooddale Funeral Home, Baton Rouge
Third family member arrested after woman dies of bedsores in Baton Rouge

Wendy Henson

Name: Wendy Jane Henson.
Died: July 19, 2018.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Wendy’s son killed her by hitting her in the head with a baseball bat; then he called emergency services and spent fifteen minutes complaining about her and refusing to help her.

Wendy was a published author who wrote plays and novellas. She taught college screenwriting classes and wrote a textbook on the subject. In her later years, she wrote a movie review column under the title “Now Playing”.

Case Status:
Garth Patrick Beans (Son), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Sources:
Man convicted of murder after he ‘clobbered his mama’
Washington County man sentenced to life in prison for killing mother in 2018
Oregon Man Who ‘Clobbered His Mama’ with Baseball Bat and Complained About Her for 15 Minutes in 911 Call Is Sentenced to Prison

Elsie Greene

Name: Elsie Mae Greene.
Died: July 17, 2018.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Sepsis; bedsores.
Location: Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease.

Details:
Elsie’s brother and his wife left her on a thin mattress, in filthy conditions with no air-conditioning in the hot Tennessee summer. She developed bedsores and eventually died from sepsis.

Case Status:
William “Bill” Norris Greene (Brother), convicted of negligent homicide, given 8-year suspended sentence.
Deadra Tidwell Greene, convicted of negligent homicide, given 8-year suspended sentence.

Sources:
Couple convicted of negligent homicide in death of bed-ridden sister
Couple sentenced to probation in death of medically disabled woman left on floor mattress

Patricia Franks

No Photo
Name: Patricia Franks.
Died: July 8, 2018.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: Gatley, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Patricia’s husband beat her to death with a metal bar so that he wouldn’t have to put her in a care home. He had previously turned down offers of support from social services.

Case status:
Lawrence Franks (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, given a two-year suspended sentence.

Source:
84-year-old man pleads guilty to manslaughter of his 86-year-old wife
Stockport man, 84, killed wife with dementia as ‘act of mercy’
Elderly man beat dementia-stricken wife to death in ‘mercy killing’
Devoted husband, 84, who battered wife, 86, to death with an iron bar rather than see her go into care home weeps as judge frees him
Devoted husband’s determination to keep his promise to his wife ended in tragedy
‘I’VE KILLED MY WIFE’ Pensioner’s tragic 999 call after killing dementia-stricken wife