Age: Elder – Page 26 – Disability Day of Mourning

Janice Garrett

Name: Janice “Jan” Garrett.
Died: July 7, 2018.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Raymond Terrace, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Emphysema.

Details:
Jan died in a house fire started by a firebomb. Police arrested her caregiver and roommate, who was reportedly seen leaving the scene of the fire by neighbors attempting to break in to rescue Jan. Their efforts were in vain; Jan’s body was found after the house fire was extinguished.

Case Status:
Ronald John Reeves (Housemate, carer), charged with murder; died in police custody.

Sources:
Janice Garrett’s death in fire declared domestic murder by NSW coroner
Accused murderer dies before court
Man arrested after woman killed in home explosion

Peggy Pettis

Name: Peggy Pettis.
Died: June 25, 2018.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Painkiller overdose.
Location: Cheney, Washington, USA.
Disability: Unspecified medical issues; back pain; killer claims early dementia.

Details:
Peggy’s husband is charged with poisoning her with drugged ice cream that contained an overdose of painkillers. He had taken out a life insurance policy on her only days previously. Her husband claimed she had early dementia, but the insurance physical found no signs of it.

Peggy was a retired school bus driver who loved gardening.

Case status:
David L. Pettis (Husband), convicted of first-degree murder; sentenced to 25 years.

Source:
‘Only sorry he didn’t get away with it’: Victim’s family speaks at Cheney man’s murder hearing
Trial begins for Cheney-area man accused of murdering his wife with medication-laced ice cream
Cheney man accused of poisoning wife took out $150K policy three days before death
Washington man accused of killing wife with laced ice cream
That’s cold: man accused of murdering his wife with poisoned ice cream pleads not guilty to second round of charges
Cheney man appears in court for alleged killing of wife with laced ice cream
Cheney man who allegedly killed wife with ice cream moves to Oklahoma, pleads not guilty to new murder charge
Murder charge dropped against Cheney man accused of killing wife with deadly ice cream
Peggy PETTIS’s Obituary

An Jung Ja

No Photo Name: An Jung Ja.
Died: June 21, 2018.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
An’s son allegedly stabbed her to death with a kitchen knife–then tried to frame his wife for the murder.

An had escaped from North Korea and ran several businesses in South Korea before moving to Thailand.

Case status:
Brian Lee (Son), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Source:
Expat arrested for stabbing mother-in-law to death in Chiang Mai
Kiwi expat arrested for ‘masterminding’ mother’s death, after first blaming wife
NZ Korean man arrested for ‘masterminding’ elderly mother’s death – after first blaming wife

Ms. Hayat

No Photo Name: Ms. Hayat (Hayat Bibi*).
Died: June 19, 2018.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Karachi, Pakistan.
Disability: Physically disabled.

Details:
Hayat Bibi was shot by her husband, who then committed suicide.

She was the mother of four children.

_{*”Bibi” is a respectful title for women in Southeast Asia. We apologize for initially assuming it was Ms. Hayat’s family name. –Ed.}

Case status:
Haji Mumtaz (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Man commits suicide after killing disabled wife
Old man kills wife, himself in Surjani Town

Bertha McGill

Photo of Bertha McGill, a middle-aged African-American woman with her hair cut quite short. She is wearing a leopard-print shirt and dangle earrings. Name: Bertha Marie McGill.
Died: June 15, 2018.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Smoke inhalation.
Location: Jasper, Texas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Bertha’s grandson set their house on fire with her inside. She died from smoke inhalation days after the fire.

Bertha was a retired kindergarten and elementary school teacher.

Case status:
Cedric Ramon McGill, Jr. (Grandson), pleaded guilty to arson and murder, sentenced to 20-40 years.

Source:
McGill pleads guilty and is sentenced for 2018 house fire that killed his grandmother
McGill pleads guilty and is sentenced for 2018 house fire that killed his grandmother
Jasper man charged with capital murder after grandmother dies following house fire
Grandson charged with arson in fire that severely injured Bertha McGill
Cedric McGill now charged with capital murder in house fire death of grandmother – KJAS.COM: Local News
Jasper woman injured in house fire dies; arson investigation still ongoing

Sharon McCleary

Sepia portrait photo of Sharon McCleary as a young woman. She has fair skin and hair cut in a bob; she is wearing old-fashioned glasses and a black sleeveless top. Name: Sharon Lynn McCleary.
Died: June 13, 2018.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Trenton, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Blind.

Details:
Sharon lived with her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend, and another daughter was visiting. Her daughter’s boyfriend was under investigation for the murder of Maegan Motter (age 27, unrelated) when police came to knock on her door. The man took her and her daughters hostage. A standoff between him and SWAT ensued; he was eventually persuaded to release Sharon’s daughters. However, he fatally shot Sharon, and when the police tried to get in he attempted suicide and was arrested.

Sharon was a religious woman who loved game shows.

Case status:
James Edward Geran (Daughter’s boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Double murder charge for man accused of killing girlfriend’s mom
Sheriff: Double murder suspect in standoff will face several charges
Sharon Lynn McCLEARY’s Obituary on Dayton Daily News
Court docs: Middletown man told girlfriend about first homicide
‘I do not want this monster to get out’: Families emotional as Middletown man sentenced to life for killing 2 women
Middletown murder victim’s sister: ‘She couldn’t defend herself if she wanted to’
Life in prison for man who murdered two women in Butler County
She was blind and couldn’t feed herself. Her daughter’s boyfriend shot her in the head.

Mae-Kim Lem

No Photo Name: Mae-Kim Lem.
Died: June 5, 2018.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Choking.
Location: Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Stroke (Mobility impaired, visually impaired), thyroid disorder, arthritis.

Details:
Lem’s husband killed her by choking her to death. He claimed he had been worried who would care for her if he died.

Case status:
Wong Kok-man (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years in jail; due to be released after about 1 month with credit for time served.

Source:
‘A tragic case’: Judge frees elderly man who killed disabled wife due to fear no one would care for her if he died
殺癱妻官輕判八旬翁卑微希望：幫吓我哋就少好多悲劇
 【法外開恩】黃國萬悲情殺妻求情信揭欲輕生留命為控雙老哀歌

Melvin Maki

Name: Melvin N. Maki.
Died: June 4, 2018.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma.
Location: Rock Creek, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Melvin was hospitalized after his son beat him with a shovel; he lived three months before dying of his injuries.

Melvin worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and NOAA, and loved spending time out on the ocean.

Case Status:
Shaun Edwin Maki (Son), convicted of murder, assault, criminal mistreatment, and unlawful use of a weapon.

Sources:
Oregon man found guilty of murder in brutal beating of elderly father who died months late
Man found guilty of killing his 77-year-old father
Melvin N. Maki Obituary 2018

Mary Gregory

Photo: An older woman in a teal blazer and pearl necklace, smiling for the camera. Her wispy white hair is culed and cut short; she is wearing glasses. Her fair skin is deeply wrinkled. Name: Mary Gregory.
Died: June 1, 2018.
Age at death: 94.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Heysham, Lancashire, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Mary died of injuries sustained in a house fire. As she was a heavy smoker, it was initially thought to be an accidental death. However, a year later, her grandson’s counselor contacted police and reported that her grandson had told them that he had disabled the fire alarm and started the fire. Police searched his computer and found that he had made several suspicious Internet searches, including one for “feeling guilty for putting a loved one out of their misery”. It turned out that he had set the fire by holding a lighter to Mary’s curtains.

Case Status:
Tiernan Darnton (Step-grandson), convicted of murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.

Sources:
Heysham fire: Truth or dare student guilty of grandmother murder
Student Who ‘Confessed To Killing 94-Year-Old Woman’ In Game Of Truth Or Dare Jailed For Life
Student ‘admitted killing woman, 94, in fire during game of Truth or Dare’
Teen accused of murder ‘confessed to killing nan’ in game of Truth or Dare
Man charged with Heysham grandmother’s house fire murder

Philip White

Portrait photo of Philip White. He is a middle-aged man with graying curly black hair and dark-brown skin, wearing a dress shirt and tie. Name: Philip White.
Died: May 22, 2018.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Other victims:
William Carter, age 83
Orsie Carter, age 79

Details:
Philip’s girlfriend moved in with him to act as his caretaker. She had been staying with him for about six weeks, and is suspected of stealing from him during that time. His parents, William and Orsi Carter, were visiting him to check on him as they often did. Philip’s mother laid down the law, demanding that his girlfriend leave. Angry that she was going to be thrown out of the home and lose access to her source of money, Philip’s girlfriend allegedly killed Philip and his parents by bludgeoning and shooting them to death.

Philip was a probation officer who retired when he became disabled. His neighbors all knew him as a quiet, kind man; he had lived in the same house for forty years.

Case status:
Nancy Amelia Jackson (Girlfriend/caretaker), charged with three counts of murder.

Source:
Woman charged in Leimert Park triple killing – The San Diego Union-Tribune
Woman charged with murder in Leimert Park triple homicide
Woman Charged With Triple Murder
Woman Faces Capital Murder Charges in Triple Slayings
Triple Homicide Suspect Formally Charged With Killing Leimert Park Family
Woman Charged With Murder in Deaths of 3 People in Leimert Park Home: DA
Caretaker Accused in Triple Murder Pleads Not Guilty
Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Triple Murder