Age: Elder – Page 27 – Disability Day of Mourning

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

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.