Category: Age: Elder

Age 60+

Ursula Cabalzar

Photo of Ursula Cabalzar, a heavyset woman wearing a red sweater. Her graying blonde hair is cut short; she has sunglasses propped up on her head. Her skin is pink.Name: Ursula Cabalzar.
Died: August 8, 2017.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Santa Clara, California, USA.
Disability: Killer believed she had dementia.

Details:
Ursula’s husband believed she was in the early stages of dementia, so instead of going to a doctor, he shot her dead and then killed himself.

Case status:
Michael Reyer (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Ursula Cabalzar, age 68
Police Investigate 2 Deaths in Santa Clara as Murder-Suicide
PRESS RELEASE – Murder / Suicidea
Santa Clara murder-suicide: Mental decline cited as motive for killing

Naoko Kaup

Photo of Naoko Kaup's gravestone.Name: Naoko Kaup.
Died: July 16, 2017.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Dementia, chronic illness.

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

She was a Hiroshima survivor and the mother of two sons.

Case status:
Milton Kaup (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Sheriff: Death of two elderly Onslow residents likely murder-suicide
Sheriff: Deaths of 2 Onslow County residents suspected to be murder-suicide
UPDATED: Murder-suicide suspected in elderly couple’s death
Naoko Kaup’s Obituary on Jacksonville Daily News

Virginia Villa

Photo of Virginia Villa, an elderly Latina. She has white hair and is wearing glasses and a black and white sweater. Off to the sides of the picture, two people have their arms around her shoulders.Name: Virginia Villa.
Died: July 12, 2017.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Pacoima, California, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness.

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

She was a foster mother to many children, and worked as a special education assistant before she retired.

Case status:
Gilbert Villa (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Elderly couple killed in Pacoima murder-suicide is identified
Virginia Villa, 73 – The Homicide Report
Virginia Villa, age 73

James Walker

No PhotoName: James Walker.
Died: July 11, 2017.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Glendale, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Disabled veteran; wheelchair user.

Details:
James was murdered by his stepson because he refused to get out of bed.

Case status:
Heath Allen McConkey (Stepson), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 13 years.

Source:
Glendale man accused of beating disabled stepfather to death
Glendale police: Man beat disabled stepfather to death
Glendale man allegedly beat disabled stepdad to death
Final release order and order regarding counsel
Glendale man accused of fatally beating disabled stepfather
Arizona Man Allegedly Beat Disabled Stepdad to Death for Not Getting Out of Bed
Glendale man accused of beating disabled stepfather to death pleads not guilty
Glendale Man Pleads Not Guilty to Fatally Beating Stepfather

Leona Twiss

Black and white photo of Leona Twiss, a young woman in old-fashioned clothing. She has curly hair and light skin and is wearing a white blouse and flight attendant's cap.Name: Leona Twiss.
Died: July 9, 2017.
Age at death: 95.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Fort Ann, Florida, USA.
Disability: Early dementia, frail elder.

Details:
Not long after Leona’s grandson moved into her house to help care for her, he and his wife conspired to kill her; he strangled her with a towel.

Case status:
Kevin L. Gonyea (Grandson), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.
Melissa Gonyea (Grandson’s wife), pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence and other charges related to being an accomplice, sentenced to 3 1/3 to 10 years.

Source:
Gonyea sentenced to 15 years to life for strangling his grandmother
Fort Ann man charged with murder
Fort Ann grandson and his wife charged in death of 95-year-old grandmother
Local police travel to Florida for murder investigation
New York man charged with strangling his 95-year-old grandma
Man accused of killing grandmother, 95
Sheriff’s Office: Fort Ann woman found murdered, family members arrested
Murder suspect has new attorney, court date
Fort Ann couple indicted in connection with 95-year-old’s killing
Family: Woman in murder case deserves life, too
Videos show woman’s implication of husband, others in murder case
Wife of Fort Ann murder suspect pleads guilty
Murder case hearing postponed as subpoena issues debated
Gonyea mulling plea offer in grandmother’s murder
Fort Ann murder suspect talks plea deal again
NY man pleads guilty to strangling grandmother, 95
Following death of 95-year-old woman, two more family members charged
Police were suspicious of Twiss relatives at murder scene
Documents claim former guard told of killing inmates
Defense claims defendant is ‘immune’ in murder case

Johnnie and Shirley Ervin

No PhotoName: Johnnie Ervin.
Age at death: 67.
Disability: Mobility impairment (Used walker).

Name: Shirley Ervin.
Age at death: 69.
Disability: Dementia.

Died: June 18, 2017.
Cause of death: Stab wounds.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Details:
Shirley and Johnnie’s son is charged with stabbing them to death.

Case status:
Dexter Barnes (Son), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
Son charged in stabbing deaths of elderly parents held without bail
Son Stabbed Parents in ‘Unimaginable’ Double Murder: Court
Austin man charged with stabbing his elderly parents to death

Lam Mei-kam

No PhotoName: Lam Mei-kam.
Died: June 6, 2017.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Hong Kong.
Disability: Stroke, wheelchair user, chronic illness.

Details:
Lam was strangled to death by her husband, who said that he had been worried no one would look after her if he died.

Case status:
Wong Kwok-man (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years, released on time served, reduced for good behavior.

Source:
‘A tragic case’: Judge frees elderly man who killed disabled wife due to fear no one would care for her if he died
Hong Kong man who ‘strangled disabled wife feared no one would take care of her if he fell sick’
Man ‘strangled his disabled wife to end her suffering’

Nancy Gleisinger

Old, sepia-tone portrait photo of Nancy Gleisinger. She is a young woman with fair skin and curly dark-brown hair, wearing a shirt with a broad white collar. Writing at the bottom of the photo says, "Best wishes, Nancy. '58."Name: Nancy Jo Gleisinger.
Died: May 16, 2017.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Goodyear Heights, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Nancy’s son stabbed her to death in front of her husband Earl.

Case status:
Michael Gleisinger (Son), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and failure to provide for a functionally impaired person, sentenced to 4 years in prison.

Source:
Nancy Gleisinger Obituary – Akron, OH
Akron man pleads guilty to stabbing mother to death
Akron man pleads guilty to charges stemming from elderly mother’s stabbing death
Akron man accused of stabbing, killing mother to be confined in mental health facility
Akron man pleads guilty in stabbing death of mother, prosecutors say
Man sentenced in stabbing death of mom with Alzheimer’s
Akron man sentenced in stabbing death of 78-year-old mother

83-year-old woman

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: May 16, 2017.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Dehydration/malnutrition.
Location: Milford, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
This 83-year-old woman’s grandmother visited her and saw her chapped, bleeding lips, and called the police to ask for a welfare check. When the police arrived, they found the woman dead, and a medical examiner determined that she had died from dehydration and malnutrition. She had also been drugged with antidepressants.

Case Status:
Michael O’Connell (Son), pleaded no contest to negligent cruelty; given a 9-month suspended jail sentence and 2 years probation.

Sources:
Milford man pleads no contest to negligent cruelty charge in mother’s 2017 death
Milford man pleads no contest to negligent cruelty charge in mother’s 2017 death

Gail Caulfield

No PhotoName: Gail Caulfield.
Died: May 10, 2017 (Body found).
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Deltona, Florida, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Gail was shot by her husband. He buried her body and claimed she had moved away. Some time later, he committed suicide himself just after telling police where her body was.

Case status:
Laurence Caulfield (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Deputies investigate possible murder-suicide of elderly Deltona couple
Detectives investigating possible murder-suicide in Deltona after man found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound
Body found in back yard of Deltona home where husband killed self, deputies say
Volusia deputies find body buried in yard after man leaves note about killing wife, kills self
Florida man shoots self and says wife is buried out back
Woman dies, man kills himself when confronted by Osceola County deputies
Sheriff: Human remains found in Deltona backyard where man took his own life, left note saying he killed wife
Man Kills Himself And Leaves Note Saying He Buried Wife In The Backyard
Fla. man kills self, claims in note he buried wife’s body in yard
Man killed wife who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, deputies say