Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Age 60+
Name: Cecilia “Suzy” Madray.
Died: April 21, 2016.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Mahaicony, Guyana.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden following an accident.
Details:
Suzy’s son bludgeoned her to death with a piece of wood.
Case status:
Terrence Madray (Son), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 21 years.
Source:
Man gets 21 years for killing bedridden mother
21 years in jail
Name: Barbara Kavanaugh.
Died: April 19, 2016.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Port Charlotte, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Barbara’s husband went to the nursing home where she was staying, shot her to death, and committed suicide.
Case status:
Frank Kavanaugh (Husband), deceased.
Sources:
Port Charlotte murder-suicide shakes nursing home, friends
Florida right-to-die advocate, wife dead in murder-suicide at nursing home
Name: Jack May.
Died: April 16, 2016.
Age at death: 89.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lecanto, Florida, USA.
Disability: Wheelchair user.
Details:
Jack’s son shot him in the back as he sat in his wheelchair.
Case status:
James Troy May (Son), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years.
Source:
James May is accused of fatally shooting his 89-year-old father inside their Lecanto home
Florida Offender Search
Name: Maria Branco.
Died: April 13, 2016.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Sepsis, malnutrition.
Location: Fall River, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: Elderly disabled; mobility impaired.
Details:
Maria and her three children lived together. She and her two daughters Lucy and Filomena, both intellectually disabled, depended on her third child, a son, to care for them. However, he habitually beat and neglected Maria and her daughters.
When Maria was taken to the hospital with injuries from a severe beating, police arrested her son and went to her house to check on her daughters. They were locked into the house and tried desperately to get out to the police officers; when police got the door open, they found both women neglected and battered but alive.
After four days in the hospital, Maria died from sepsis due to her infected bedsores, complicated by starvation and injuries from beatings. Her daughters survived, but are reported to be “in poor condition” as of July 2016.
Case status:
Antonio M. Branco (Son), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 8-10 years in prison.
Source:
Man convicted in neglect death of his mother sues Fall River Police
DA: Man Murders Mother, Abuses Disabled Sisters
Fall River man accused of murdering mother, abusing disabled sisters pleads not guilty, held without bail
Fall River man charged with murdering his mother, assaulting his disabled sisters
Fall River man indicted in elder abuse case
Fall River man to face ‘disturbing’ charges in murder of his mother
Fall River man sentenced for letting his mother die painful death
Name: Yutaka Nagao.
Died: April 9, 2016.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Tokyo, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified; “bedridden”.
Details:
Yutaka’s brother set their house on fire with him in the house, and he died in the fire.
Case status:
Shinji Nagao (Brother), convicted of arson, sentenced to 20 years.
Source:
58-year-old man suspected in arson-murder of disabled older brother
New arrest warrant served on man on suspicion of killing disabled brother
New arrest served on man on suspicion of killing disabled brother
Man jailed for 20 years over arson-murder of disabled older brother
Name: Masano Yao.
Died: April 6, 2016.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Kato, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Ms. Yao’s husband called police and allegedly admitted to strangling her because he “had a hard time taking care of her”. Police went to the house, found Ms. Yao’s body, and arrested her husband.
Case status:
Yoshiaki Yao (Husband), arrested.
Source:
Hyogo man, 82, arrested, admits strangling dementia-stricken wife
Name: Cathy Evans.
Died: April 5, 2016.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Springfield Township, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.
Details:
Cathy’s husband shot and killed her, then killed himself.
Cathy and her husband used to walk the neighborhood, picking up trash as they went.
Case status:
Daniel Evans (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Police: Married couple dead in Springfield Twp. murder-suicide
Dan Evans Obituary
Wife, husband dead after apparent murder-suicide
Name: Luciana Torcello.
Died: March 29, 2016.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Staranzano, Italy.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.
Details:
Luciana’s husband strangled her, then killed himself.
Case status:
Zuppi Pietro (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Staranzano, soffoca la moglie malata e poi si impicca
Staranzano, moglie ha alzheimer. La soffoca e si impicca
Name: Kenneth Nix.
Died: March 21, 2016.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Chronic nerve disease, related mobility issues.
Details:
Kenneth was shot to death by his ex-wife as he lay asleep in bed. She tried to cover up the death as a suicide.
During trial, the defense claimed that Kenneth’s ex-wife had battered woman syndrome and was trying to protect herself when she shot Kenneth, whose mobility issues prevented him from getting out of bed.
Ken loved motorcycles.
Case status:
Judith Nix (Ex-wife), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to 39 years to life.
Source:
Broken Arrow woman gets life sentence in shooting death of ex-husband
Broken Arrow woman convicted of murdering ex-husband
Name: Mary Flynn Palley.
Died: March 11, 2016.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Logan, Utah, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease.
Details:
Mary Palley was a retired lawyer. She was an advocate for abuse victims, served as a historian for Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse, and did pro bono work for abuse victims, helping them get protective orders.
When she became disabled because of Parkinson’s disease, her husband killed her and then committed suicide.
Case status:
Dell Andrew Johnson (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Logan woman killed in apparent murder-suicide remembered as advocate for victims of abuse
Mary Palley Obituary
Couple identified after letter to newspaper leads Logan police to apparent murder-suicide
‘Something about Mary:’ Logan woman remembered for her passion, selflessness
Police continuing to look for answers in apparent murder-suicide
Logan woman killed in apparent murder-suicide remembered as advocate for victims of abuse