Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Age 60+
Name: Patricia Spencer.
Died: March 17, 2015.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Patricia’s husband shot her before taking his own life.
Case status:
Bryce Spencer (Husband), deceased.
Name: Anthony Joseph “Tony” Tomaselli.
Died: March 6, 2015.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Palm Harbor, Florida, USA.
Disability: Cancer, dementia, heart disease.
Details:
Tony’s two daughters decided to kill him. They say that it was because he didn’t want to go to a nursing home. They fed him sleeping pills and alcohol, but he survived this; so they suffocated him by stuffing a rag down his throat.
Tony was a retired barber who liked to watch Wheel of Fortune and the sunset. He said his prayers every night. His favorite cocktail was vodka and Diet Coke.
Case status:
Mary-Beth Tomaselli (Daughter), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years.
Linda Roberts (Daughter), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 20 years.
Source:
‘Like Arsenic and Old Lace’: Sisters in Their 60s Hid Secret of Dad’s Murder — Until They Slept with Same Man
Florida Man Dated 2 Sisters Who Killed Their Father and He Decided to Turn Them In
Two Sisters Allegedly Killed Their Father And Hid It For Years Before Confessing To A Man They Were Both Sleeping With
FL Sheriff: Sisters killed father, committed “perfect murder,” but were caught 4 years later
Sisters arrested, accused of killing father four years ago in what sheriff calls the ‘perfect murder’
Sisters charged with murdering their father after one confesses to their shared lover
Sisters charged after they ‘euthanized’ elderly father, police say
Pinellas sheriff: Sisters said they ‘euthanized’ elderly father
Two sisters arrested, admitted to killing 85-year-old father in Pinellas County in 2015
Daughters Killed Father After Failed Euthanasia, Busted By Man Both Slept With
Two sisters killed their father. They got caught after sleeping with same man, sheriff says.
Florida sisters arrested for killing cancer-stricken father in 2015
Sisters Accused Of Dad’s Murder Nearly Committed ‘Perfect Crime’
Anthony Joseph TOMASELLI Obituary
Roberts Affidavit | Public Sphere | Common Law
Name: Gertrudes “Diana” Hollis.
Died: February 22, 2015.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Oceanside, California, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired due to car accident.
Details:
Diana burned to death in an arson fire set by her husband.
Case status:
Andrew Hollis (Husband), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Source:
Man who set house on fire, killing disabled wife sentenced
Life in Prison for Oceanside Man Who Killed Disabled Wife by Torching Home
Oceanside man sentenced to life for setting fire to home, killing wife
Name: Ellen Jackson.
Died: February 16, 2015.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Shamokin, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Blindness, diabetes, heart disease.
Details:
Ellen’s daughter allegedly left her home unheated and left Ellen alone on the floor to freeze to death.
Ellen was a good baker; her family especially remembers her coconut cream and chocolate pudding pies. She listened to gospel music and loved her three grandchildren.
Case status:
Mary Ellen Collins (Daughter), pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter.
Source:
Daughter in mom’s fatal hypothermia case pleads no contest
Woman to trial in mom’s alleged neglect, hypothermia death
Family Reacts After Woman Charged with Mother’s Death in Shamokin
Shamokin woman seeks dismissal of charges linked to her mother’s death
Name: En Lai Dung.
Died: January 16, 2015.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Manurewa, South Auckland, New Zealand.
Disability: Elderly disabled; possibly bulimia.
Details:
Ena Lai lived with her daughter in a rented house. Her daughter refused to take care of her or ask for help; she claimed that Ena Lai had bulimia and refused to eat.
Ena Lai died in her filthy bed, weighing only 29 kg (64 pounds), dehydrated, malnourished, and suffering from infected bedsores. She had fourteen half-healed broken ribs and a broken sternum.
Case status:
Cindy Taylor (Daughter), found guilty of manslaughter, sentenced to 13 years 3 months.
Brian Taylor (Housemate), found guilty of failure to protect a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 6 years.
Luana Taylor (Housemate), found guilty of failure to protect a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 6 years 6 months.
Source:
Woman who let her mother starve to death declined parole
Appeals thrown out over harrowing death of Ena Lai Dung
Daughter on trial for manslaughter of mother
Dead woman had been ‘nibbled’, manslaughter trial hears
Jury to view shocking pics of dead woman
Paramedic overwhelmed by smell when examining malnourished woman’s body
Pathologist details state of dead elderly woman found in own waste
Pathologist: I’ve never seen anything like it
Trial begins over elderly woman’s grim death
Woman found guilty of letting mother starve
Daughter’s ‘cruel’ neglect killed mother
Jail for letting mother starve to death
Daughter jailed for neglect and manslaughter of elderly woman
Name: Brenda Davidson.
Died: January 6, 2015 (Body found).
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Homicidal violence.
Location: Alvor, Portimão, Algarve, Portugal.
Disability: Cancer.
Details:
Brenda’s boyfriend killed her and then buried her body; she was found two months later.
Brenda had two dogs, a mutt and a Labrador mix, whom she called “her babies”.
Case status:
Nigel Jackson (Boyfriend), convicted of murder, desecration of a body, larceny, IT and telecommunications fraud, and misuse of a credit card; sentenced to 25 years.
Source:
Son of British woman buried in villa garden speaks after mother’s partner is found guilty of her murder
Former Gravesend minicab driver ‘admits burying partner under patio but denies murder’
Funeral of British expat buried in villa garden to be held in Algarve
Name: Caryl Vanzo.
Died: January 5, 2015.
Age at death: 90.
Cause of death: Unspecified.
Location: Plymouth, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Elderly disabled; wheelchair user.
Details:
Caryl was neglected by her son, who stole and spent her retirement funds. When she was dying, or possibly soon after she had died, Caryl’s son put her in a wheelchair and went to the bank to withdraw more money from her account. Her body showed signs of malnutrition and dehydration, and she had severe untreated bedsores.
Case status:
David Vanzo (Son), pleaded guilty to one count of financial exploitation over $35,000; sentenced to 42 months in prison.
Source:
Guilty plea from son who forced mother to make bank withdrawal just before her death
Man Accused of Taking Possibly Dead Mother Into Bank Arrested in Pomona
Guilty plea from son who forced mother to make bank withdrawal just before her death
Twin Cities man accused of financially exploiting mom before her death
Minnesota man suspected of wheeling dead mother into bank
Man Accused of Taking Possibly Dead Mother Into Bank Arrested in Pomona
Man Allegedly Wheeled Dying Mother Into Bank to Withdraw Cash From Her Account
Man accused of taking dead mother into bank to make cash withdrawal
Name: Barbara Anne Beam.
Died: January 2, 2015.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Pulmonary embolism.
Location: Greeneville, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impairment.
Details:
Barbara’s caregivers allegedly left her sitting in her chair for six months, without moving her or cleaning her. Finally Barbara died from a blood clot, caused by sitting still for so long, that lodged in her lungs. She also had a severe untreated kidney infection.
Case status:
Carole Howell (Sister), charged with abuse and neglect resulting in the death of a vulnerable adult.
David Howell (Nephew), charged with abuse and neglect resulting in the death of a vulnerable adult.
Source:
Greenville mother, son indicted 2 years after elderly woman found dead
Woman charged in death of her sister who sat in chair for 6 months, warrants say
Name: Hope Beverly Ruller, née Carr.
Died: Body found December 29, 2014; died October 2013.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Unknown suspicious death.
Location: Gloversville, New York, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; elderly disabled.
Details:
Hope lived in a duplex, downstairs from her daughter, who was supposed to be caring for her. However, instead her daughter isolated her and kept her from seeing family members or getting medical care.
When Hope died, her daughter did not report the death and continued cashing her mother’s disability checks for more than a year, assuring her family that she was “fine” and even cashing a check sent as a Christmas present. Eventually, Hope’s son grew suspicious and asked police for a welfare check; they found her body.
Hope’s cause of death can never be determined because her body was left in a bed for 14 months after she died. Police could only say that her death was considered suspicious.
Case status:
Mary Kerstig (Daughter), pleaded guilty to larceny, improper disposal of a body, and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or disabled person; sentenced to 6 months in jail, 5 years probation, and community service.
Source:
Upstate New York Woman Admits to Keeping Mother’s Corpse for More Than a Year To Collect Government Checks
Hope Beverly Carr Ruller
Name: William Collins.
Died: December 27, 2014.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Head trauma, broken neck.
Location: Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; Elderly; wheelchair user.
Details:
William was beaten to death by his caregiver, with whom he was living. He died of head injuries and a broken neck. Mr. Collins was the third elderly tenant to die while living with them; apparently, the couple used the vulnerability of the elderly disabled to steal their tenants’ assets under the guise of caring for them.
Case status:
Judith Marc (Caregiver), pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, sentenced to 15-40 years.
Source:
Coolbaugh Twp. caregiver faces murder charge
Caretaker pleads guilty to murder in death of 92-year-old
Caregiver sentenced to 15 to 40 years in elderly man’s death