Age: Elder – Page 53 – Disability Day of Mourning

Mary Matteson

Name: Mary Matteson.
Died: July 10, 2012.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Summit Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
As she lay in a hospital recovering from a broken hip, Mary’s husband killed her and shot himself.

Case status:
Paul Matteson (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Seven years after couple’s murder-suicide, financial adviser pays restitution in embezzlement case
Accused felon, past financial adviser fined $80,000 for work with elderly pair
Elderly men most likely to commit suicide, experts said, weeks after 89-year-old kills himself, his ill wife
Failing health may have caused 89-year-old man to feel desperate, neighbor says of Tuesday murder-suicide in Summit Township

Photo of the gravestone of Gertrudes Alwardt. It reads, "Alwardt, Theodore R, Gertrudes G.", and gives birth and death dates for both. Name: Gertrudes Marcaida “Gigi” Alwardt.
Died: July 2, 2012.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: East Poultney, Vermont, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness (elderly disabled).

Details:
Gigi was bludgeoned to death by her son, who struck her head against the table and then beat her with a wine bottle. Initially he claimed she had fallen; then he said he had done it because he thought she was possessed. In reducing the charge from murder to manslaughter, the judge noted that the killer was mentally ill and was “stressed” by caring for Gigi, whose health had been failing.

She had worked as a secretary for the Phillippine government, and had traveled the world during her lifetime. She enjoyed reading.

Case status:
Roderick Geronimo (Adoptive son), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 8-15 years in prison.

Source:
Man admits beating his mother to death with wine bottles
Obituary for Gertrudes Marcaida “Gigi” Alwardt
Adoptive son charged with killing mother
Man admits killing mother
Man who thought mom was possessed pleads guilty in her death
Poultney man who beat his mother to death gets eight years

Howard Spracher

No Photo Name: Howard E. Spracher.
Died: June 5, 2012.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, trauma.
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Visually impaired, physical/mental ill health.

Details:
Howard’s girlfriend locked him into a bare room, starved him, and beat him. He died of his injuries.

Howard worked for sixteen years for the city of Omaha as a public events worker.

Case status:
Darlene Coulibaly (Girlfriend/Housemate), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, domestic assault, and elder abuse; sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Source:
Caretaker charged after elderly St. Louis man’s death
St. Louis woman pleads guilty in death of housemate

Masanori Honda

No Photo Name: Masanori Honda.
Died: March 9, 2012.
Age at death: 71.
Cause of death: Cyanide poisoning.
Location: Kaizuka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Diabetes.

Details:
Mr. Honda moved in with a woman he had met through a dating service. Shortly afterward, he suffered heart failure while riding his motorcycle and died. His death was initially ruled natural, as was that of Minoru Hioki, who had also been living with the same woman. However, when she made the mistake of killing a healthy man whose death could not be written off, an autopsy was done and cyanide poisoning was discovered in all three bodies.

Case Status:
Chisako Kakehi (Common-law Wife), convicted of three murders, sentenced to death.

Sources:
Wikipedia: Chisako Kakehi
The 74-year-old ‘Black Widow’ killer who murdered her lovers with cyanide
Alleged black widow gets second cyanide charge
‘Black Widow’ charged in Japan over death of husband No. 4

Thomas Hayden

Name: Thomas Hayden.
Died: January 18, 2012.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Gunshot likely (Body not found).
Location: Dover Township, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: ALS.

Details:
Thomas disappeared and his wife tried to make it look like he was still alive. Years later, some of his blood and tissue was found, enough to make it clear that he was dead. His wife was arrested for murdering him.

Case status:
Virginia Hayden (Wife), pleaded no contest to third-degree murder and tampering with evidence; sentenced to 20 years in prison and 7 years probation.
Connie Pender (Virginia’s daughter), pleaded guilty to tampering with public records and conspiracy, sentenced to 4 years probation.

Source:
Killed, mutilated and hidden: Woman sentenced to prison in husband’s 2011 death
Woman accused of killing husband, still missing, appears in York County court
Scalp, hair found in bag in 2011 leads to homicide charges against 67-year-old woman
Mystery starts to unravel 5+ years after bloody bag of skin and hair found in York County
A human scalp found in a FoodSaver bag baffled police. Now, a grandmother has been charged with murder.

Julie Kuhn

Name: Julie Betty Kuhn.
Died: January 16, 2012.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Armadale, Western Australia, Australia.
Disability: Stroke, arthritis.

Details:
Julie was found suffocated at her house. Her husband was arrested; neighbors commented they believed it had been a “mercy killing”.

Case Status:
Herbert Bernard Erickson (Husband), charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm; died by suicide before trial.

Sources:
‘Beautiful carer’ charged over his partner’s death
Tragic end to mercy killer’s life

Arville Rhodes

No Photo Name: Arville Rhodes.
Died: November 22, 2011.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Head injury, pneumonia, malnutrition.
Location: New Tazewell, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Mental and physical disabilities “from childhood”.

Details:
Arville was beaten and neglected by his nephew and his nephew’s wife. He died of pneumonia, starvation, head injuries, and untreated bedsores.

Case status:
Johnny Monday Rhodes (Nephew), charged with first-degree murder, physical abuse and gross neglect of an impaired adult; convicted of unspecified charges, sentenced to 10 years.
Sharon Marie Smith (Nephew’s wife), convicted of impaired adult abuse, neglect, and reckless homicide; sentenced to 7-25 years.

Source:
Caretakers for New Tazewell man charged with his murder
Claiborne County couple indicted in death of uncle
Son says his mother is innocent of killing a handicapped man

Betty Guy

Photo of Betty Guy, an elderly woman with light skin and light-gray hair, wearing glasses and a blue top. She is smiling and hugging someone off-camera. Name: Betty Guy.
Died: November 7, 2011.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Haverfordwet, England, UK.
Disability: Mobility impaired, chronic pain, frail elder.

Details:
Betty’s daughter and grandson had decided it was “time for her to go”, so they drove to her house, where they drugged her with sleeping pills; then her grandson smothered her with a pillow. He had to try twice before he killed her, because she fought to live.

Betty was a retired nurse.

Case status:
Barry Rogers (Grandson), found guilty of murder and sentenced to 11 years to life.
Penelope John (Daughter), found guilty of murder and sentenced to 11 years to life.

Source:
Ex-soldier could not have murdered grandmother as Iraq left him so ‘messed up’ he would not kill again, court hears
Man lied about killing ‘for attention’
Murder accused ‘talked about euthanasia’
Ex-Soldier Accused Of Murdering Grandmother “Messed Up By Iraq”
Murder accused ‘told ex-wife he had killed his grandmother’
Accused ‘had to smother gran twice’
‘Murder victim Betty Guy fought off grandson as he smothered her with pillow’, jury told
‘Man said he would finish off ill gran’
Betty Guy trial: Grandson threatened to kill girlfriend while she slept
Pensioner ‘smothered’ by grandson
Man smothered his grandmother twice before she died, court told
Mother and son to go on trial accused of murdering grandmother
Mother and son’s murder trial to start today
Mother and son’s murder trial begins

Cora Sam

No Photo Name: Cora Sam.
Died: October 10, 2011.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral malformation; likely stroke.

Details:
Cora died of malnutrition and blood poisoning from infected bedsores, weighing 66 pounds.

Case status:
Amy Sam Ho (Sister), found guilty of second-degree murder and dependent adult abuse resulting in death; sentenced to 15 years; conviction overturned due to ineffective defense counsel, with possibility of new trial.

Source:
Woman’s murder and elder abuse conviction reversed in death of her sister in Montebello
Woman, 62, Sentenced To 15 Years For Neglect Of Disabled Sister That Ended In Sibling’s Death
Montebello woman sentenced for abuse, murder of disabled sister
Woman Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison For Murdering Sister
Officials identify Montebello woman whose death is under investigation

Barbara Rabins

No Photo
Name: Barbara Rabins.
Died: August 18, 2011.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Dehydration, choking.
Location: Ross, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, stroke.

Details:
Barbara’s caregivers neglected her and stole her trust fund money. When she died, she was underweight, dehydrated, and covered in bedsores.

Case status:
John Tedesco and Tina Tedesco, friends of the family, charged with third-degree murder; initially pled guilty, but revoked the plea; convicted of third-degree murder, sentenced to 15 1/4 – 30 1/2 years in prison.

Source:
Defendants in fatal elder neglect case: ‘We did the best we could’
Ross Twp. couple gets state prison time for fatal neglect
Sleeping juror claim doesn’t save man from prison for neglect death of disabled woman