Age Categories – Page 109 – Disability Day of Mourning

Venkatesh

No Photo Name: Venkatesh.
Died: May 22, 2016.
Age at death: 45.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Disability: Leg amputee, alcoholism.

Details:
Venkatesh worked as a stone-cutter until he suffered a leg injury, which got infected so badly that he had to have the leg amputated.

During a domestic dispute, his wife allegedly became so angry that she hit him over the head with a metal rod, killing him.

Case status:
Suguna (Wife), also called Sugunamma, charged with murder.

Source:
Wife smashes husband’s head for selling mobile phone to buy toddy
Drunk housewife kills handicapped husband in frustration
Hyderabad: Drunk wife murders handicapped husband
Pregnant woman killed in accident

Black and white photo of Henry Sochalski. He has dark hair and fair skin, and is wearing a policeman's uniform and glasses. He has a bushy mustache. Name: Henry A. “Butch” Sochalski.
Died: May 19, 2016.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Recent hypoxic brain injury; back problems.

Details:
Henry went to the hospital for elective surgery to help with his back problems, but the surgery went badly and Henry went into cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated, but his brain had been injured from lack of oxygen.

Henry’s wife, who had worked as a nurse for forty years, first tried to kill him by getting the nurses to give him a medication that would have depressed his breathing, but they refused. Then she pressed the button on his patient-administered pain medication over and over, trying to poison him, but the device automatically limited itself to a safe dose. In the end she allegedly lay across his chest, pinched his nose, and suffocated him.

Henry Sochalski was a retired police officer. He loved riding his motorcycle.

Case status:
Jan Sochalski (Wife), charged with second-degree murder, died before trial.

Sources:
Murder defendant found dead in her Palm Coast home
Sochalski Obituary
A man was suffocated to death in the hospital. The suspect? His wife, a retired nurse.
Florida woman accused of killing husband in hospital bed
Florida woman allegedly murdered husband by plugging his nose
Henry & Jan Sochalski: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Palm Coast wife accused of killing husband at Florida Hospital held on $250,000 bail
Wife charged with killing former N.J. cop in Fla.

Ruby Knox

Photo of Ruby Knox. She is a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair and pale skin, wearing a black, white, and red shirt. Name: Ruby Isabella Knox.
Died: May 16, 2016.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Blenheim, New Zealand.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability, spina bifida.

Details:
Weeks before the murder, Ruby Knox’s mother self-published a book about caring for her disabled daughter. In it, she said that she had “thoughts of ‘blowing up the hospital’ or of taking ‘serious violent action’.”

Her mother made good on those statements when she drugged and then smothered Ruby to death.

In her book, Ruby’s mother briefly mentions Ruby playing on the piano.

A review of the services available to Ruby and her mother found they were adequate.

Case status:
Donella Knox (Mother), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 4 years, scheduled to be released after less than two years.

Source:
The one voice that might have saved Ruby Knox
Blenheim mum Donella Knox jailed for murdering autistic daughter Ruby
Mother jailed for murder of autistic daughter
The Big Read: Case of Donella Knox who murdered autistic daughter Ruby a ‘once in a generation case’
Donella Knox published harrowing book a month before murdering autistic daughter
Blenheim woman Donella Knox details the struggles caring for her autistic daughter
Blenheim mother murdered autistic daughter after tolerating years of abuse
Protest for parents of autistic children after Donella Knox sentencing
Supporters plan protest to get Donella Knox out of jail and improve services after she murdered her autistic daughter
Murder of disabled daughter a ‘once in a generation’ case
Outrage as mum who murdered autistic daughter is jailed for four years
Autism Memorial: Ruby Knox
Autistic girl’s murder sparks external review
Blenheim woman Donella Knox shuts down protests, wants to ‘move on’
Donella Knox: A mother forced to fight for too long
Independent review of Donella and Ruby Knox’s treatment set for May
Donella Knox who killed autistic daughter is jailed
Autism NZ calls for respite care overhaul after Donella Knox case
On Donella Knox, her disabled daughter, and the so-called ‘mercy killing’
No Excusing the Murder of Autistics!
Health service review prompted by murder of autistic daughter to begin
Ruby Knox murder case: DHB reveals review details
Review of disability services about to start following Ruby Knox murder
‘Mercy killing’ mother Donella Knox to read review prompted by daughter’s death
Review prompted by Ruby Knox murder blasts NZ’s disability care
Mum who killed autistic daughter to be released from prison

Carolyn Hager

Portrait photo of Carolyn Hager, an elderly woman with pale blond hair. Name: Carolyn Hager.
Died: May 16, 2016.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA.
Disability: Arthritis, lung cancer, chronic illness.

Details:
Carolyn’s husband shot her in the head.

Carolyn’s neighbors remember her as an artistic woman who maintained a beautiful garden and could often be seen outside tending her plants.

Case status:
William J. Hager (Husband), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, sentenced to nine years.

Source:
Port St. Lucie man who killed ailing wife in ‘act of love’ gets 9 years
Police: Man killed wife because he couldn’t afford medications
Florida Man Says He Killed Sick Wife Because He Couldn’t Afford Her Medicine, Sheriff Says
Port St. Lucie man accused of shooting wife because she was in pain & he couldn’t afford medications
Port St. Lucie man charged with murder in wife’s killing
Police: Man kills wife, blames high medication prices
Man says he killed sick wife because he couldn’t afford her medication

Ava Cole

No Photo Name: Ava Cole.
Died: May 14, 2016.
Age at death: 8 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, heart condition, chronic illness.

Details:
Ava was thrown violently onto a couch by her father. The impact caused a head injury which resulted in her death.

Case status:
Tatum Cole (Father), convicted of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse, sentenced to ten years in prison.

Source:
Lansing man convicted in death of 8-month-old daughter
Michigan man convicted in death of 8-month-old daughter
PEOPLE OF MI V TATUM MICHAEL COLE (Per Curiam Opinion)

Gertrud Sigman

No Photo Name: Gertrud “Trudy” Sigman.
Died: May 7, 2016.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Orange Park, Florida, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Gertrud, whom everyone called Trudy, was a retired professional ballet dancer who had graduated from the Vienna Conservatory. She liked to cook and garden.

Trudy was beaten and strangled to death by her son.

Case status:
Lawrence Sigman (Son), deceased.

Source:
Clay County Sheriff’s Office closes case as murder-suicide
Death investigation underway in wake of domestic dispute
Clay County Sheriff’s Office closes case as murder-suicide
Obituary | Trudy Sigman of Orange Park, Florida

Kayce McDermed

Name: Kayce McDermed.
Died: May 2, 2016.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, pneumonia.
Location: Yakima, Washington, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic, blind, autistic.

Details:
Kayce’s guardian took her out of high school. Isolated at home, she was allegedly neglected and left alone in bed for long periods of time. Kayce died of malnutrition, pneumonia, and severe bedsores.

Case status:
Darlina Ann Chilson (Guardian), charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.

Source:
Trial postponed for Yakima woman accused of murder in quadriplegic girl’s death
Autism Memorial: Kayce McDermed
STATE OF WASHINGTON vs DARLINA ANN CHILSON, 19-1-00592-39 (Washington State, Yakima County, Superior Court)
Severely disabled, neglected and dead at 16
Caregiver accused in death of disabled teen
Washington caregiver accused in death of disabled teen
Woman accused of neglecting quadriplegic girl, 16, causing her death
Caregiver accused of starving Yakima teen to death charged with murder

Marie Stempinski

Name: Marie Stempinski.
Died: April 29, 2016.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.
Disability: Mobility impairment from hip injury.

Details:
Before she retired, Marie had worked as a TV news reporter, then as a public relations consultant. When she suffered a hip injury, she started using a wheelchair.

Marie’s husband shot her and then killed himself.

Case status:
Gerard Stempinski (Husband), deceased.

Source:
St. Petersburg, Florida: Man shoots wheelchair-bound wife and then kills himself
Ex-cop Gerard Stempinski kills wife Marie then himself in murder-suicide in Florida

Patricia Gordon

No Photo Name: Patricia Gordon.
Died: April 28, 2016.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Troon, Scotland, UK.
Disability: Health anxiety, depression, lung cancer.

Details:
Patricia hated doctors and didn’t want to go to see one, but was worried that she had lung cancer. One day when she was in pain, instead of taking her to a doctor, her husband smothered her to death with a pillow.

Although he admitted to killing her, the murder charge was dropped after a family member explained to the court how sick Patricia had been and how hard it had been for her husband to care for her.

Case status:
Ian Gordon (Husband), convicted of culpable homicide, sentenced to 3 years, 4 months; sentence overturned, released.

Source:
Pensioner cleared of murder after smothering his wife
Husband who smothered wife to death with pillow cleared of murder
Troon pillow killer Ian Gordon jailed for three years
Judges overturn sentence for man who killed his wife
Husband jailed for culpable homicide over ‘mercy killing’ of terminally wife admonished following appeal

Melissa Couture

Photo of Melissa Couture, a young woman with fair skin and brown hair. She is wearing glasses and a striped sweater. She is smiling broadly and looking down at some candles. Name: Melissa Couture.
Died: April 26, 2016.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Choking, starvation, pressure sores.
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
For four years before her death, Melissa’s mother did not provide medical care for her, even though she was having trouble swallowing and rapidly losing weight. Melissa died from choking, starvation, dehydration, and severe pressure sores, weighing only fifty pounds.

Case status:
Patricia Couture (Mother), charged with criminal negligence resulting in death, ruled not criminally responsible.