Age Categories – Page 120 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jermain Ngawhau

Name: Jermain Mason Ngawhau.
Died: December 18, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Clendon Park, Auckland, New Zealand.
Disability: Developmental delay.

Details:
Jermain’s grandmother was angry that he was having trouble walking; so she threw him down the hallway, causing a head injury that killed him. She then tried to blame his death on his four-year-old sister.

Case status:
Kathleen Elizabeth Cooper (Grandmother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 14-and-a-half years to life.

Source:
Grandma Accused Of Killing Grandson, Blaming It On His 4-Year-Old Sister
‘A very bleak picture’: High Court told of meth use in Auckland grandmother’s murder trial
Grandmother admits killing grandson but denies murder
Jermain Mason (Tiger) NGAWHAU’s Obituary
Murder-accused grandmother ‘never aggressive’, says dead boy’s mother
Grandma accused of murder was loved by grandson – mother
Cooper trial: Mother of dead toddler takes the stand
Jury begins deliberations in case of grandmother accused of murdering grandson
Grandma guilty of grandson’s murder
Grandmother Kathleen Cooper found guilty of murdering grandson
Kathleen Cooper murder case raises questions around whanau first principle
Life imprisonment for woman who killed grandson

Yasuko Uechi

No Photo Name: Yasuko Uechi.
Died: December 18, 2015.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Kihocho, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified physical disability.

Details:
For some time, Yasuko had been asking her son to buy her a powered wheelchair; eventually she bought one for herself. Yasuko’s son allegedly suffocated her because he was angry she had bought a wheelchair he said he couldn’t afford.

Case status:
Norio Uechi; arrested for murder.

Source:
Mie cops: Man killed disabled mother over wheelchair purchase
Man kills his mother because she bought a wheelchair without his permission

Evan Hemsley

No Photo Name: Evan Hemsley.
Died: December 16, 2015.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Cecal volvulus, malnutrition.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Joubert’s syndrome.

Details:
Evan’s parents did not get him medical care. Weakened by malnutrition, Evan died from a twisted intestine, weighing 22 pounds.

Case Status:
Kristin Bush (Mother), convicted of child abuse and neglect, sentenced to 28 months to 10 years.
James Bush (Stepfather), convicted of child abuse and neglect, sentenced to 28 months to 10 years.

Sources:
Bush v. Eighth Judicial Dist. Court , No. 73808-COA
Couple sentenced to prison in death of 13-year-old son
Bush v. Wolfson, Case No. 2:19-cv-1096-RFB-VCF
The judge sentenced the Las Vegas couple to jail for the death of their disabled child

Kazuko Saito

No Photo Name: Kazuko Saito.
Died: December 13, 2015.
Age at death: 43.
Cause of death: Sharp-force trauma.
Location: Tokyo, Japan.
Disability: Developmental disability.

Details:
Kazuko’s sister killed her with a knife, then committed suicide.

Case status:
Fumiko Saito (Sister), deceased.

Source:
Murder-suicide suspected after discovery of sisters’ corpses
2 sisters dead in apparent murder-suicide

Gregory Cortis

Photo of Carley, Gregory Cortis's Labrador. She is an elderly dog, lying in a pile of leaves on a grassy lawn. Name: Gregory Alan Cortis.
Died: December 12, 2015.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma.
Location: Milford, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s; stroke, causing memory loss and speech impairment.

Details:
Gregory’s wife beat him and his dog Carley with a crowbar, believing that they were both old and ill and it was “time for them to pass on”.

Gregory died after some time in the hospital. Carley, 11 years old and severely injured, recovered and was adopted by a new owner, but died of old age early in 2016.

Gregory’s wife claimed she had killed her husband and beaten the dog to “end their suffering”.

Case status:
Yvonne Cortis (Wife), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and torturing an animal, sentenced to 22-50 years in prison.

Source:
Milford man dies of injuries from crowbar attack
Man Beaten with Crowbar Dies; Murder Charges Expected
Milford woman charged with beating husband, dog with crowbar
Carly the Labrador – An Update
Woman pleads guilty to beating husband and dog to death with metal rod

Richard Brichacek

Photo of Richard Brichacek. He is an elder wearing a black T-shirt. He has fair skin with some age spots, and is bald with a bushy white mustache and beard. There is a beer bottle with a straw in it on the table in front of him. Name: Richard Brichacek.
Died: December 12, 2015.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Multiple organ failure.
Location: Euclid, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Details:
Richard’s family neglected him, leaving him lying in bed and not taking him to medical appointments. He died of multiple organ failure caused by starvation and infected bedsores, weighing 93 pounds at death.

Case status:
Debora Brichacek (Wife), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and failure to provide for a functionally impaired person, sentenced to seven years in prison.
Brian Brichacek (Son), pleaded guilty to attempted felonious assault, sentenced to 18 months probation.
Wendi Brichacek (Daughter), pleaded guilty to attempted felonious assault, sentenced to 12 months probation.
Debbie Brichacek (Daughter), pleaded guilty to attempted felonious assault, sentenced to 12 months probation.

Source:
Family charged with murder neglected father with multiple sclerosis, prosecutors say
RICHARD BRICHACEK Obituary – Strongsville, OH
Euclid family pleads guilty in death of bedridden husband, father
Wife, children plead guilty to charges in bedridden Cleveland man’s death
Wife, children plead guilty in death of bedridden Ohio man
Woman gets prison in neglect death of disabled husband
Wife, children sentenced in 2015 death of bedridden Euclid man
Euclid Family Who Neglected Bedridden, 97-Pound Husband and Father Receive Sentences
Woman gets prison in neglect death of disabled husband

Tyler Bryan

Name: Tyler W. Bryan.
Died: December 11, 2015.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Rolesville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Either Tyler or his twin brother had “special needs”.

Details:
Tyler’s mother strangled him before setting her bedroom on fire and killing herself. Tyler’s twin brother, left alive in another room, survived the fire.

Case status:
Kristy Bryan (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Rolesville police: Fire was murder-suicide
Tyler William “TyBry” Bryan

Carmina Brown

Black and white photo of Carmina Brown, a young woman with straight, dark hair and pale skin. She is squinting into the sun. Name: Carmina Brown.
Died: December 11, 2015.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Kennewick, Washington, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability.

Details:
Carmina was shot by her father in a homicide-suicide. He also killed her mother, Elena.

Carmina worked at Goodwill and was on a Special Olympics swim team. She enjoyed cycling and went to camp every summer.

Case status:
Doug Brown (Father), deceased.

Source:
Neighbors, friends reeling after apparent murder-suicide in Kennewick
Carmina, Elena, Douglas Brown Obituary
Non profit honors murder victim
New project honors disabled Tri-Cities woman killed by her father

Violet Barker

No Photo Name: Violet Barker.
Died: December 9, 2015.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Boynton Beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired; used walker.

Details:
Violet’s son left her alone in her room. She usually used a walker to get around her home, but her son didn’t check on her when she didn’t come out to eat. Only weeks later did he report her death, which medical examiners determined had been from starvation.

Case status:
Robert C. Hart (Son), convicted of aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person or disabled adult, sentenced to 3-5 years; paroled after 3 years.

Source:
Man accused of starving mother to death
Partially mummified woman seen as spry, solitary, struggling
Cops: Florida man let elderly mother starve to death, body decomposed in home
PBSO: Mom, 92, found ‘mummified’ in mobile home; son arrested
Man let 92-year-old mother starve, decompose in her room, investigators say

Bruce Rangitutia

Name: Bruce Tau Rangitutia.
Died: December 8, 2015.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Head injury, pneumonia, starvation.
Location: Tokoroa, North Island, New Zealand.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, intellectual disability.

Details:
When Bruce’s mother died, he went to live with his brother and sister-in-law, who abused and neglected him. He shrank to 45.7 kilos and was hospitalized after entering a coma. After being stabilized, he was supposed to go to a rehabilitation facility; but his brother and sister-in-law refused this once they realized they would no longer receive money for caring for him; so he went back to live with them. They went right back to neglecting him, including denying him his regular medication. Confined to bed because of malnutrition and unexplained injuries from blunt-force trauma that were likely caused by abuse, he was unable to get food for himself, and his caregivers ignored his cries for food and water. He died of a combination of head injury, pneumonia, bedsores, and starvation.

Case status:
Jovander Raymond Terry (Adoptive brother), pleaded guilty to ill treatment of a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 6 years 7 months.
Annie Mathews (Sister-in-law), pleaded guilty to ill treatment of a vulnerable adult and failing to seek medical care, sentenced to 4 years 10 1/2 months.

Source:
A Tokoroa couple have been jailed after starving a man with cerebral palsy to death – 23-Sep-2019 – NZ Law and Order news
Vulnerable man who drank own urine spends last hours ‘constantly moaning and calling for food and water’
Vulnerable man starved by carers died weighing 6st after begging for food
Tokoroa couple admit starving man with cerebral palsy before he died
View Bruce RANGITUTIA’s Notice on nzherald.co.nz and share memories