Category: Age Categories

George Philip Carter

No PhotoName: George Philip Carter.
Died: May 15, 2015.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Spanaway, Washington, USA.
Disability: Autism, developmental disability.

Details:
Philip’s caregiver neglected him; he died of infected bedsores because instead of taking him to a doctor, his caregiver stuffed the bedsores with paper towels.

Case status:
Larry John Lee (Unlicensed caregiver), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 18 years.

Source:
Caregiver charged with murder in neglect of vulnerable adult
Caretaker sentenced to 18 years for ‘murder by neglect’
Jury finds Spanaway man guilty in death of adult he cared for
Autism Memorial: George Philip Carter

Louis Spires

No PhotoName: Louis Spires.
Died: May 15, 2015.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Louth, England, UK.
Disability: Alcoholic, visually impaired, mobility impaired.

Details:
Louis’s partner smothered him by putting a pillow over his face and sitting on it.

Case status:
Lynn Stallard (Partner, caretaker), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 12 years to life.

Source:
Pensioner who murdered her housebound and disabled partner by putting a pillow on his head and SITTING on it faces life in jail

Martin Duram

Photo of Martin Duram. He is a light-skinned man with dark hair and mustache, wearing a silver suit and tie.Name: Martin Duram.
Died: May 13, 2015.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Sand Lake, Michigan, USA.
Disability: TBI.

Details:
Martin was found in his bed, shot five times, with his wife, who was barely alive and had a single gunshot wound, nearby. On a table was a suicide letter written by his wife.

After taking in Martin’s African gray parrot, Bud, Martin’s family heard the parrot mimicking the sounds of an intense argument, and then of Martin asking somebody not to shoot. With the parrot raising suspicion, an investigation was conducted and Martin’s wife was convicted of murder.

Case status:
Glenna Duram (Wife), convicted of murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Woman Gets Life Sentence For Murder Witnessed By Pet Parrot
Wife sentenced to life in husband’s murder
Winged murder witness: ‘Don’t f—ing shoot’
Parrot Witnessed Michigan Man’s Murder, Parents Believe
8 months after husband was fatally shot and wife injured, police still trying to solve puzzle
Death of Sand Lake area man investigated as homicide, wife remains hospitalized
Jury Convicts Woman of Husband’s Murder After Pet Parrot Recalls Voice Screaming ‘Don’t Shoot’
Parrot Witnesses Murder, Michigan Woman Convicted

Jody Hernandez

Photo of Jody Hernandez. She has fair skin and long wavy dark-brown hair.Name: Jody Hernandez.
Died: May 11, 2015.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, including Crohn’s disease; depression.

Details:
Jody was shot and killed by her husband, who said that it had been an assisted suicide and that Jody had wanted to die. His lawyer arranged a plea bargain when it was found that Jody had, on a crowdfunding web page, detailed her illness. Though she didn’t express any desire to commit suicide on the web page, it corroborated her husband’s story that she had been ill. The judge accepted the plea bargain and Jody’s husband walked free on probation.

Jody’s goal for her crowdfunding page was to get enough money to go back to school and get her master’s degree to become a nurse-practitioner.

Case status:
Daniel Hernandez (Husband), pleaded guilty to assisted suicide, sentenced to 5 years probation and a $1500 fine.

Source:
DA reveals reason to drop murder charge in assisted suicide case
Man gets five years probation for killing his wife
Jody Hernandez | Help Jody with her illnesses, return home, sort out family problems and return to school
Woman allegedly shot by husband may have detailed illnesses…
Woman fatally shot by husband identified

Malachi Golden

Photo of a toddler in a sling-style stroller. He is chewing on a raw carrot, and wearing a bulky helmet.Name: Malachi De’Andre Golden.
Died: May 11, 2015.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: High Shoals, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Chromosomal disorder, epilepsy, developmental delays.

Details:
Malachi was physically abused by his stepfather and mother over an extended period of time. He was also starved and neglected, his seizure medication was withheld, and he was denied medical care. His mother kept him in a small closet, without food and water. Malachi died from starvation, weighing 19 pounds; his mother also said that his stepfather had strangled him.

Two years after Malachi died, courthouse staff took up a collection to get Malachi a proper headstone.

Case status:
Thomas Cheeks (Stepfather), convicted of first-degree murder and child abuse; sentenced to life without parole.
Tiffany Cheeks (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse, sentenced to 19 years.

Source:
North Carolina Supreme Court upholds murder charge in starvation death of 4-year-old child
New report: Child strangled to death
Stepdad offered plea deal in boy’s death
Abuse charges for accused child killer
Court clerks raise money to buy grave marker for boy who starved to death
Mother served murder papers in disabled boy’s death
Gaston County mother could get life in prison for 4-year-old son’s death
GASTON CO. MOM CHARGED IN SON’S MURDER: 19 more years in prison for Gaston County mother in 4-year-old son’s death

Emily Janzen

Photo of a young woman with pale skin and long, wavy brown hair, wearing a blue dress. She is smiling.Name: Emily Janzen.
Died: May 7, 2015.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Rosedale, British Columbia, Canada.
Disability: Migraines, depression.

Details:
Emily and her family were shot by her father, who said he could not “watch his little girl hurt for one more second” before he killed Emily, then killed her mother Laurel and aunt to spare them the pain of hearing that Emily was dead, and then killed himself.

Emily was a music student who aspired to be an opera singer.

Case status:
Randy Janzen (Father), deceased.

Source:
Emily Janzen Remembered As ‘Amazing’ Singer After B.C. Triple Murder, Suicide

Angel Goodwin

Photo of a boy with tan skin and scruffy black hair, grinning at the camera.Name: Angel Goodwin.
Died: May 5, 2015.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy; multiple disabilities.

Details:
Angel, who had severe disabilities, was abused by his grandmother and her boyfriends. Angel’s grandmother put him in a tub full of water and left him there for more than three hours. Unable to keep his head out of the water, Angel drowned.

Case status:
Onesia Najera (Grandmother), pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death, sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Source:
Wheat Ridge police investigating the death of a 10-year-old
Grandmother charged in death of 10-year-old in Wheat Ridge
Woman gets 20 years in prison for grandson’s drowning death
Grandmother sentenced in drowning death of boy with cerebral palsy
Jefferson County woman who drowned developmentally-disabled grandson sentenced to 20 years

Brooke MacBeth

Photo of a young woman with fair skin and brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a scarf over a beige sweater. Name: Brooke MacBeth.
Died: Unknown. Body found May 3, 2015, six months to a year after death.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Unknown.
Location: Lakeside, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
What happened to Brooke is unknown. All we know is that she was found dead, weighing only forty pounds, stuffed into a suitcase in her mother’s apartment, with amphetamine, marijuana, and oxycodone in her system. An autopsy did not find evidence of trauma, but most such evidence would no longer have been detectable because Brooke had been in the suitcase for several months.

Brooke’s teachers remember her strong voice, engaging smile, and long ponytail.

Case status:
Bonnie MacBeth (mother), no charges.

Source:
Teachers Remember Former Student Found Dead in Suitcase
Officials Make Disturbing Discovery While Serving Eviction Notice
Officials: Body found in trunk was woman’s daughter
Loved ones remember life of disabled woman found in suitcase
Disabled Woman’s Body Found in Suitcase at Mom’s San Diego-Area Home Weighed Just 40 Pounds: Autopsy
Body Found in Suitcase Identified
Woman in suitcase likely died of natural causes: ME

Umesh

No Photo
Name: Umesh.
Died: May 1, 2015.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Amatekoppa, Shikaripur, India.
Disability: Physical disability.

Details:
Police first categorized Umesh’s death as a hit-and-run, but they received tips that Umesh’s brother had taken out three life insurance policies on him and killed him to collect the money. They now suspect that Umesh’s brother rented a mini-truck, drove him out to the outskirts of a village, and ran him over.

Case status:
Kumar (Brother), arrested, charged with murder.

Source:
Man held on charge of murdering disabled brother

Aidan Fenton

Portrait photo of a seated toddler boy with dark straight hair and fair skin, wearing a dark vest over a white dress shirt.Name: Aidan Fenton.
Died: April 27, 2015.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Insulin deprivation.
Location: Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Juvenile diabetes.

Details:
Aidan died after a “slapping therapy” workshop, a treatment that included several days of fasting and repeated, hard slaps meant to cause bruising and “release toxins”. He may also have been taken off insulin by his parents.

Case status:
Hong Chi Xiao (Healer), found guilty of manslaughter, sentenced to 7-10 years in prison.
Aidan’s parents Lily and Geoff Fenton were not charged and are suing the medical practice.

Source:
Aidan Fenton, 7, was made to fast before ‘slapping therapy’, then he vomited and died
Couple sue medical practice over the death of their son
Chinese ‘slapping therapy’ healer jailed over Australian diabetic boy’s death