Age Categories – Page 140 – Disability Day of Mourning

Billy Ray Young

Photo of a gravestone partly buried in sandy dirt. It reads "Billy R. Young, October 18, 1961 to March 11, 2014," and is etched with an image of Jesus with hands outstretched. Name: Billy Ray Young.
Died: March 11, 2014.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Belleville, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Physical and mental disability, blindness.

Details:
Billy was allegedly starved to death by his brother and sister-in-law.

Case status:
Richard R. Young (Brother); charged with criminal neglect of a person with a disability.
Elizabeth R. Young (Sister-in-law); convicted of reckless conduct with great bodily harm; sentenced to 1 year.

Source:
Belleville couple charged with neglecting disabled man found dead in home
Couple pleads not guilty in deadly neglect case
Billy Ray Young Obituary (2014) Belleville News-Democrat

Blanche Cowen

No Photo Name: Blanche Effie Cowen.
Died: March 10, 2014.
Age at death: 100.
Cause of death: Starvation, infection.
Location: Rushsylvania, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Elderly disabled.

Details:
Blanche’s daughter was supposed to be caring for her, but instead Blanche was exiled to a filthy trailer behind her daughter’s house. There she stayed with only her developmentally disabled son for company, and he was unable to care for her because of his own disability and health problems. Blanche died of starvation, dehydration, and untreated bedsores. Her son died several months after his mother, from natural causes, at the age of 67.

Case status:
Mary Strawser (Daughter); pled guilty to neglect; sentenced to 18 months, eligible for early release in 30 days.

Source:
Woman pleads guilty in 100-year-old mother’s death

Jean Chamberlain

Photo of an older woman with short, permed, dark-blond hair and light skin, wearing a blouse and neat make-up. Name: Jean Chamberlain.
Died: February 16, 2014.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Ogden, Utah, USA.
Disability: Stroke, brain cancer survivor.

Details:
Jean’s husband put a plastic bag over her head and fed helium into it, suffocating her.

Jean survived brain cancer at age 8 and grew up to work at various jobs, including department store assistant, switchboard operator, and hospital employee. She raised five children and welcomed 25 grandchildren. As a young mother, to help make money to feed her children, she sold encyclopedias and sandals out of her home.

Case status:
Dennis Chamberlain (Husband); pleaded guilty to attempted murder, sentenced to three years to life in prison.

Source:
Obituary for Jean Andersen Chamberlain
Elderly Utah man sentenced to prison in death of ailing wife
The Justice Files: Imprisoned elderly man claims it was assisted suicide not murder

Lucas Braman

Name: Lucas Braman.
Died: February 13, 2014.
Age at death: 23 months.
Cause of death: Unknown; possibly restraint-related.
Location: West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: “Autistic-like behaviors”; born addicted to narcotics.

Details:
Lucas was found dead wearing a helmet and wrapped in a weighted blanket much too heavy for him; the autopsy was inconclusive. His caretaker had been abusive in the past.

Case status:
Sheryl Erb (Caregiver), no charges.
Elizabeth Cavallini (Caregiver); charged with child rape, assault and battery on a child, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and intimidation of a witness, juror, police, or court official.

Source:
Barnstable grand jury indicts woman, 29, on child rape and assault charges
Autism Memorial: Lucas Braman
How did Lucas Braman die?
Report details pattern of abuse in toddler’s death
Lucas: Two families, two portrayals of Yarmouth toddler
Grieving mother of tot under DCF watch: ‘I want to know how he died’
More questions than answers in death of 2-year-old on Cape Cod
No resolution in Yarmouth child’s death

Monique Johnson

No Photo Name: Monique Johnson.
Died: February 12, 2014.
Age at death: 37.
Cause of death: Starvation/dehydration.
Location: Sacramento, California, USA.
Disability: Developmentally disabled; mobility impaired; non-verbal.

Details:
Monique died of severe neglect, dehydration, and starvation, weighing only 37 pounds. Her mother and sister took the money the state gave them to care for her, refusing offers of help.

Case status:
Sheila Johnson (Mother), pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.
Ravetra Jones (Sister), pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and fraud, sentenced to 4 years 8 months.

Source:
Mom, sister sentenced in case of woman ‘neglected to the point of death’
Sacramento Mother Who Starved Daughter to Death Sentenced
Mother & Daughter Convicted for Death of Disabled Victim
Sacramento Mom Tells CBS13 She Didn’t Starve Disabled Daughter To Death
Mother, sister of woman who starved plead in Sacramento court
Mom, sister sentenced in case of woman ‘neglected to the point of death’
Monique Johnson Obituary

Madoc O’Callaghan

Name: Madoc Hyunsu O’Callaghan (Also spelled Hyeonsu or Hyun-su).
Died: February 3, 2014.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury; blunt trauma.
Location: Damascus, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Hydrocephalus, premature birth, learning difficulties, speech delay.

Details:
Madoc was beaten to death by his adoptive father.

He was an international adoptee from South Korea. At the Daniel School for children with disabilities in Seoul stands a statue of him holding a butterfly. A replica of the statue stands at the Linwood School in Maryland.

Case status:
Brian Patrick O’Callaghan (Adoptive father); pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death, sentenced to 20 years, with 12 years suspended; ordered to serve 8 years and may be released earlier.

Source:
Madoc Hyunsu O’Callaghan
Korean American adoptees furious at light sentence for toddler killer
Former NSA Employee Sentenced for Adopted Son’s Death
Former NSA official sentenced to 12 years in death of adopted son
Former NSA official gets 12 years in death of adopted son
Former NSA Official Sentenced to 12 Years in Death of Adopted Special-Needs Son
U.S. school for disabled children to dedicate statue in memory of S. Korean adoptee
Korean-American Adoptees Dedicate Statue in Memory of Killed Boy

Bridget Charlebois

Name: Bridget Charlebois.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Disability: Quadriplegic.
Died: February 2, 2014.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Details:
Bridget’s abusive boyfriend and caregiver had already been caught once leaving her for twelve hours without food or water.

Bridget was nine months pregnant when she had a medical emergency. Instead of helping her or calling emergency services, her boyfriend let her die. By the time an ambulance was called, Bridget was dead, and it was too late to save her baby boy, Isaiah.

Case status:
Andres Bohn Reyes (Bridget’s fiance), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 6-7 years.

Source:
Glendale caregiver arrested for murder of disabled fiancee, unborn son
Phoenix Man Accused of Murdering His Quadriplegic Fiancée and Their Unborn Child
Memories of Bridget Charlebois
Man arrested in 2014 deaths of quadriplegic fiancée, unborn son
Mother of pregnant woman: ‘He watched my daughter die’
Police: Phoenix caregiver let pregnant, quadriplegic fiancee die
Caregiver arrested for murder in death of disabled fiancee, unborn son
Arizona man charged for ‘killing pregnant quadriplegic fiance’
Maricopa County Man Arrested For Death Of Woman, Full Term Unborn Child
County Attorney: The Cold Case of a Cold-Hearted Lover
The Latest: Prosecutor: Caregiver ‘did absolutely nothing’
Man Charged With Killing Quadriplegic And Pregnant Fiancee
Man Accused of Killing Quadriplegic Pregnant Fiancee and Her Unborn Child

Ramsay Scrivo

Photo of Ramsay Scrivo, a young man with short brown hair and a muscular build; he is smiling slightly. Name: Ramsay Scrivo.
Died: January 31, 2014.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: St. Clair Shores, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Schizophrenia.

Details:
Ramsay’s mother dosed him with Xanax until he fell unconscious, then strangled him to death.

Case status:
Donna Scrivo (Mother), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Donna Scrivo weeps at sight of autopsy photo of son
Dueling images of Donna Scrivo emerge in murder trial
Detective testifies about the discovery of Ramsay Scrivo’s dismembered body along a St. Clair County road
Mom who killed, dismembered son gets life in prison

Vincent Phan

No Photo Name: Vincent Phan.
Died: January 30, 2014.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Vincent was shot by his mother, who then killed herself.

Case status:
Thuy Phan (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Vincent Phan
Gwinnett Police investigating possible murder/suicide in Lawrenceville
Cops: Woman shoots autistic son, herself in murder-sucide in Gwinnett County
Police: Lawrenceville mother shots autistic son, herself
Police: Mother Kills Autistic Son, Then Herself

Jagtar Gill

Photo of Jagtar Gill, a middle-aged woman with light brown skin and dark brown hair, wearing make-up, earrings, and a brightly colored green and purple top. Name: Jagtar Gill.
Died: January 29, 2014.
Age at death: 43.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Barrhaven, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Crohn’s disease.

Details:
Jagtar was an immigrant from India to Canada, and she had met her husband as part of an arranged marriage.

But Jagtar’s husband had fallen in love with another woman; so the two conspired to get rid of Jagtar.

They saw their chance when Jagtar had just returned from hernia surgery and was weak and drugged from painkillers; this made her very vulnerable. So while her husband went to run errands with their daughter to establish an alibi, his girlfriend beat and stabbed Jagtar to death.

Case status:
Bhupinderpal Gill (Husband), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.
Gulpreet Ronald (Husband’s girlfriend), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Gill and Ronald formally sentenced to life in prison for Jagtar Gill murder | Ottawa Citizen
Former lovers found guilty for 2nd time in Jagtar Gill killing
Barrhaven homicide victim was vulnerable, drugged and recovering from surgery
Gill trial: Accused wife-killer hid weapon for fear he’d be blamed, lawyer says
Barrhaven homicide victim was vulnerable, drugged and recovering from surgery
Accused in Jagtar Gill murder trial told police she cut hand opening bag of potatoes
No evidence co-accused in Jagtar Gill homicide ever discussed murder plan, court hears
Accused in Jagtar Gill murder trial came to house after body found, court hears
Accused in Jagtar Gill murder trial asked friend to keep crime scene detail from police