Age Categories – Page 55 – Disability Day of Mourning

Sheila Murray

Name: Sheila June Murray.
Died: August 15, 2019.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Johnson City, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Sheila died from abuse and neglect. Police arrested her son and daughter and charged them with murder.

Sheila’s obituary remembers her as a talkative, outgoing woman who “used her cooking to bless and bring others together”.

Case Status:
Michael Murray (Son), charged with first-degree murder.
Karen Murray (Daughter), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
TN Brother & Sister Accused Of Killing Disabled Mother
Tennessee Sister and Brother Charged with First-Degree Murder in the Death of Their Disabled Mother
Shelia June Murray – View Obituary & Service Information

Adam Schneider

No Photo Name: Adam Schneider.
Died: August 15, 2019.
Age at death: 39.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Richmond, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
After his mother died, Adam moved in with his brother. He was neglected until finally he was brought to the hospital with severe bedsores and malnutrition, and died from the effects of starvation two days later.

Case status:
Henry Lee Andrus III (Brother), charged with neglect of a dependent leading to death and neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury.

Source:
Brother charged with neglect in death of 39-year-old man with cerebral palsy

Victor Villa

No Photo
Name: Victor Villa.
Died: August 10, 2019.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Oceanside, California, USA.
Disability: Hemiparesis after stroke.

Details:
Victor was scalded with hot liquid, then stabbed to death. His wife, who had told friends that she no longer wanted to care for him, was charged with his murder.

Case status:
Alcira Villa (Wife), charged with murder.

Source:
Oceanside woman, 78, accused of murder in disabled husband’s death

Patricia Whitney-Jones

Name: Patricia Ann Whitney-Jones.
Died: August 7, 2019.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Ferndale, Washington, USA.
Disability: Unspecified health conditions, including mobility impairment.

Details:
Patricia was shot by her husband, who then called police and shot himself before they arrived. He left notes explaining that he had killed Patricia because he couldn’t afford to treat her medical conditions.

Patricia worked as an executive assistant for San Diego State University and the Kumeyaay Tribal Council. After her retirement, she enjoyed doing genealogy research and gardening. She had two daughters, one son, four grandsons and a great-granddaughter; she liked traveling across the country to visit her family.

Patricia loved her two dogs, which she called her “fur-babies”. The dogs were taken to the Humane Society when she was killed.

Case status:
Brian S. Jones (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Elderly couple found dead in apparent murder-suicide, note says they could not afford medical care
Couple dead in apparent murder-suicide left notes saying they couldn’t afford medical care, police say
Ferndale couple found dead in apparent murder-suicide
Patricia Whitney-Jones’s Obituary

Cristina Pangalangan

Photo of a young girl sitting in a wheelchair, lips pursed, looking annoyed. She has fair skin and her brown hair is messy. Name: Cristina Pangalangan.
Died: August 5, 2019.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Heat stroke.
Location: Colleton County, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, wheelchair user.

Details:
Cristina’s mother deliberately left her in the car for five hours on a hot August day. According to investigators, she checked on Cristina twice, once at noon, before continuing to leave her in the car, and then again at 3pm where she claimed to discover the car was locked and she and her boyfriend had to leave to get a spare set of keys. When first responders who received a call about a child in a locked car arrived on the scene, they found that Cristina had died.

Her eighth-grade teachers remember her as a “very motivated student” who smiled at everyone.

Case status:
Rita Pangalangan (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 37 years.
Larry King (mother’s boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 32 years.

Source:
New bill aims to help get justice for victims of deadly child abuse
SC v. King, Pangalangan: Disabled Teen Death Trial
WATCH LIVE: Couple on trial for developmentally disabled teen’s hot car death
Testimony begins in murder trial of disabled 13-year-old in Colleton Co.
Mother, boyfriend left disabled Lowcountry girl to die in hot car, solicitor says
SC v. King, Pangalangan: Mom, her boyfriend sentenced in teen’s murder
Couple found guilty in death of 13-year-old with cerebral palsy left in car
Sick mum deliberately left disabled daughter to cook to death in baking car
Trial for murder of special needs Walterboro girl will begin in late August
Delayed murder trial painful for loved ones of Walterboro girl left to die in hot car
Department of Social Services facing lawsuit after girl with special needs dies in car
Lowcountry mother charged with murder in teen’s hot car death resigns from teaching job
13-year-old special needs girl found dead in car in SC; 2 people arrested, authorities say
Report: Two charged with murder after deliberately leaving disabled 13-year-old in car for several hours
Man, woman charged with murder in Colleton County after girl’s death in hot car
Teacher, boyfriend charged in 13-year-old’s death
Teacher mum ‘left disabled daughter, 13, to die in roasting hot car for 5 hours’
Colleton girl’s accused killers had multiple brushes with police amid rocky relationship
Authorities identify 13-year-old girl who died after being left in car
Mom, boyfriend left disabled girl in vehicle 5 hours before death, Colleton deputies say
Teacher of the Year ‘left her disabled teenage daughter to die in roasting car’
Cristina Pangalangan hot car death: Rita Pangalangan & Larry King charged w/ murder
Mother, Boyfriend Charged With Murder After 13-Year-Old Girl With Special Needs Dies in Hot Car
Woman leaves kids in hot car week after sister died in their mom’s hot car, SC police say

Malachi Lawson

Name: Malachi Lawson.
Died: August 4, 2019.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Walked with a limp; possibly autism

Details:
Malachi’s mother and stepmother initially reported him missing. Police say that, when questioned, they admitted they had burned him by making him sit in a bathtub full of hot water after he had a potty-training accident. Malachi’s body was found in a dumpster.

Malachi loved Paw Patrol and Mickey Mouse. He liked dancing and his favorite color was blue. He had been taken into foster care, but returned to his mother and her partner.

Case status:
Alicia Lawson (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect resulting in death, sentenced to life with all but 30 years suspended and 5 years probation.
Shatilka Lawson (Stepmother), found guilty of neglect resulting in the death of a minor, first-degree child abuse, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and false statement; sentenced to 30 years in prison and 5 years probation.

Source:
Alicia Lawson Pleads Guilty In Death Of 4-Year-Old Son Malachi Lawson
Missing Baltimore 4-Year-Old Found Dead in a Dumpster: Police
‘Remembering Our Superhero’ | 4-Year-Old Malachi Lawson Laid To Rest Tuesday
Family says goodbye to 4-year old Baltimore boy with songs, praise and a comic book in a tearful service
Autism Memorial: Malachi Lawson

Sbusiso Mhlanga

No Photo Name: Sbusiso Quin Mhlanga.
Died: July 28, 2019 (Body found); missing November 20, 2014.
Age at death: Adult.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Disability: Unspecified, wheelchair user.

Details:
Sbusiso lived with his younger brother, who allegedly murdered him for “not using the correct dish to relieve himself”. Police say he buried his brother’s body, dumped his wheelchair in the river, and collected his brother’s disability pension for the next few years.

Case status:
His brother, charged with murder, theft, and obstruction of justice.

Source:
Brother arrested for killing his sibling

Gail Camerota

No Photo Name: Gail Camerota.
Died: July 20, 2019.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; nursing home resident.

Details:
Gail’s husband went to the nursing home where she lived, shot her, and killed himself.

Gail was a secretary for DuPont, and later worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She enjoyed time at the gym and liked going to the Winterthur museum, which is home to a collection of artifacts related to the history, culture, and folklore of the United States.

Case status:
Louis M. Camerota (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Gail Minghetti’s Obituary
82-Year-Old Man, 79-Year-Old Wife Killed In Murder-Suicide At Wilmington Nursing Home Facility Identified, Police Say
2 dead in shooting at ManorCare nursing home in Delaware
Man Kills Wife, Self at Delaware Nursing Home, Police Say

Marjorie Arnett

No Photo Name: Marjorie Ann Arnett.
Died: July 20, 2019.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: South Whittier, California, USA.
Disability: Dementia, wheelchair user; frail elder.

Details:
Marge was stabbed to death by her husband, who died from suicide shortly thereafter.

Case status:
Robert Arnett (husband), deceased.

Source:
89-Year-Old Man Believed to Have Fatally Stabbed Wife, Wounded Self in South Whittier: Officials
Marjorie Ann Arnett, 83 – The Homicide Report
La Mirada News

Lukas Castillo

Lukas, a child with frizzy brown hair and olive-toned skin, is about to blow into a pink birthday blower tied with pink ribbons. He is wearing a black shirt. Name: Lukas Castillo
Died: July 20, 2019.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Lukas’s stepfather hit him in the head until he was unconscious; hours passed before he was brought to the hospital. On arrival, he was too injured to live. He had his sixth birthday while he was unconscious at the hospital, and died two days later.

Case status:
Carl Bookout (Stepfather), pleaded no contest to first-degree reckless homicide, sentenced to 22 years in prison and 20 years probation.
Edzaida “Selina” Pace (Mother), convicted of failure to act to prevent great bodily harm to a child, sentenced to 1 year in jail and 5 years probation.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Lukas Castillo
Stepfather sentenced: 22 years in death of 6-year-old boy with autism
Waukesha Man Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For Causing His Stepson’s Death
Waukesha mother faces child neglect charges after 6-year-old son dies
A Waukesha mother has been charged with child neglect after her 5-year-old died from abuse
Autistic 6-year-old brutally beaten by sex offender stepfather suffers skull fracture before bleeding to death
‘Stepdad battered boy, 6, so hard his brain was forced to one side of his skull’
Step-dad arrested in connection with death of his six-year-old stepson
Stepfather faces homicide charge in death of 6-year-old boy with autism who ‘fell down the stairs’