Age Categories – Page 96 – Disability Day of Mourning

Joseph Bishop

Name: Joseph Bishop.
Died: February 11, 2017.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Ludlow, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Details:
Joseph was neglected by his mother and grandparents. He was left in his bed for two years while severe bedsores developed.

When they saw how sick he was, Joseph’s caregivers decided that they wouldn’t take him to the hospital to avoid being charged with neglect. When Joseph was finally taken to the hospital, his untreated bedsores had already caused end-stage sepsis. He died soon thereafter.

Case status:
Jamie Bishop (Mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 8 years.
Raymond Martin (Grandfather), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 7 years 6 months.
Sharon Martin (Grandmother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 7 years 6 months.

Source:
Mother who judge said let son ‘rot’ wants out of prison after serving 5 months
Mother, grandparents plead guilty in death of neglected teen
Mother, grandparents charged in death of ‘neglected’ NKY teen
Joseph Bishop: Woman wishes she had known neighbors’ dark secret, could have saved teen with muscular dystrophy
Police: NKY mom’s severe neglect led to death of disabled son
Mother and grandparents charged in disabled teen’s death
Joseph Bishop – Ronald B. Jones Funeral Home
Ludlow mother, grandparents charged in death of 18-year-old
With sepsis and bed sores, neglected teen was ‘lost in the cracks.’ Why did no one call?
Police: Northern Ky Mom’s Neglect Led To Death Of Disabled Son
Disabled teen with bedsores was ‘lost in the cracks’
Disabled teen dies from bedsore infection, 3 charged
Mother Charged In Bed-Ridden Son’s Death Had Been Investigated For Neglect Before
Judge denies mother and grandparents from disabled teen’s funeral
Mother and grandparents charged with disabled teen’s death
Ludlow mom investigated for neglect prior to bed-ridden son’s death

Robert Jones

No Photo Name: Robert Jones.
Died: February 8, 2017.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Robert was found beaten to death, propped up in his recliner with a cigarette in his hand. Police arrested his nice and her husband, who had been his caregivers, and charged them with murder. They proved his niece had beaten him to death, then tried to pose his body so that it looked like a natural death.

Case status:
Tynisha Hall (Niece), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 20 years, suspended after serving 15 years.
Brent Whiteman (Niece’s husband), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 7 years.

Source:
Bridgeport caregiver sentenced to 15 years in beating death of disabled uncle
Woman Pleads Guilty In Beating Death Of Trumbull Man: Report
CNA accused of killing uncle then propping him up with a cigarette
Caregiver’s murder case continued
Bridgeport Cops: Caretaker arrested in disabled man’s death
Bridgeport woman accused of killing disabled uncle she was caring for
Bridgeport woman accused of killing uncle appears in court
Bridgeport Police: Niece Killed Uncle, Then Propped Up Body With Cigarette
Woman charged with murder in death of uncle in Bridgeport
Conn. Woman Suspected in Uncle’s Murder: Police
PD: Man arrested in connection to February 2017 murder

Tina Billingham

Name: Tina Billingham.
Died: February 6, 2017.
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Rowley Regis, England, UK.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
After a long abusive relationship, Tina’s partner stabbed her through the heart with a sword. During the trial he tried to claim she had done it to herself because of her depression.

She was a friendly woman, the mother of two, who liked to have friends and neighbors over for coffee.

Case status:
Ronald Cooke (Partner), convicted of murder, sentenced to 24 years to life.

Source:
‘Murdered’ Sandwell mother could have killed herself, court told
Funeral Fund For Tina Billingham
‘Our sadness is overwhelming’: Family’s tribute to murdered Tina Billingham
Murder accused: She killed herself after I called her bluff
Murderer Ronald Cooke’s violent and bullying past revealed
Man jailed for life after stabbing partner to death in row

Erin Leinweber

Portrait photo of Erin Leinweber, a young woman with long light-brown hair, fair skin, and brown eyes. She is wearing a blouse and is smiling with her lips shut. Name: Erin Leinweber.
Died: February 4, 2017.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Beaten, stabbed, suffocated.
Location: Wheaton, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis, lupus, brain aneurysm.

Details:
Erin was recently divorced from her husband, who had a history of abusing her. Her husband returned to her home and killed her by stabbing and suffocating her.

Case status:
Lee Leinweber (ex-husband), pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, sentenced to 50 years.

Source:
Man pleads guilty, gets 50 years for killing ex-wife in Wheaton
Ex-husband charged with murder in death of Wheaton woman: officials

Samuel Murrell

No Photo Name: Samuel Murrell.
Died: February 2, 2017.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Blunt and sharp trauma, strangulation.
Location: Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Frail elderly.

Details:
Samuel was murdered by his nephew, who stabbed and strangled him in front of his wife. She survived to testify at the trial.

Case status:
Greg Shields (Nephew), convicted of first-degree manslaughter, sentenced to 25 years, to be served after he finishes an 8-year sentence for an unrelated assault.

Source:
Shields receives 25-year sentence for death of elderly uncle
Multiple injuries lead to death of man in murder case
Samuel Murrell Obituary – Bowling Green, Kentucky

James Smith

No Photo Name: James Smith.
Died: February 1, 2017.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: San Diego, California, USA.
Disability: TBI from car accident; wheelchair user.

Details:
James was shot by his wife in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Candace Smith (Wife), deceased.

Source:
Wife, Husband Die in Murder-Suicide Shooting in San Carlos
Caretaker kills disabled husband, self at San Carlos home
Lake Murray Couple Die in Murder-Suicide
Wife, Husband Killed in Murder-Suicide Shooting ID’d

Ellen McKenzie

Name: Ellen McKenzie.
Died: January 30, 2017.
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, depression.

Details:
Ellen was shot in the head by her boyfriend in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Joseph Yates (Boyfriend), deceased.

Source:
East Ridge couple who died in apparent murder-suicide remembered as very close
Police confirm murder-suicide in East Ridge
Medical examiner: East Ridge man killed girlfriend, self in murder-suicide
UPDATE: East Ridge PD identifies 2 people killed in murder-suicide on Shelby Circle

Jose Gomez

No Photo Name: Jose Breydi Gomez.
Died: January 28, 2017.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma.
Location: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Jose was found beaten to death, his body under a tarp behind a vacant house. His mother’s boyfriend was arrested on suspicion of having hit him with a piece of wood, and his mother was arrested on suspicion of helping him hide the body.

Neighbors remember Jose as a friendly man who could often be seen rolling around the neighborhood in his wheelchair on sunny days.

Case status:
Yolanda Gomez (Mother), charged with tampering with evidence.
Salvador Avila-Navarrete (mother’s boyfriend), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 12-15 years.

Source:
Man Admits to Hitting Jose Gomez with Two-by-Four
Owensboro Man Found Dead, Mother Connected to Death
Police Arrest Mother After Son’s Body Is Found In Backyard
Body Discovered in Owensboro, Victim’s Mother, Another Man Arrested
Offender information

Michael Guzman

Name: Michael Guzman.
Died: January 22, 2017.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Phenobarbital overdose.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Michael was found unresponsive in his 9-year-old sister’s bed; at the time, he had been dead for about twelve hours and his mother had not checked on him for longer than that.
s
Medical examiners determined that Michael had died of a phenobarbital overdose. Considered suspicious from the beginning, his death was ruled a homicide after six months, but his mother evaded capture for another half a year before she was tracked down and charged.

Case status:
Phyllis Reinoso (Mother), pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, sentenced to 1-3 years.

Source:
Mother sentenced in Guzman’s death
Child welfare workers made 13 visits before death of Queens boy
Source: ACS opened 13 cases with family before death of son, 5
Child found dead had history of epilepsy; Parents questioned
Police Investigate Death of 5-Year-Old Queens Boy
City launches probe into death of 5-year-old Queens boy
ACS couldn’t save tot after missing every red flag
Queens boy subject to ACS probe may have died from health issue
How ACS failed to save this 5-year-old boy from a house of horrors
Death of 5-year-old Queens boy deemed a homicide
Death of 5-year-old Queens boy ruled a homicide
Mom charged in death of 5-year-old found dead in Queens

Rahima Khatun and Amirul

No Photo Name: Rahima Khatun.
Age at death: Young adult.

Name: Amirul.
Age at death: Child.

Died: January 21, 2017.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Angiadi, Bangladesh.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Rahima Katun and her son Amirul were both killed by her husband.

Case Status:
Najrul Islam (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to death.

Source:
Man sentenced to death for killing disabled wife, son
Man sentenced to death for killing disabled wife and son