Age: Young Adult – Page 14 – Disability Day of Mourning

Justin Kirby

Photo of Justin Kirby. He is a man with ruddy skin and light brown hair, wearing a white sweatshirt. His hair is cut short; his expression is neutral. Name: Justin Kirby.
Died: September 26, 2015.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Rod-cone dystrophy; visual impairment.

Details:
Justin was shot by his wife. She claimed self-defense, but the placement of the bullet wounds proved he had been shot while trying to run away.

He was a stay-at-home dad for his three children; he loved the outdoors and riding his horse.

Case status:
Taylor Roxann Kirby (Wife), pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 15-22 years.

Source:
Justin Wayne Kirby – View Obituary & Service Information
Woman who killed husband sentenced to 22 years
Neighbor says children played 20 feet away from dying father

Jessica Hagan

A blonde young woman with Down Syndrome, wearing a fuzzy blue sweater and a medal around her neck. Name: Jessica Hagan.
Died: September 8, 2015.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Cranston, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Jessica’s mother allegedly poisoned her with a fatal drug overdose.

Jessica loved the Alberta Ballet and collected Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Her brother, a bodybuilder, names her as his biggest supporter.

Case status:
Christine Hagan (Mother). Never charged; died months later of natural causes.

Source:
Homicide unit investigating suspicious death in Cranston
Calgary police declare Jessica Hagan’s death a homicide, but no charges

Jody Meyers

Photo of Jody Meyers. She has fair skin and blond hair with darker roots. She is holding a cell phone in a leopard-print cover, and wearing a silver ring and a peach sweater. Name: Jody Meyers.
Died: August 26-28, 2015.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Mannum, South Australia, Australia.
Disability: Partially deaf.

Details:
Jody’s boyfriend strangled her; then he buried her under a concrete slab in the yard, reported her missing, and pretended to help search for her.

Case status:
Neil Archer (Partner), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 22 years to life.

Source:
Vile murderer’s plea for special treatment
Jody’s grieving family: throw the key away
22 years for ultimate act of betrayal

Joyce Taylor

Photo of Joyce Taylor. She is a young woman with long blond hair and glasses, wearing a wide-brimmed black hat. Name: Joyce LaDonna McIntire Keys Taylor.
Died: August 17, 2015.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Amarillo, Texas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified (Mental illness, possibly depression).

Details:
Joyce’s husband suffocated her.

She was pregnant when she died. Her four-month-old fetus, a boy, died with her.

Case status:
Allen Taylor (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to 20-40 years.

Source:
Man indicted in killing of pregnant wife
Man Charged with Murdering Pregnant Wife
Obituary | Joyce LaDonna McIntire Keys Taylor | Rector Funeral Home

Thandazile Mpunzi

No Photo Name: Thandazile Mpunzi.
Died: August 1, 2015.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Kwazulu-Natal (Manguzi), South Africa.
Disability: Albinism.

Details:
Believing that albino body parts would make them rich, Thandazile’s boyfriend, a local healer, and two other men decided to kill her. Her boyfriend lured her out to a remote spot, where she was strangled and dismembered.

Case status:
Mandla Mabuza, pleaded guilty to murder, 20 years.
Lindokuhle Khumalo, pleaded guilty to murder, 20 years.
Bhekukufa Gumede (healer), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.
Siyabonga Gwala (Boyfriend), sentenced to 18 years.

Source:
KZN witchdoctor gets life for murder of woman with albinism
Boyfriend jailed for albino muti murder
KZN albino murder: 2 suspects plead guilty
Commission outraged at killing of albino woman

Lala Mardigan

Photo of Lala Mardigan. She is a young woman with dark brown skin, wearing a yellow shirt; she has headphones in her ears. Name: Lala Mardigan.
Died: Late July 2015.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, infection.
Location: Wadeye, Northern Territory, Australia.
Disability: Lupus, intellectual disability.

Details:
Lala lived in a remote part of Australia. She had spent some time in foster care, but returned to her mother at age 18 even though her mother had told the health service she could not care for her. Despite a case worker’s warning that Lala was not being cared for, the health department did not assign her a guardian. At 20, Lala died from malnutrition and infection, a victim of neglect.

Case status:
No charges.

Source:
Twenty-year old’s death highlights the people in remote communities falling through the gaps
Aboriginal woman would be alive ‘if people in power cared’

Matthew Hoag

Name: Matthew Paul Hoag.
Died: June 30, 2015.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Methanol poisoning.
Location: Sylvan Township, Michingan, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When this young man drank windshield wiper fluid, his mother refused to seek medical treatment for him. He died from poisoning.

Case status:
Paulette Redding (Mother), pleaded no contest to third-degree child abuse, sentenced to 2 years of probation and 50 hours of community service.

Source:
Obituary of Matthew Paul Hoag
Mother charged in death of disabled son who drank windshield wiper fluid
Mother in court in death of disabled son who drank windshield fluid
Michigan Mom Gets Probation In Adult Son’s Wiper Fluid Death

Nicholas Richett

Photo of a teenage boy with short dark hair, light skin, and green eyes; his lips are parted, showing straight teeth. Name: Nicholas Richett.
Died: June 12, 2015.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Melvindale, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Nicholas’s father shot him and then killed himself.

Case status:
John Richett Jr. (Father), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Nicholas Richett
Statement on the murder of Nicholas Richett
Terminally ill man kills himself and autistic son
Melvindale cops say dad killed autistic son, himself
Nicholas Richett Obituary

Kimberly Stern

No Photo Name: Kimberly L. Stern.
Died: June 9, 2015.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Dubuque, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kim’s father killed her by shooting her 17 times.

Kim had a doll collection, with a name and a personality for each doll. She liked to write stories about them.

Case status:
Robert Stern (Father), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Dubuque man convicted of killing daughter gets life sentence
Testimony begins in Robert Stern murder trial
Opening statements, witness testimony heard in Robert Stern trial
UPDATE: Police: Dubuque dad shot daughter with 3 different guns
Dubuque Father Charged with Murder in Daughter’s Death
Police say Dubuque man admitting to killing his daughter
Autism Memorial: Kimberly Stern
Police: Man admits to shooting, killing daughter
Dubuque man charged in daughter’s death
UPDATE: Dubuque man convicted of 1st-degree murder in daughter’s killing

Courtney Liltz

Photo of Courtney Liltz, a young woman with short, curly brown hair and fair skin. She wears a Christmas sweater. Name: Courtney Liltz.
Died: June 5, 2015.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Rolling Meadows, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
As a baby, Courtney was put up for adoption, but her first adoptive placement failed, and instead she had to live in an institution for people with developmental disabilities. At five, she was adopted.

Courtney was a fan of Sesame Street‘s Ernie. She liked going to school and using the computers there.

Courtney’s adoptive mother poisoned her with an overdose of drugs. She died in the hospital nine days later.

The case was used as precedent for the trial of the killers of Alex Spourdalakis, who were both sentenced to four years and released on time served.

Case status:
Bonnie Liltz (Adoptive mother), pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to four years in prison, served 72 days before being released pending appeal; appeal rejected; died by suicide.

Source:
Illinois mom accused of killing daughter gets support
Friends support Schaumburg mom charged with disabled daughter’s death
Schaumburg Woman’s Sentence being determined in Daughter’s Death
Schaumburg mom gets four years in prison for killing disabled daughter
Schaumburg mom out on bond after serving 72 days for killing disabled daughter
Mother, godmother who killed autistic teen released from prison
Court Rules Against Bonnie Liltz During Appeal
Schaumburg mother ordered back to prison for disabled daughter’s death
Mom gets prison for killing disabled daughter
Mom Who Killed Disabled Daughter Loses Appeal To Drop 4-Year Sentence
Schaumburg woman who killed disabled daughter faces possible return to prison
Schaumburg mom appeals manslaughter sentence to state supreme court
4-year sentence stands for Schaumburg mom who killed disabled daughter
Bonnie Liltz on killing her daughter: ‘She stayed asleep’
Bonnie Liltz hopes Illinois governor will grant her clemency
Bonnie Liltz, woman who killed disabled daughter, commits suicide
Woman who killed disabled daughter found dead 2 days before prison stint was to begin
Schaumburg mom who killed disabled daughter found dead