Type: Fatal Abuse – Page 27 – Disability Day of Mourning

Adrianna Cram

Photo of a little girl in a white dress; she has fair skin and her brown hair is cut in bangs and pulled into a messy half-ponytail. She is smiling at someone off the side of the image. Name: Adrianna Maria Cram.
Died: June 13, 2005.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Abdominal injury, head injury.
Location: Omealca, Mexico.
Disability: Thyroid condition; speech delay; developmental delay.

Details:
Adrianna’s adoptive parents beat her to death.

Case status:
Elizabeth Romero Marin (Adoptive mother), convicted of aggravated murder, sentenced to 45 years.
Hector de Jesus Luna (Adoptive father), convicted of aggravated murder, sentenced to 2 years.

Source:
Adrianna Maria Cram
Oregon’s investigation into foster child’s death ends at state line
Adrianna Maria Romero Cram

Christoffer Gjerstad

Portrait photo of Christoffer Gjerstad, a small blond boy biting his lip as he looks at the camera. Name: Christoffer Kihle Gjerstad.
Died: February 2, 2005.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Head injury, skull fracture.
Location: Norway.
Disability: ADHD.

Details:
Christoffer’s stepfather beat him to death; his mother knew he was being beaten but did not help him.

Case status:
Kim Morten Larson (Stepfather), sentenced to 8 years.
Christoffer’s mother, name not known, sentenced to two and a half years.

Source:
Christoffer Gjerstad

Brittany Legler

Portrait photo of Brittany Legler, a girl with short brown hair, fair skin, and glasses, smiling politely. Name: Brittany Legler.
Died: May 9, 2004.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Heart attack.
Location: Millcreek, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, congenital heart defect.

Details:
Brittany’s mother physically and emotionally abused her; the stress of the abuse caused Brittany, who had a congenital heart defect, to die of a heart attack after a beating.

She enjoyed watching movies and riding her bicycle.

Case status:
Lisa Larussi (Mother), pleaded no contest to aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child; sentenced to 14 years.

Source:
Brittany A. Legler
Brittany Legler

Mia Depaillat

No Photo Name: Mia Depaillat.
Died: April 18, 2004.
Age at death: 21 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Cumming, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay.

Details:
Mia died of injuries that her mother claimed had been caused when she had accidentally dropped Mia and she fell down a flight of stairs. However, the injuries Mia had sustained matched shaken baby syndrome, not a fall down stairs. Mia died two days afterward.

Case status:
Jill Ellen Depaillat (Mother), charged with murder; hung jury; mistrial.

Source:
Pound Pup Legacy: Mia Depaillat

Daniel Thomas

Photo of Daniel Thomas, a baby with dark hair and eyes. There is some bruising on his fair skin. He is wearing an orange and teal shirt. Name: Daniel Thomas.
Died: October 13, 2003.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Unknown suspicious death.
Location: Myrtleford, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Asthma, speech delay, allergies, eczema.

Details:
How Daniel he died is not known because his body was not found for several years, but the coroner suggested he might have been killed through strangulation, drowning, or a head injury. Police suspect that he was abused by his babysitter, and his mother ignored the abuse.

Case status:
Mandy Martyn (Babysitter) and Donna Thomas (Mother). No charges.

Source:
Coroner finds babysitter Mandy Martyn killed toddler Daniel Thomas —but also blames his mother Donna Thomas for doing nothing to help the boy
Cackling babysitter Mandy Martyn denies killing toddler Daniel Thomas, gives reporters a spray

Maggie Caraballo

No Photo Name: Maggie Caraballo.
Died: August 20, 2003.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Maggie was allegedly beaten to death by her sister, who abused her and eventually caused a fatal head injury.

Case status:
Her sister, arrested.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Maggie Caraballo
City woman’s death ruled a homicide

Deetrick Brown

Photo of Deetrick Brown. It is a photo of a TV screen, showing an African-American toddler with a solemn expression. Faint text along the bottom says, "Christmas. December 25." The rest of the text is indistinct. Name: Deetrick Brown.
Died: January 16, 2003.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: La Quinta, California, USA.
Disability: Parents claimed “drug baby”, intellectual disability, autism. Seizures, possibly due to abuse.

Details:
Deetrick died of head trauma that caused repeated seizures in the months before his death. His parents argued that, rather than being abused, Deetrick was a “drug baby” who had an intellectual disability. When Deetrick died, a judge ruled there wasn’t enough evidence for the case to go to trial. But ten years later, the case was re-opened and reexamined, and his father and stepmother were arrested.

Case status:
Patricia Brown (Stepmother), convicted of second-degree murder, conviction overturned, retrial underway on charges of murder and assault.
Derrick Brown (Father), charges dropped.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Deetrick Brown
Prosecutors Drop Appeal Of Decision To Overturn Murder Conviction
Closing Arguments Scheduled in Trial of La Quinta Woman Accused in Toddler’s Murder
Husband acquitted, testimony continues for wife in toddler murder trial
New Trial Sought For La Quinta Woman Convicted In Toddler’s Death 13 Years After It Happened
New Trial Sought For RivCo Woman Convicted in Toddler’s Death 13 Years After It Happened

Reece Mushrush

Name: Reece Mushrush.
Died: December 27, 2002.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Blood clot on the brain due to blows to the head.
Location: Painesville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, asthma, epilepsy

Details:
Reece died from blunt-force trauma to the head, inflicted during beatings over the course of several days. According to the sheriff, his mother’s boyfriend said he had “lost his temper” with Reece for not following instructions.

Reece was a football fan, and his favorite shirt was his Browns football jersey.

Case Status:
Emery Martin (Mother’s partner), convicted of involuntary manslaughter and attempted child endangerment, sentenced to 15 years.
Heather Mushrush (Mother), sentenced to 4 years for child endangerment.

Source:
Reece A. Mushrush (1993-2002) – Find A Grave
Boyfriend charged with endangering boy who died
Many abused children die while under government watch
Reece A. Mushrush
Beating kills ‘special’ boy

Cassandra Killpack

Photo of Cassandra Kilpatrick. She is a young black toddler, outdoors, stooping down and examining some dry grass. Name: Cassandra Taine Killpack.
Died: June 10, 2002.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Water intoxication.
Location: Springville, Utah, USA.
Disability: Reactive attachment disorder.

Details:
Cassandra’s adoptive parents forced her to drink so much water that she died of water poisoning.

Case status:
Jennete Killpack (Adoptive mother), child abuse, 1 to 15 years in prison (served 6 years).
Richard Killpack, acquitted.

Source:
Cassandra Taine Killpack

Megan McCullar

A heart-shaped gravestone reading, "Megan Lavon. December 16, 1999 to September 22, 2001. McCullar." Name: Megan Lavon McCullar.
Died: September 18, 2001.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Rocky Comfort, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability.

Details:
Megan had been removed from her parents’ custody and was living with a foster family she died of massive head trauma, allegedly caused when her high chair was deliberately slammed into a wall. Megan died of shaken baby syndrome, and her foster mother was charged with child abuse, but charges were dropped.

Her foster mother initially claimed that she had not killed Megan; but years later, diagnosed with late-stage cancer, she reportedly confessed to her husband that she had done exactly what they said she had done.

Case status:
Jessica Newhard (Foster mother), charged with second-degree murder. Charges dropped because the case was no longer viable 15 years later and the pathologist who had done the autopsy had died in the meantime.

Source:
Confession leads to murder charges in 15-year-old child death
Charge in 2001 child death dismissed
Missouri trial ordered for woman accused in foster child’s death
Long-dormant shaken baby case moves forward
Missouri Trial Ordered for Accused in Foster Child’s Death
Confession leads to murder charges in 15-year-old child death case
Woman Arrested In 2001 Death Of A 2-Year-Old Girl
Woman charged in 2001 death of Missouri child, 2