Type: Fatal Abuse – Page 4 – Disability Day of Mourning

Katherine Sokolich

No Photo Name: Katherine Sokolich.
Died: July 3, 2022.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Ballwin, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Katherine’s brother, who was her court-appointed guardian and responsible for taking care of her, beat her because he was frustrated with taking care of her. After he called 911 and reported that she was injured, Katherine was hospitalized, but later died of a brain bleed due to head trauma.

Case Status:
Anthony Sokolich (Brother, guardian), pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to probation.

Sources:
Police say 70-year-old Missouri man killed disabled sister
Man accused of beating disabled sister to death
70-Year-Old Missouri Man Beat His Disabled Sister to Death: Authorities
Disabled woman dies after attack by ‘frustrated’ caretaker brother near Ballwin, police say

Chayse Allen

Name: Chayse Allen (also spelled “Chase Allen”).
Died: June 24, 2022 (Body found; died March 2022).
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Beaten to death.
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Blind.

Details:
Chayse’s mother, who had a history with child protective services, grew frustrated with him because he wouldn’t eat, so she kicked him in the chest and beat him. When he wouldn’t wake up the next morning, she put his body in a bag and hid it in a freezer, where it was found a few months later during a wellness check. Chayse’s mother also admitted to regularly hitting him with a belt.

Relatives, who called Chayse “the sweetest”, said they had offered to take Chayse off his mother’s hands if she couldn’t deal with his disabilities, but had been rebuffed.

Case Status:
Azuradee France (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison.

Sources:
Detroit neighbors say 3-year-old boy found dead in freezer was blind; family called CPS 13 times this year
Detroit mom charged after 3-year-old son found in freezer
Mum charged with murder and torture after blind son, 3, found dead in freezer
Family says mother charged with killing 3-year-old has history of abuse
Detroit mom arrested after 3-year-old boy found dead in basement freezer
Detroit mom told police she kicked 3-year-old, put body in freezer when he wouldn’t wake up
Here’s what we learned during hearing about 3-year-old found in freezer in Detroit home
Mom of 6 killed blind 3-year-old son and kept body in freezer for months
Mom of 6 beat blind toddler to death, hid body in basement freezer for months
Detroit mom who killed 3-year-old son, put body in freezer, pleads guilty
Detroit mom told police she kicked 3-year-old, put body in freezer when he wouldn’t wake up
Detroit woman who killed blind son, put body in freezer sentenced

Detroit woman who pleaded guilty in death of son found in freezer sentenced to 35 to 60 years

Luis Benítez

No Photo Name: Luis Benítez.
Died: June 12, 2022.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Posadas, Misiones, Argentina.
Disability: Schizophrenia, anemia, breathing problems.

Details:
Luis lived with his sister and her husband, who did not want him to leave the house. One night, when he tried to do so, his brother-in-law allegedly slammed his head against the doorway. Luis was found dead in his home the next day.

Case Status:
Pedro Walter E. (Brother-in-law), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
From natural death to homicide after autopsy
De muerte natural a homicidio luego de la autopsia

Greta Xaba

Name: Greta Xaba.
Died: May 8, 2022.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Assault; bludgeoned.
Location: KwaDabeka, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Disability: Wheelchair user; stroke.

Details:
Greta was bludgeoned to death, allegedly by her son, a police officer who had been reported to the police multiple times for assaulting her.

Case Status:
Lungani Xaba (Son), charged with murder. He had previously been acquitted on grounds of self-defense after fatally shooting his girlfriend’s son.

Sources:
Former KZN cop in court for allegedly beating his wheelchair-bound mom, 81, to death with plank
All set for trial of cop accused of killing mom

Sara McKeddie

Name: Sara McKeddie.
Died: January 22, 2022.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Brain injury.
Location: Arnprior, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Injuries from car accident; required caregiver.

Details:
Sara was badly beaten by her husband, suffering broken ribs, internal injuries, and a brain injury that would lead to her death about a month later.

Her two boys, ages 5 and 3 when she died, are being raised by her sister.

Case Status:
David Michael Dubois (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 12 years minus time served.

Sources:
David Dubois to serve almost 10 years for manslaughter near Arnprior
McNab/Braeside man charged with murder 9 months after woman’s death
Obituary of Sara Jean McKeddie

Paramjeet Singh

No Photo Name: Paramjeet Singh.
Died: January 9, 2022.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Bharat Nagar, Delhi, India.
Disability: Quadriplegic after injury in traffic accident.

Details:
Paramjeet’s family came home to find him injured and brought him to the hospital, but it was too late, and he died. They told police that Paramjeet’s father had come home drunk and beaten him with a wooden rod.

Case Status:
Ajmer Singh (Father), charged with murder.

Sources:
Paralysed man beaten to death by drunk father in Delhi
Delhi: 30-year-old paralysed man beaten to death by father

William Fitzhugh

Photo of an older man with light skin, white hair, and mustache and short chinstrap beard, wearing black-rimmed glasses. Name: William Fitzhugh.
Died: December 12, 2021.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Multiple injuries, malnutrition, neglect.
Location: Pullman, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Frail elder; kidney cancer.

Details:
William, who lived with his grandsons, was brought into the hospital with broken bones and malnutrition. His injuries were too severe to recover from, and made his kidney cancer impossible to treat. William died in hospice care. Before his death, he told authorities that his grandsons had been beating him.

Case Status:
Cory Nethery (Grandson), charged with elder abuse, embezzlement, and felony murder.
Christopher Fitzhugh (Grandson), charged with elder abuse, embezzlement, and felony murder.

Sources:
‘The whole system failed my dad’: 82-year-old’s death ruled homicide after years of reported abuse
FOX 17 INVESTIGATES: Allegan Co. men charged with murder in connection to grandfather’s death
2 accused of abuse, murder of grandfather

Kendrick Lee

Name: Kendrick Lee.
Died: October 4, 2021 (Body found; died November 20, 2020).
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Multiple blunt force injuries.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kendrick lived in an apartment with his siblings, aged 7, 10, and 15, two of whom were also autistic. When his 15-year-old brother called emergency services, begging for help and saying that his brother was dead in the house with him, police arrived to find the children starving, the ten-year-old with broken bones, and Kendrick’s body, which had been there for nearly a year. Neighbors say they had been giving the 15-year-old food, but were not aware that he had apparently been living alone with his siblings. After Kendrick’s brothers told police that his stepfather had beaten Kendrick to death, Kendrick’s parents were arrested.

Case Status:
Brian W. Coulter (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with murder.
Gloria Y. Williams (Mother), charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence.

Sources:
Horror house investigators vow to get justice for 8-year-old whose skeletal remains were found
Family members said they had no idea children were living in apartment with their brother’s decaying body
Autism Memorial: Kendrick Lee
Houston mom and boyfriend indicted for murder of her 8-year-old son
As partner’s family speaks out, a shackled Brian Coulter is pictured in court after ‘beating autistic youngster to death in hell house.’ » Brinkwire
Gloria Williams silently watched Brian Coulter beat non-verbal, autistic son to death
PHOTOS: Adorable ‘Mostly Non-Verbal’ Boy Found Dead in Apartment with Siblings, Mom’s Boyfriend Charged with Murder
Mother of abandoned kids did not report death because she was afraid, court records say
Felony charges filed against a woman and her boyfriend in the death of the woman’s child
Mom Arrested, Boyfriend Charged With Murder for Abandoned Kids Living With Decomposing Body of 8-year-old Brother

Kyle Tiyo

Name: Kyle Tiyo.
Died: September 22, 2021.
Age at death: 10 months.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Bethelsdorp, South Africa.
Disability: Blind.

Details:
Kyle’s father, who his mother says had never accepted him ever since he learned Kyle had been born disabled, allegedly took him from his mother for the night, and when he gave the boy back, Kyle was limp and bruised all over. Kyle died from his injuries in the hospital.

Case Status:
Jason Mandeka (Father), charged with murder.

Sources:
Father of murdered blind baby appears in court
Baby’s murder, mother’s agony
Mother narrates pain about how her baby daddy brutally beat up her disabled baby – Opera News

Mason Weston

No Photo
Name: Mason Joe Weston.
Died: August 7, 2021.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Homicide; battered child.
Location: Fergus Falls, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Mason was taken to the hospital with severe injuries, his attacker initially said he had fallen, but eventually told police that he had slammed Mason’s head against the wall and kicked him. Mason died in the hospital. His killer admitted that he had become angry at the boy for not washing the dishes.

Case Status:
Reggie Bethel (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 8 years 4 months to 12 1/2 years.

Source:
Otter Tail County man sentenced for beating death of boy with autism
Mason Joe Weston
Fergus Falls man charged with murdering autistic boy by slamming head into wall numerous times