Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Homicide followed by completed suicide.
Name: William Amos Lamar.
Died: July 5, 2016.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Dale, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.
Details:
William was shot and killed by his wife, who then killed herself.
Case status:
Martha E. Lamar (Wife), deceased.
Source:
Husband, wife dead in apparent murder-suicide
William Amos Lamar, 74, Dale
Name: Jean Elizabeth Irwin.
Died: June 20, 2016.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Shanklin, Isle of Wight, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Jean’s husband killed her by bludgeoning her with a hammer, then strangling her, before taking his own life.
Case status:
John David Irwin (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Shanklin couple found strangled and hanged
Terminal cancer patient who killed dementia-suffering wife left note to say ‘sorry for nuisance’ then took own life
Shanklin deaths: Man strangled woman and killed himself
Police launch murder investigation into Shanklin death
Pensioner, 77, is found hanged alongside body of his wife, 83
Murder investigation after two elderly people found dead in home
Man with terminal cancer killed dementia patient wife, left note to say ‘sorry for the nuisance’ and took own life
Pensioner, 77, who killed his ill wife before taking his own life apologises
Pensioner’s heartbreaking suicide note after killing wife he couldn’t care for
Name: Gertrud “Trudy” Sigman.
Died: May 7, 2016.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Orange Park, Florida, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.
Details:
Gertrud, whom everyone called Trudy, was a retired professional ballet dancer who had graduated from the Vienna Conservatory. She liked to cook and garden.
Trudy was beaten and strangled to death by her son.
Case status:
Lawrence Sigman (Son), deceased.
Source:
Clay County Sheriff’s Office closes case as murder-suicide
Death investigation underway in wake of domestic dispute
Clay County Sheriff’s Office closes case as murder-suicide
Obituary | Trudy Sigman of Orange Park, Florida
Name: Marie Stempinski.
Died: April 29, 2016.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.
Disability: Mobility impairment from hip injury.
Details:
Before she retired, Marie had worked as a TV news reporter, then as a public relations consultant. When she suffered a hip injury, she started using a wheelchair.
Marie’s husband shot her and then killed himself.
Case status:
Gerard Stempinski (Husband), deceased.
Source:
St. Petersburg, Florida: Man shoots wheelchair-bound wife and then kills himself
Ex-cop Gerard Stempinski kills wife Marie then himself in murder-suicide in Florida
Name: Barbara Kavanaugh.
Died: April 19, 2016.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Port Charlotte, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Barbara’s husband went to the nursing home where she was staying, shot her to death, and committed suicide.
Case status:
Frank Kavanaugh (Husband), deceased.
Sources:
Port Charlotte murder-suicide shakes nursing home, friends
Florida right-to-die advocate, wife dead in murder-suicide at nursing home
Name: Cathy Evans.
Died: April 5, 2016.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Springfield Township, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.
Details:
Cathy’s husband shot and killed her, then killed himself.
Cathy and her husband used to walk the neighborhood, picking up trash as they went.
Case status:
Daniel Evans (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Police: Married couple dead in Springfield Twp. murder-suicide
Dan Evans Obituary
Wife, husband dead after apparent murder-suicide
Name: Mary Flynn Palley.
Died: March 11, 2016.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Logan, Utah, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease.
Details:
Mary Palley was a retired lawyer. She was an advocate for abuse victims, served as a historian for Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse, and did pro bono work for abuse victims, helping them get protective orders.
When she became disabled because of Parkinson’s disease, her husband killed her and then committed suicide.
Case status:
Dell Andrew Johnson (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Logan woman killed in apparent murder-suicide remembered as advocate for victims of abuse
Mary Palley Obituary
Couple identified after letter to newspaper leads Logan police to apparent murder-suicide
‘Something about Mary:’ Logan woman remembered for her passion, selflessness
Police continuing to look for answers in apparent murder-suicide
Logan woman killed in apparent murder-suicide remembered as advocate for victims of abuse
Name: Cynthia Busch.
Died: March 10, 2016.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Fairfield Township, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability.
Details:
Cynthia was shot by her mother in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
Barbara Busch (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Fairfield Twp. Police identify mother, daughter found dead in murder-suicide
Mother fatally shoots disabled daughter, self in Fairfield Twp.
Police: Mother Killed Daughter, then Killed Herself
Police: Overwhelmed mother killed developmentally disabled daughter
Cynthia Busch Obituary
autism wars: On The Murder of Cynthia Busch
No Mystery Here: Call a Murderer a Murderer
Cynthia Busch: The Disability Holocaust Continues
Name: Dawn Green.
Died: March 2, 2016.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Newquay, England, UK.
Disability: Unspecified heart condition.
Details:
Dawn was killed by her husband in a murder-suicide.
She played bingo and volunteered at the Newquay Disabled Club.
Case status:
Malcolm Green (Husband), deceased.
Source:
First picture of ‘devoted’ couple found dead at home in suspected murder suicide
Devoted couple found dead at home
Name: Jessica Kay Cunningham.
Died: February 29, 2016.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Harvey Township, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Depression, self-injury.
Details:
Jessica was shot by her older brother in a murder-suicide. He also shot her pet German Shepherd.
Her sister wants her remembered as “a beautiful, blonde-haired girl who loved dogs, drawing, movies, makeup, movie stars and so much more.”
Case status:
David Cunningham (Brother), deceased.
Source:
Murder-suicide: Grieving sister speaks out
Teens fatally shot in Meeker County
After murder-suicide, Minn. man faces child neglect, obstruction
Sheriff: 2 Teens Killed In Meeker County Ruled Murder-Suicide
Murder-suicide begs the question: Why?
2 teens found dead in rural Minnesota home were murder-suicide
Murder-suicide begs the question: Why?