Category: Type: Homicide-Suicide

Homicide followed by completed suicide.

Mary Swierzewski

Photo of Mary Swierzewski, a middle-aged woman with fair skin and chin-length blond hair, wearing a red blouse.Name: Mary Swierzewski.
Died: July 6, 2013.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: East Rockhill, Alabama, USA.
Disability: “Mentally handicapped”.

Details:
Mary was shot by her father in a murder-suicide.

Mary “loved to dance. She also enjoyed volunteering at the Sellersville Theater, Quakertown Library and participating with the Silver Sneakers at the Upper Bucks YMCA. Mary loved bells and took great pride in her collection. She also enjoyed watching Dora, the Explorer and Sponge Bob.”

Case status:
Thaddeus Swierzewski (Father), deceased.

Source:
Murder/Suicide – Thaddeus Swierzewski (Bucks County, PA)
Mary Swierzewski (1953-2013) – Find a Grave.

Virginia Boldt

Woman with short, curly gray hair, face in profile; she has light skin. She is wearing a beige silk blouse. On the back of the couch she is sitting on is a small, fluffy white dog.Name: Virginia Boldt.
Died: January 18, 2013.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Tequesta, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia, chronic illness.

Details:
Virginia’s husband went to the assisted-living facility where she lived and shot her to death, then killed himself.

From her obituary: “She was a Mensa Society member; enjoyed classical music, particularly opera. She was an organist, loved bird photography, Maine Coon cats and wildlife.”

Case status:
Roy Boldt (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Caregivers who kill their spouses share traits, experts say
Roy Boldt, Virginia Boldt: New details in Clare Bridge Tequesta nursing home murder-suicide
Roy Boldt, Virginia Boldt Tequesta Clare Bridge murder suicide: Family says shooting was ‘love pact’
Virginia Boldt Obituary – Aycock Funeral Home

Mary Matteson

Photo of a white-haired, pale-skinned elderly woman wearing glasses and a white blouse.Name: Mary Matteson.
Died: July 10, 2012.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Summit Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
As she lay in a hospital recovering from a broken hip, Mary’s husband killed her and shot himself.

Case status:
Paul Matteson (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Seven years after couple’s murder-suicide, financial adviser pays restitution in embezzlement case
Accused felon, past financial adviser fined $80,000 for work with elderly pair
Elderly men most likely to commit suicide, experts said, weeks after 89-year-old kills himself, his ill wife
Failing health may have caused 89-year-old man to feel desperate, neighbor says of Tuesday murder-suicide in Summit Township

George Hodgins

No PhotoName: George Hodgins.
Died: March 6, 2012.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Sunnyvale, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
George’s mother killed him, then shot herself.

George communicated by means of a VOCA and often wore headphones, listening to music. He was very active and loved being outdoors, but was frightened of the neighbors’ dogs.

Case status:
Elizabeth Hodgins (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: George Hodgins
Guest opinion: Death by Legislature
Sunnyvale police: Mother killed 22-year-old autistic son, then herself
Parents of autistic children speak out on Sunnyvale murder-suicide
The Murder of George Hodgins
Sunnyvale mom kills autistic son, self, police say
Murder of George Hodgins
Sunnyvale police: Mother killed 22-year-old autistic son, then herself
Sunnyvale Killings Called Murder-Suicide: Neighbor
The After-Effects of a Mother’s Murder/Suicide
Autistic support group to host Sunnyvale vigil for George Hodgins, killed in murder-suicide

Jeshiah DeJesus

Photo: A small boy with olive-toned skin and stringy brown hair, smiling.Name: Jeshiah DeJesus.
Died: February 9, 2012.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Deerfield Park, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jeshiah was stabbed to death by his father after his father took their family hostage. After wounding his family and killing Jeshiah and 76-year-old Oliva DePlante, a bystander, his father committed suicide.

Case status:
William De Jesus (Father), deceased.
Deanna DeJesus (Mother), pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years in prison and 5 years probation.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Jeshiah DeJesus
Deanna De Jesus, Wife of Man Who Stabbed Sons, Gets 10-Year Sentence
Report: Broward County RV park killer kept sons despite molestation allegations
Boy describes father’s killing spree, mother’s inaction
‘Which one do you want me to do first?’ Psychotic father’s chilling question to his wife before he stabbed to death his older son, nine
More Weird Details Emerge in Deerfield Park RV Park Murder-Suicide

7-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy

No PhotoAge at death: 7.

Age at death: 6.

Names Unknown.
Died: November 12, 2011.
Cause of death: Murder-suicide.
Location: Martiguez, France.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
These two siblings were killed by their mother in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Their mother, deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: 6-year-old male, 7-year-old Female, Name Unknown

Benjamin Barnhard

Photo of a teenage boy with fair skin and brown, curly hair, wearing a black suit and a lei draped around his neck.Name: Benjamin Barnhard.
Died: August 3, 2011.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Kensington, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Benjamin was shot to death by his mother, who killed herself one day later.

Case status:
Margaret Ferne Jensvold (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Benjamin Barnhard
Autism Tragedy as Psychiatrist Mother Allegedly Murders Son, Commits Suicide in MD
‘She was going to kill me too,’ says ex-husband of psychiatrist who shot her autistic ‘Too Fat For 15’ son before turning the gun on herself
Mother, Son Deaths In Kensington, MD Ruled Murder-Suicide

Karandeep Arora

No PhotoName: Karandeep Arora.
Died: October 25, 2010.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: New Delhi, India.
Disability: Visual and mobility impairment.

Details:
Karandeep’s parents either smothered or poisoned him, and then both of them committed suicide.

Case status:
Saminder Singh Arora and Mini Arora (Parents), deceased.

Source:
Couple kill disabled son, commit suicide

Kyle Potts

Photo of Kyle Potts, a young boy with short dark hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin, wearing a white tank top. His wide smile reveals a gap between his front teeth.Name: Kyle Joseph Potts.
Died: October 18, 2010.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Crestline, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kyle’s grandmother shot him and herself in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Denise Snyder (Grandmother), deceased.

Source:
Crestline woman fatally shoots grandson, self
Crestline woman kills herself and 9-year-old grandson, authorities say
Crestline Murder-Suicide
Kyle Joseph Potts
Autism Memorial: Kyle Potts

Chase Ogden

Portrait photos of two adolescents. One is Chase Ogden, a boy with an awkward smile and a mop of black hair; the other is Olivia Ogden, a girl with shoulder-length brown hair. Both siblings have fair skin.Name: Chase Ogden.
Died: October 4, 2010.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Chase and his twin sister Olivia were killed by their mother, who then shot herself.

Case status:
Rene Ogden (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Chase Ogden
Rene Ogden killed twins Chase and Olivia, then committed suicide, says El Paso County coroner
Colo. Police Probe Deaths of Mother, Twin Children
Essex Lane deaths apparent murder-suicide
Coroner: Mother, twins shot in head