Type: Homicide – Page 2 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jean Salter

No Photo Name: Jean Ann Salter.
Died: October 8, 2023.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Mount Maunganui, North Island, New Zealand.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Jean’s dementia was progressing, and it had been suggested that Jean should be moved to a residential facility; her husband, upset that they might be separated, strangled her with a necktie. The killer claimed that there was a suicide pact, but there is no evidence of this save for his claim, and Jean, impaired by dementia, would not have been able to consent to an assisted suicide.

Case Status:
John Alfred Salter (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder.

Sources:
Wife’s last words as husband of 60 years strangled her with a tie
‘Smell of an oily rag’: Murder of wife with Alzheimer’s shows need for more dementia support

Thérèse Brassard-Lévesque

No Photo Name: Thérèse Brassard-Lévesque.
Died: September 30, 2023.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Thérèse and her partner were found unconscious in her room at her senior living home. Thérèse was declared dead at the scene, but her partner was taken to the hospital, where his condition improved. Police believe that Thérèse’s partner killed her and then tried to kill himself, but survived the attempt.

Case Status:
Gilles Brassard (Partner), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Police investigate homicide at Terrebonne, Que., seniors’ residence | CBC News
Man, 81, charged in wife’s murder at Quebec seniors’ home
Woman, 79, killed at Quebec seniors residence; suspect, 81, under watch in hospital

Dana Morris

Name: Dana Morris.
Died: September 30, 2023.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Stabbed with screwdriver.
Location: Modesto, California, USA.
Disability: Double leg amputee.

Details:
Dana was stabbed to death with a screwdriver. Police detained her son, who was charged with the murder.

Dana was an artistic woman who created jewelry and beadwork. A creative and resourceful individual, she could often find ways to help others even when it seemed she didn’t have the means to do so.

Case Status:
Zachary Ray Morris (Son), charged with murder and abuse of a dependent adult.

Sources:
Dana Morris-Mears Obituary (1968 – 2023)
Man charged with stabbing his double-leg amputee mother to death with a screwdriver
Modesto man charged with inflicting torture while fatally stabbing his mother
Hearing for California man accused of killing mother delayed over competency questions

Philista St. John

Name: Philista Mae St. John.
Died: September 7, 2023.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Polson, Montana, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
When police were called to do a welfare check on Philista, they found that she had been stabbed to death and her body hidden. They arrested her son, since he had an outstanding warrant, and later charged him with the stabbing that had caused Philista’s death when they found a note which they believe was written by Philista’s son, in which he stated that he “couldn’t do it anymore” and admitted that he had killed her.

Case Status:
Garrett Edward Vaska (Son), charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence.

Sources:
Polson man charged with stabbing his mother with dementia to death
Polson man charged with killing mother who had dementia
Man accused of killing mother in Polson pleads not guilty
Philista Mae St. John Obituary 2023

Baba Junior

Name: Baba Junior.
Died: September 5, 2023.
Age at death: 4 months.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Berekum, Bono, Ghana.
Disability: Suspected autism.

Details:
Suspecting that the little boy had autism, Baba’s father allegedly hired a fetish priest to suffocate the child. Baba’s parents went to the cemetery at night to bury the body. Neighbors who heard about the incident reported it to the police, who are now investigating.

Case Status:
Dj Poli (Father), wanted and at large.
Madam Paulina (Mother), arrested but later released.
Nana (Hired killer), status unspecified.

Sources:
Man allegedly pays fetish priest GHS800 to kill 4-month-old autistic son, buries him secretly
Man Allegedly Kills His 4-Month-Old Autistic Son
Man allegedly kills and secretly buries his 4-month-old son — Kasapa102.5FM
B/R: Level 200 Legon student allegedly kills four-month-old son for being autistic baby
Autism Memorial: Baba Junior

Cheryl Mansoff

Name: Cheryl Lee Mansoff.
Died: September 2, 2023.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.
Disability: Leg amputee, diabetes.

Details:
Cheryl lived with a man who helped her by doing errands and yardwork. When police were called to their home, they found her dead; she had been violently assaulted.

Cheryl was an avid reader. She leaves behind three children and three grandchildren.

Case Status:
Stephen Teetaert (Caregiver, tenant), charged with second-degree murder.

Sources:
Neighbours, uncle talk about homicide
Obituary of Cheryl Lee Mansoff | Brockie Donovan Funeral & Cremation Services

10-month-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: August 21, 2023.
Age at death: 10 months.
Cause of death: Unspecified; homicide.
Location: Giyani, Limpopo, South Africa.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This baby’s mother claimed that she had died of natural causes; but neighbors became suspicious, the child’s body was found buried in a shallow grave, and her mother was arrested for murder.

Case Status:
Her mother, charged with murder and obstruction of justice.

Sources:
Mother arrested after death of disabled baby
Heartless mother in the dock for murder of 10-month-old baby
Limpopo woman arrested for allegedly murdering her disabled daughter

Connie Smith

No Photo Name: Connie Smith.
Died: August 13, 2023.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Connie was fatally shot in her own home. Police say her son, who lived with her, confessed to killing her.

Case Status:
Shane Smith (Son), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Update: Oklahoma City man charged with first-degree murder in mother’s shooting death
Man arrested after shooting, killing elderly mother in NW OKC, police say
OKC man booked for murder of elder mother
Man Arrested, Accused Of Shooting Mother To Death In NW Oklahoma City

Jean Morley

Name: Jean Morley.
Died: July 31, 2023.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Fisher, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Jean’s husband allegedly suffocated her.

Case Status:
Donald Morley (Husband), charged with murder.

Sources:
92-year-old Donald Morley will plead guilty to murder of his dementia-suffering wife, Jean
Murder accused withdraws bail application over alleged suffocation of Jean Morley
Elderly man charged with murder after allegedly suffocating wife

Omri Blum

Photo of a young man with short black hair, small mustache, and light-brown skin. He is wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a black and white shirt. He has his hand to his mouth; there is a silver ring on his second finger. He is smiling slightly. Name: Omri Blum.
Died: July 14, 2023.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Shooting, stabbing.
Location: Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, Israel.
Disability: Autism, fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Omri, who lived at a hostel for disabled people, had left the hostel with some friends; but when their car broke down, police brought Omri back to his adoptive parents, who were still his legal guardians. Initially reluctant to take Omri in, they eventually agreed, but that night, Omri and his father went out to the nearby woods, and there Omri’s father allegedly shot him nine times and stabbed him in the heart, killing him.

Case Status:
Shai Blum (Adoptive father), charged with murder.

Sources:
Man indicted for murder of autistic adopted son
Man indicted for shooting adopted son nine times, stabbing twice
Omri’s Murder by his Adoptive Father Shakes Hearts
9 shots and a knife in the chest: indictment filed against Shai Blum – for murdering his adopted son
Autism Memorial: Omri Blum