Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Death due to the actions of another human being.
Name: Ekanthachari.
Died: February 1, 2021.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Assault.
Location: Shanivarsanthe, Karnataka, India.
Disability: A “behavioral disorder”.
Details:
Ekanthachari’s father reported his death as an accident, saying he had fallen from a tree. But a post-mortem examination found that he had died from assault.
Case Status:
Mahendra Kumar (Father), arrested for murder.
Name: “Sonam.”
Died: January 17, 2021.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Disability: Mentally disabled.
Details:
“Sonam” (not her real name), a 22-year-old young woman, was found dead in a field, and her family claimed she had been raped. However, a postmortem discovered that she had not been raped, and police began investigating the family. According to police, Sonam’s family admitted that they wanted to “get rid of her” because she was mentally disabled, and they had heard that the families of rape victims were receiving large sums in compensation. After they lured her out to a nearby field, police say, her mother held her, her brother strangled her, and her father served as lookout.
Case status:
Her mother, arrested, legal action initiated.
Her father, arrested, legal action initiated.
Her brother, arrested, legal action initiated.
Source:
Body of young woman found in mustard field, investigation underway
Barabanki: Family wanted to get rid of mentally disabled girl, so killed her and created the story of rape and murder
Name: Akram Choudhary.
Died: January 14, 2021.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Sangli, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Unspecified.
Details:
Akram’s mother-in-law allegedly asked her son and his friend to kill Akram because she was angry that her daughter had married a disabled man. Akram was stabbed to death.
Case Status:
Shabana Shaikh (Mother-in-law), arrested in connection with murder.
Aman Shaikh (Brother-in-law), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Ejaz Shaikh (Brother-in-law’s friend), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Source:
Mumbai: Woman arrested for provoking son to kill disabled son-in-law
Name: Michael Montgomery.
Died: January 13, 2021.
Age at death: 34.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Wichita, Kansas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.
Details:
Police found Michael’s cousin lying on the road in the middle of traffic; he confessed to them that he had killed his cousin. When they searched his house, they found Michael’s wrapped body in a crawl space. His cousin had stabbed him to death.
Michael’s caregiver says he was kind, caring, and often talked about how much he loved his family. “I know how he is, she says, “and how he would tell me, you gotta stay strong. Keep that smile on your face.”
Case status:
Jason Payne (Cousin), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 19.5 years in prison.
Source:
Kansas man sentenced for killing his disabled cousin
Wichita man admits murdering wheelchair-bound cousin found stuffed in crawl space
Affidvait: Man confesses to killing cousin, placing body in bag, inside crawlspace
Wichita cops found slain man’s body zipped in bag in basement crawl space: affidavit
Caretaker speaks out after former patient is murdered
Police identify man killed in disturbance at E. Wichita home
Wichita stabbing victim identified, cousin arrested
Name: Joanne Marcella Wheeler.
Died: January 11, 2021.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Medford, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Unspecified chronic illness; frail elder.
Details:
Joanne was shot to death.
Police say her husband told them that he had shot her because he believed that due to her health problems, she would be “better off dead than alive”.
Joanne enjoyed acrylic, oil, and watercolor painting. Her granchildren called her “Booma”.
Case status:
James Edward Wheeler (Husband), charged with second-degree murder; died before trial.
Source:
Obituary for Joanne M. Wheeler
Elderly Medford man accused of killing his wife dies before trial
88-year-old Southern Oregon man accused of killing wife
88-year-old Medford man arraigned on murder charge
Name: Tiffany Marie Lazon.
Died: December 27, 2020 (Missing).
Age at death: 37.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Albany, New York, USA.
Disability: PTSD, borderline personality; disabled veteran.
Details:
Tiffany’s body was never found, but her blood was found on a circular saw that her ex-husband, who was living with her, admitted to borrowing. He had a history of abusing Tiffany and then trying to get her not to testify against him about the abuse. In court, the jury convicted him of murder, agreeing with the prosecution’s argument that Tiffany’s ex-husband had killed Tiffany and disposed of her body with the help of the circular saw on which her DNA was found.
Case Status:
Craig Lazon (Ex-husband), convicted of murder.
Sources:
Man Living Off His Murdered Wife’s Disabled Veteran Benefits Will Be Sentenced Tomorrow Even Though Her Body Has Never Been Found
Missing Oregon Mom’s Blood Turned Up On A Circular Saw Used By Her Estranged Husband, Leading To Murder Charge, Police Say
Trial underway for Albany man accused of murdering ex-wife
Name: Gopi.
Died: December, 22, 2020.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
Disability: Mobility impaired after accident.
Details:
Gopi had become disabled after an accident, and his father was frustrated that he had to care for him. Gopi’s father came home drunk one day, killed his son with a machete, dumped the body in an unused septic tank, and fled.
Case Status:
Thangavel (Father), convicted of murder and concealing/destroying evidence; sentenced to life.
Sources:
Man gets life imprisonment for killing son in Tiruchi
55-year-old man gets life for killing disabled son
Murder of differently-abled son: Father gets life sentence; Trichy Court Judgment
Name: Mukai (Family name; given name unknown).
Died: December 2020.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Insulin overdose.
Location: Osaka, Japan.
Disability: Diabetes.
Details:
Mr. Mukai’s wife gave him an overdose of insulin, which he had not been prescribed, causing him to fall into a coma. He remained hospitalized until he died the next year.
Case Status:
Shizuka Mukai (Wife), convicted of murder, sentenced to 15 years.
Sources:
Court rejects appeal of woman jailed for 15 years for killing husband with insulin overdose
A 48-year-old woman arrested in Osaka for suspected murder or insulin administration to her husband Osaka
Name: Thomas Gruidl.
Died: November 20, 2020.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma.
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cancer, wheelchair user.
Details:
Thomas’s son beat him to death with a baseball bat as he lay in bed.
Case status:
Flynn Thomas Gruidl (Son), charged with first-degree murder, fraud, and defrauding the elderly; pleaded guilty to second degree murder, sentenced to 23-28 years in prison.
Source:
New Hanover man pleads guilty in connection with father’s death
Man accused of killing father stole $134K from parents’ bank account, warrants allege
‘There’s blood everywhere’: 911 caller describes finding man allegedly beaten to death by son
Man charged with murder in father’s death
Name: Nicholas Colatrella.
Died: October 30, 2020.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Chestnuthill Township, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Suspected dementia.
Details:
Nicholas had been acting erratically, and his son suspected he might have dementia. Instead of taking his father to the doctor, he shot his father dead.
A devout Catholic, Nicholas was a retired truck driver and Korean war veteran.
Case status:
Rick Colatrella (Son), convicted of criminal homicide, sentenced to 15-40 years in prison.
Source:
Man sentenced for 2020 killing of father in Monroe County
Nicholas Joseph Colatrella Obituary – Visitation & Funeral Information
Troopers: Son killed father over dementia fears
Son charged in father’s homicide