Type: Homicide – Page 29 – Disability Day of Mourning

James Tate

No Photo
Name: James Tate.
Died: January 19, 2020.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: West Town, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; used a walker after recent arm and heart surgery.

Details:
James and his wife had told their son that he wasn’t allowed in the house if he was drunk. But his son came home drunk anyway, and when they confronted him about it, his son stabbed him to death and tried to kill his wife, who survived.

Case status:
Michael Tate (Son), convicted of murder and attempted murder; sentenced to 32-35 years.

Source:
Man murdered disabled dad, tried to stab mom in in West Town, prosecutors say

Dustin Baggett

Name: Dustin Baggett.
Died: January 18, 2020.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Smoke inhalation and burns.
Location: Florissant, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Dustin was pulled out of his burning house by firefighters, but died a day later in the hospital. The fire was investigated and shown to be arson, and police suspected a man who lived in his house.

Dustin’s neighbors had long been worried about how he and the other children in his house were being treated. They called authorities repeatedly. Dustin, though nonverbal, was a friendly boy and constantly smiling. A neighbor remembers, “We all kind of took him in, knowing he needed our love.”

Case status:
Bobby Copass (Household member), charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Dustin Baggett
Man suspected of setting fatal fire in Florissant now charged with murder
15-year-old Missouri boy who lived with autism died after arson fire; upgraded charges expected
Police: Boy, 15, with autism killed in arson fire

Samantha Roberts

Name: Samantha Roberts.
Died: January 17, 2020.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: Nekoosa, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, nonspeaking.

Details:
Samantha was bludgeoned to death by her mother’s boyfriend.

She liked to go on walks with her grandfather. When she was a little girl, she liked Animal Planet and Dr. Seuss books.

Case status:
Paul M. Carter (mother’s boyfriend), convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, sentenced to 20 years to life.

Source:
Nekoosa man gets life without the possibility of release for killing woman unable to walk or talk
Trial dates set next month for man charged with disabled woman’s death
Nekoosa Man Charged with Murder in Disabled Woman’s Death
‘I’ll miss that girl forever’: Family, friends remember Nekoosa homicide victim Samantha Roberts
Nekoosa man accused of killing disabled woman
Wisconsin man held in connection to disabled woman’s death
Carter admitted to hitting disabled woman before her death

Henko Naudé

Name: Henko Naudé.
Died: January 16, 2020.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Secunda, South Africa.
Disability: Muscular dystrophy.

Other victims: Lizelle Naudé, 52; Tina Naudé, 83.

Details:
When 17-year-old Henko researched the symptoms of his disability, his father got angry. He shot Henko, his mother, and his grandmother in their beds and then killed himself.

Henko was a gifted high school student and an excellent chess player.

Case status:
André Naudé (Father), deceased.

Source:
Secunda family murder: Dad couldn’t cope with son’s illness

Megan Todt

Name: Megan Todt.
Died: January 13, 2020.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Celebration, Florida, USA.
Disability: Lyme disease, depression.

Details:
Megan was found dead in her home, along with the bodies of her three children, Alek, 13; Tyler, 11; Zoe, 4; and her dog Breezy. Her husband was arrested and charged with murder. During trial, his defense was that Megan had committed the murders and then killed herself because she was tired of having chronic illness.

Case Status:
Anthony Todt (Husband), convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty; sentenced to life without parole.

Sources:
Florida father Anthony Todt convicted of killing his wife and 3 kids
Florida Dad Convicted of Apocalypse-Fueled Murder Spree
Celebration man accused of killing family found guilty, sentenced to life in prison without parole
Father accused of killing his kids blames wife for their deaths
‘I came home and my kids were dead’: Celebration man accused of killing family testifies
Anthony Todt Claimed He and Wife Had Murder-Suicide Pact: Prosecutor
Trial begins for Florida man accused of killing wife, 3 children
Jury sees Anthony Todt’s confession in family’s killings: ‘I needed to save her soul’ – Orlando Sentinel
Anthony Todt trial: Celebration man accused of killing wife, 3 kids testifies
Dad Accused of Murdering Family, Dog in Florida Home Thought Apocalypse Was Coming: Prosecutors

Anthony Mitchell

No Photo Name: Anthony Franklin Mitchell.
Died: December 30, 2019 (Body found; missing August 22, 2018).
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma, asphyxia.
Location: Lake Panasoffkee, Florida, USA.
Disability: Physical disability.

Details:
Anthony’s girlfriend strangled and bludgeoned him to death, then tried to conceal his body as she stole his Social Security payments.

Case Status:
Penny Rebecca Pospisil (Girlfriend), pled guilty to second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and theft; sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years.

Sources:
Florida woman sentenced for murder and ‘workman-like dismemberment’ of boyfriend, whose remains she lived with for months
Woman murdered and dismembered physically disabled boyfriend, lived in RV with his decaying remains for months before arrest – TheBlaze
Woman arrested after boyfriend’s dismembered body found in her camper
Media Release-Arrest-Murder Investigation

Shirley Brewer

Name: Shirley Brewer.
Died: December 25, 2019.
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Cullom, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Shirley’s husband shot and killed her, her son Christian, 27, and her neighbor, Norman Walker, age 51. In an attempt to cover up the murder, he pointed out Shirley’s history of depression and suicidal crisis, and claimed that she had killed everyone else before committing suicide. But when he called emergency services, responders found him washing bloody clothing, and the jury did not believe his assertion that he had slept through the gunshots, especially since he had gunpowder residue on his hands. Shirley’s husband was convicted of multiple murders.

Case Status:
Clifford Brewer (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to three life terms plus twenty years.

Sources:
Opening statements wrap up in triple murder case
Brewer sentenced to life in prison for 2019 triple murder in Livingston County

Jessica Dalgeish

Name: Jessica Dalgeish.
Died: December 24, 2019.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Skull fracture and brain injury.
Location: Sandgate, Kent, England, UK.
Disability: Global developmental delay, possible autism.

Details:
When Jessica refused to eat her lunch, her mother’s boyfriend became angry and threw her onto her bed. Her head hit a hard surface, causing a skull fracture, and she died from head injuries several days later. An autopsy found an old, healed head injury as well.

Case Status:
Paul Marsh (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of manslaughter and child cruelty, sentenced to 6-11 years.

Sources:
Man battered disabled girl, three, to death after she refused to eat sandwich
Hythe careworker killed girlfriend’s disabled daughter after she refused lunch
Man killed girl, 3, in ‘fit of temper’
Disabled girl, 3, ‘killed by mum’s boyfriend after she refused to eat lunch’
Careworker accused of killing step-daughter, 3, told police ‘this will ruin me’
Autism Memorial: Jessica Dalgeish

Harilal

No Photo
Name: Harilal.
Died: December 23, 2019.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Disability: Mental illness or disability.

Details:
Harilal, who had been mentally disabled since childhood, developed a drinking problem as he reached adulthood. When he came home drunk, his mother argued with him. Police found his body where it had been dumped and arrested his mother. In custody, they say she confessed to the murder.

Case status:
Islavath Chandi (Mother), arrested.

Source:
Woman kills son in Hyderabad for being unemployed
Mother kills disabled son, dumps body

Angela Tarver

Name: Angela Tarver.
Died: December 19, 2019.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Stabbed in the heart.
Location: Woking, Surrey, England, UK.
Disability: Stroke; limited speech and mobility.

Details:
Angela’s son killed her by stabbing her through the heart with an ornamental sword.

Her husband remembers how she always found ways to carry on with her interests and activities as her disability advanced. He calls her “the light of my life”.

Case status:
Philip Tarver, convicted of murder, sentenced to 19 years to life.

Source:
Husband’s heartbreaking tribute to wife ‘cruelly’ murdered by son
‘Scrounger’ son who decapitated disabled mom, 86, with sword and dumped her head in freezer jailed for life