Category: Type: Homicide

Death due to the actions of another human being.

Janette Becraft

Photo of an older woman with pale skin and short, curly white hair, wearing a white suit jacket and smiling.Name: Janette Becraft.
Died: February 8, 2024.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Police responded to Janette’s home and, after a standoff with her husband, found her shot dead inside. They arrested her husband.

Janette took pleasure in owning and driving her 1968 Mustang. Spending time with the ladies from the Red Hat Society was a joy for her. She also loved to travel and play games; Scrabble was one of her favorites. 

Case Status:
William Albert “Billy Jack” Haynes Jr. (Husband), charged with murder.

Sources:
Former WWE Wrestler Billy Jack Haynes Charged With Wife’s Murder
Former WWE Wrestler in Custody Over Wife’s Murder
Former WWF wrestler arrested in wife’s murder
Mercy Killings and CTE | WWF Star Billy Jack Haynes’ Alleged Murder Of His 85-Year-Old Wife With Dementia Leads To Deeper Questions
Former W.W.F. Wrestler Arrested in Wife’s Murder

Lalitha

Photo of an Indian woman with tan skin and dark hair drawn back from her face. She is wearing a necklace and earrings; the collar of a striped shirt can be seen at the edge of the picture.Name: Lalitha.
Died: January 13, 2024.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
Disability: Diabetes, double leg amputee.

Details:
After Lalitha told her son off for drinking too much, he allegedly strangled her to death. Police say he was “fed up with taking care of his bedridden mother”.

Case Status:
Bineesh (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Alcoholic man strangles bedridden mother to death in Alappuzha
Alappuzha man strangles bed-ridden mother to death for questioning drinking habit

Otis Jones

Photo of an African American man with medium-brown skin, his hair in neat braids, wearing a brown polo shirt.Name: Otis Jones Jr.
Died: January 5, 2024.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Spinal cord injury.

Details:
Otis was pulled out of his burning home by firefighters; but he died from his injuries eight days later. The fire was ruled arson, and Otis’s niece is suspected of setting the fire.

Case Status:
Keechaundra Deshay Cook (Niece), charged with murder.

Sources:
‘They wouldn’t help me’: Mother of paralyzed man who died from fire says she tried to get help for family member responsible
Birmingham woman charged after uncle dies in house fire
Woman charged after brother dies following Birmingham house fire
Man dies after house fire — now his niece is charged with murder, Alabama cops say

George and Gianna Kantanka

Two young African-american children, a girl wearing a pink dress and hair ribbon, and a boy wearing a red Mickey Mouse shirt.Name: George Kantanka.
Name: Gianna Kantanka.

Died: December 18, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
With their father away working the night shift, George and Gianna were alone with their mother when she called for an ambulance, saying they were unresponsive. The twins were found dead in their beds. Initially, it seemed they had died of natural causes, but an autopsy concluded they had both been smothered.

Case Status:
Gloria Asamoah (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Mother Is Charged With Murder of Twins Found Dead in the Bronx
Bronx mom indicted for murder in deaths of 5-year-old twin children

Maureen Potter

No PhotoName: Maureen Potter.
Died: December 8, 2023.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Droitwich, Worcestershire, England, UK.
Disability: Cancer.

Details:
Maureen’s husband allegedly killed her and tried to kill their son, who also has a disability.

Case Status:
Ivan Potter (Husband), charged with murder and attempted murder.

Sources:
Pensioner, 81, being quizzed by police after woman, 80, found dead
Man, 81, arrested after woman, 80, ‘murdered’ with second man in hospital
Suspect aged 81 arrested on suspicion of murder after woman found dead
A town in shock – the latest on the Droitwich murder investigation
Man, 81, charged with attempted murder after police called to medical emergency
Maureen Potter (née Bourne)

Leon Perkins

No PhotoName: Leon Perkins.
Died: December 1, 2023.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, wheelchair user.

Details:
Leon was found dead at his home, sitting in his wheelchair. His death was ruled a homicide, and a relative who lived with him to care for him was arrested as the primary suspect.

Case Status:
Charles Parker (Relative), arrested.

Sources:
Silver Spring man charged in death of disabled relative

Sreenivasan

No PhotoName: Sreenivasan.
Died: November 29, 2023.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Kollam, Kerala, India.
Disability: Heart disease, kidney disease.

Details:
Sreenivasan’s son allegedly doused him in gasoline and set him on fire. His wife, who is also disabled, was unable to help him; but a home nurse ran for help. Unfortunately, Sreenivasan was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The motive reportedly involved Sreenivasan refusing to give his son money.

Case Status:
Anilkumar (Son), charged with murder and using gasoline to cause grievous harm.

Sources:
Man sets bedridden father ablaze in front of mother in Kerala’s Kollam

Mahadev

No PhotoName: Mahadev.
Died: November 25, 2023 (Body Found).
Age at death: Unknown.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Disability: Unspecified disability.

Also Killed: Gangarani Das, age 65, Mahadev’s grandmother.

Details:
Mahadev and his grandmother Gangarani Das lived in the same house; her granddaughter and her husband moved in to take care of them. Six months later, the two were nowhere to be found and the couple was questioned. Soon two skeletons, matching Mahadev and Gangarani, were found in the house’s septic tank. Police think that the couple who ostensibly moved in to care for Mahadev and his grandmother were actually planning to claim the house for themselves.

Case Status:
Priyanka Das and Shantanu (Relatives), charged with murder.

Sources:
Skeletons of sr citizen, disabled cousin found
Couple confesses to murders

Aremean Mayo and Michael Willett

No PhotoName: Aremean Mayo.
Age at death: 93.
Disability: Unspecified/Frail elder.

Name: Michael Willett.
Age at death: 69.
Disability: Wheelchair user, Stroke survivor

Died: November 25, 2023 (Bodies Found).
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Denmark, Maine, USA.

Details:
Michael, his partner, and his partner’s grandmother Aremean shared a household, where Michael’s partner cared for them both. Another of Aremean’s grandchildren grew worried when she couldn’t contact them and their caregiver told her she was “tired of taking care of them both”; so she asked for a welfare check. When police knocked on her door, their caregiver told police that Aremean was in the hospital and Michael was in the woods, hunting. But Michael couldn’t have pushed his wheelchair through the woods, and police quickly determined that Aremean was not in the hospital; so they forced their way into the house, where they found that both of them had been stabbed to death.

Case Status:
Tzara Jones (Michael’s partner, Aremean’s granddaughter), charged with murder.

Sources:
Maine woman accused of killing her partner, elderly grandmother to be arraigned
‘Tired of taking care of them’: Maine caretaker accused of killing her partner, grandmother appears in court
‘Took me by surprise:’ Neighbors shocked as Denmark woman charged with killing 2 people in her care

Victoria Pendergraph

No PhotoName: Victoria Pendergraph.
Died: November 24, 2023 (Body found; died November 19).
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Westminster, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, non-speaking.

Details:
Victoria’s father, who shared custody with her mother, went to pick her up to spend Thanksgiving together only to find the door locked. Concerned, he requested a welfare check; police found Victoria’s body in the bathtub, where Victoria’s mother had allegedly drowned her several days prior.

Case Status:
Khadiyjah Aliyyah Pendergraph (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Woman arrested at shopping center after officers find 9-year-old daughter dead in home
Body of 9-year-old girl in wheelchair ‘left to rot’ after drowning death, OC DA says; mother charged
Mother charged with murder for allegedly drowning disabled, non-verbal 9-year-old daughter
Woman charged with murder, accused of drowning 9-year-old disabled daughter
Westminster woman charged with killing 9-year-old daughter
California mother charged with murder, accused of drowning 9-year-old disabled daughter