Category: Type: Homicide

Death due to the actions of another human being.

Jean Constant

No PhotoName: Jean Constant.
Died: August 22, 2016.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: St. Neots, England, UK.
Disability: Unspecified; care home resident.

Details:
After her health began to decline and Jean had to be hospitalized, Jean and her husband moved into a care home. Four months later, Jean’s husband allegedly killed her by smothering her.

Case status:
Brendan Constant (Husband), charged with murder, died before trial.

Source:
Brothers question murder charge in ‘suicide pact’ case
Cambridgeshire ‘murder’: Retired man, 87, quizzed over murder of his 86-year-old wife at their sheltered housing
Cambridgeshire woman is found dead and man seriously injured at their home
Eynesbury Poppyfields care home death: Murder arrest after body find
Man aged 87 arrested on suspicion of murder after woman found dead at Poppyfields care home in St Neots
Man arrested on suspicion of murder after wife dies at care home
More tests needed to find cause of death of Jean Constant, 86
Pensioner found dead at St Neots care home is named by police
Woman found dead and man injured at St Neots home

Ronald Bettig

Photo of Ronald Bettig, an elderly man with pale skin and white hair and beard, wearing glasses and a colorful shirt.Name: Ronald Valentine Bettig.
Died: August 17, 2016 (Body found); died August 12-14, 2016.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Dehydration, fall injuries.
Location: Black Hawk Quarry, Central County, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Depression/adjustment disorder, dementia.

Details:
Lonely and depressed after the death of his wife, Ronald took in a woman and her child as housemates. Thinking they would get money in his will, the woman and her boyfriend plotted to kill Ronald. They lured him to a quarry, where they pushed him over a 70-foot cliff. With all four limbs broken, Ronald may have lived for up to two days before dying of dehydration. The killers tried to pass it off as a suicide.

Case status:
George G. Ishler Jr., convicted of murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Danelle Geier, convicted of murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Was there a motive to kill a Penn State professor?
PSU professor struggled personally, professionally before death: Co-workers, acquaintances
Penn State professor Ronald Bettig allegedly pushed off cliff by Danelle Geier, George Ishler in Pennsylvania
Woman charged in death of PSU professor
State College, PA – Trial Begins for Two Accused of Murdering Penn State Professor –
Two found guilty in the 2016 murder of a Penn State professor
Verdict delivered in Penn State professor’s death
‘I can still hear the crunch today.’ George Ishler takes the stand

Gerald Sohn

Antique sepia portrait photo of Gerald Sohn, a young man with dark curly hair and light skin, wearing a suit and tie and holding a pipe.Name: Gerald Sohn.
Died: August 14, 2016.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease.

Details:
Gerald was drowned in a river, and his son is suspected of pushing him off the dock to his death.

He was an attorney for 50 years. He had a great deal of intellectual curiosity and always had a book with him.

Case status:
Gerry Sohn (Son), died before he was charged; case closed when he died.

Source:
JSO: Man in wheelchair who fell into river was murdered by son
Fraternity brother remembers man who fell into St. Johns River in wheelchair
Police identify drowning victim, 84, who fell off dock Sunday into St. Johns River
Crews responding to possible drowning in Mandarin
Gerald Sohn Obituary – JACKSONVILLE, FL
Case closed: Son killed millionaire father in 2016, himself in February

Ernestine Tindall

No PhotoName: Ernestine Tindall.
Died: August 13, 2016.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Perlethorpe, England, UK.
Disability: Vascular dementia.

Details:
Ernestine’s husband strangled her because he was afraid that they would be moved to separate nursing homes. He claimed she had asked him to kill her, but the judge stated that,”This is not a case of assisted suicide. This is killing as a perceived act of mercy.”

Case status:
Jack Tindall (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, given a 12-month suspended sentence.

Source:
World War II vet, 96, strangled his dementia-suffering wife to death and laid her on a bed of lilies
Husband spared jail for mercy killing of wife with dementia
96-year-old man gets suspended prison term for killing dementia-suffering wife

Princeton Holloway

Photo of Princeton Holloway, a toddler boy with tan skin and dark curly hair, photographed from above and looking up at the camera.Name: Princeton Holloway.
Died: August 6, 2016.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Murder.
Location: Youngtown, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Special needs (Intellectual disability?).

Details:
Princeton had three older brothers, ages 17, 16, and 4, and an older sister, age 9.

Princeton was thrown down the stairs by his 16-year-old brother, who then got a knife and began stabbing him. His 9-year-old sister came to his aid, but was hurt trying to protect him.

Princeton’s 17-year-old brother managed to escape carrying his injured 9-year-old sister and 4-year-old brother, but had to leave Princeton’s body behind with the killer.

Case status:
Shae Edward Holloway (Brother), pleaded guilty to murder and attempted child abuse, sentenced to 13 years.

Source:
Arizona man pleads guilty to killing 3-year-old brother
Investigators say teen ‘brutally attacked’ little brother
16-year-old accused of stabbing little brother to death identified
Arizona teen goes on a stabbing rampage injuring sister and killing his brother
Arizona Teen, 16, Allegedly Stabs 3-Year-Old Special Needs Brother To Death And Injures Sister, 9, While Mother’s Away At Work
Covered in siblings’ blood, teen arrested in ‘vicious, horrific murder’ of 3-year-old
Family in shock after teen allegedly kills 3-year-old brother
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio: Teen arrested in fatal stabbing of toddler brother, sister near Youngtown
16-year-old jailed after murdering 3-year-old brother at Youngtown home
Officials: Youngtown teen threw toddler brother, 3, down stairs, stabbed him
Teen covered in siblings’ blood arrested in ‘gruesome’ fatal stabbing of his 3-year-old brother
US: Teen boy accused of killing 3-year-old brother in Arizona

Theron Leonard

Name: Theron Leonard.Photo of Theron Leonard. He is a young man with fair skin and short brown hair. He is wearing a gray sweatshirt and a yellow life vest and smiling at the camera.
Died: August 5, 2016.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Otter Lake, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Theron’s mother stabbed him in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital but died of his injuries.

Case status:
Tamara Leonard (Mother), charged with murder, pleaded guilty but mentally ill, sentenced to 10-20 years in prison.

Source:
Mother charged in son’s stabbing death
Updated Press Release: Homicide, Marathon Township
Mother charged in son’s stabbing death
Woman stabbed her disabled son to death, police claim
Lapeer County woman pleads guilty to fatally stabbing disabled son
Mother who fatally stabbed cerebral palsy son pleads guilty, but mentally ill
Woman sentenced to decade in prison for 2016 murder of disabled son

Stella Hamilton

No PhotoName: Stella Hamilton.
Died: July 31, 2016.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Undetermined.
Location: Malanda, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Dementia, terminally ill.

Details:
Stella’s family talked to staff at her nursing home, asking whether she could be euthanized, and were told that this was illegal. They also requested that 24 hours’ worth of morphine be left in her room, and were refused. One of her children said another had told them that if they covered her face, she would “go quicker”. Shortly after the family’s request for euthanasia, Stella was found dead with a blanket over her face. She could not have pulled the blanket up herself, but other residents theoretically had access to her room. Her family was seen celebrating that she had died, though this could have been relief that she was no longer in pain.

Case status:
Inquest determined that, despite the troubling factors in Stella’s death, her cause of death could not be determined because she was already terminally ill.

Source:
Inquest into the death of Stella Hamilton
Mystery surrounds aged care resident found dead with blanket over head
Daughter asked doctor to euthanase terminally ill mother, inquest hears

Mohan Lal

No PhotoName: Mohan Lal.
Died: July 24, 2016.
Age at death: Adult.
Cause of death: Head injury from axe.
Location: Naal Bashat, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Disability: No arms.

Details:
Mohan’s aunt and uncle were angry with him because he had taken a box of tomatoes without their permission. They attacked him with an axe, causing fatal head injuries.

Case Status:
Joli Ram (Uncle), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.
Thakri Devi (Aunt), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.

Sources:
JK Couple Gets Life Imprisonment For Disabled Nephew’s Murder
Udhampur couple gets life for killing disabled nephew
2016 Murder Case: Udhampur Court Awards Life Sentence To Couple
Life-term awarded to couple for murder

Nadia Schaible

Somewhat indistinct photograph of Nadia Schaible, an elderly woman with short curly hair and fair skin.Name: Nadia Evanowicz Schaible.
Died: July 12, 2016.
Age at death: 91.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Parkville, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired; used a walker.

Details:
Nadia’s cousin allegedly bludgeoned her to death, then broke a glass door panel to stage a fake burglary; police doubt his story because the cobwebs outside the door through which the burglars were supposed to have entered were intact. Nadia’s cousin reportedly hoped to collect an inheritance from Nadia when she died.

Nadia was an independent woman who was known and loved by her neighbors.

Case status:
John Malko (Cousin), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
Man charged with murder of 91-year-old cousin
Man, 72, charged in Parkville woman’s death
Cousin Charged With Parkville Woman’s Murder
Police say cousin killed elderly Parkville woman in staged burglary
Utah man charged with murder of elderly Baltimore woman

Elizabeth Wilms

No PhotoName: Elizabeth Wilms.
Died: July 5, 2016.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Murder.
Location: Kew, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Elizabeth’s boyfriend was abusive and took advantage of her mild intellectual disability. He beat her fatally and left her to die alone on the floor. At autopsy, she had GHB, often used as a date-rape drug, in her body.

Case status:
Alexander Freeburn (Boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 25 years; murder conviction overturned, found guilty of manslaughter, resentenced to 9-12 years.

Source:
Remorseful killer who left girlfriend to die has sentence cut in half
Vic killer apologises over victim’s death
Melbourne woman ‘petrified’ of killer boyfriend