Type: Homicide – Page 60 – Disability Day of Mourning

James Wilkerson

Photo of a gravestone. It reads: EE3. James Ray Wilkerson. PRC US Navy. Vietnam. Oct 13 1948. Oct 18 2015. We love you Chief Dad. Name: James Ray Wilkerson.
Died: October 18, 2015.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: The Dalles, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Dementia; paraplegic.

Details:
James’s wife went to the veterans’ home where he lived, and stabbed him to death.

James served more than 20 years in the US Navy and was a Vietnam veteran.

Case status:
Esther Wilkerson (Wife), charged with murder, domestic violence, and unlawful use of a weapon; pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years.

Source:
Murder at veterans’ home
Find a Grave: James Ray Wilkerson
Fatal stabbing in TD leads to arrest
Woman who killed disabled husband at veterans’ home gets 10 years in prison

Johanna Hove-Becker

Black and white photo of Johanna Becker. She has light skin and neat, blond shoulder-length hair and is wearing a suit jacket and pearl necklace. Name: Johanna Hove-Becker.
Died: October 8, 2015.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Fall injury.
Location: Mons, Belgium.
Disability: History of mental illness.

Details:
Johanna had had bulimia as a teenager, but recovered and went on to become a psychologist. When she was 32 years old, her husband drugged her, pushed her out of a window, and tried to pass it off as suicide due to mental illness.

Johanna was a triathlete. She was an especially good swimmer–her father said she was “like a seal” in the water. She had a master’s degree in psychology.

Case status:
Craig R. Becker (Husband), convicted of premeditated murder, assault and battery, and conduct unbecoming an officer; sentenced to life with the possibility of parole and dismissed from the military.

Source:
Did she jump or was she pushed? ‘Dateline’ NBC profiles death of former Jacksonville resident
Did she jump or was she pushed? ‘Dateline’ NBC profiles death of former Jacksonville resident
Navy officer sentenced to life for murdering his wife in Belgium
Navy Officer’s Years-Long Murder Case Gets Another Twist with Court Ruling
War Hero Claims Navy Abandoned Him, Others Cry Murder
Johanna Hove-Becker Obituary

John Craig

Photo of Jack Craig, a middle-aged man in a dress shirt, with the bark of a large tree in the background. Jack has brown hair and light skin, large ears and a large nose, and a mustache above a wide smile. Name: John “Jack” Craig.
Died: October 4, 2015.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified mobility impairment.

Details:
Jack Craig’s boyfriend tied his hands, strangled him, and put a plastic bag over his head, suffocating him. Wanted for an unrelated robbery, the killer confessed but told the police that Jack’s murder had been an “assisted suicide”.

Case status:
Wayne McClellan (Boyfriend/Housemate), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 40 years in prison with 23 years suspended.

Source:
Portsmouth man gets 17 years in prison for killing boyfriend
Neighbors: Accused killer had party in home while body was there

Gulpreet Kumari

No Photo Name: Gulpreet Kumari.
Died: October 2, 2015.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Panchkula, Haryana, India.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Wanting a new life with a new boyfriend, Gulpreet’s mother allegedly decided to kill the autistic twelve-year-old; while Gulpreet’s mother held her down, her mother’s boyfriend strangled her. They said Gulpreet’s death was natural and due to her disability.

On November 29, 2015, Gulpreet’s younger brother Gurjant was reported missing. When his body was found in a field, the victim of a homicide, police investigated Gulpreet’s death too and decided that she and her little brother had both been murdered.

Case status:
Mukesh Kumari (Mother), charged with murder.
Haryana Shekhar (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with murder.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Gulpreet Kumari
Woman kills kids to marry paramour
Police bring accused mother, her paramour from Jind
Woman arrested for murdering son, daughter

Justin Kirby

Photo of Justin Kirby. He is a man with ruddy skin and light brown hair, wearing a white sweatshirt. His hair is cut short; his expression is neutral. Name: Justin Kirby.
Died: September 26, 2015.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Rod-cone dystrophy; visual impairment.

Details:
Justin was shot by his wife. She claimed self-defense, but the placement of the bullet wounds proved he had been shot while trying to run away.

He was a stay-at-home dad for his three children; he loved the outdoors and riding his horse.

Case status:
Taylor Roxann Kirby (Wife), pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 15-22 years.

Source:
Justin Wayne Kirby – View Obituary & Service Information
Woman who killed husband sentenced to 22 years
Neighbor says children played 20 feet away from dying father

John Pehota

Photo of John Pehota, a fair-skinned, balding man in a sports-themed sleeveless shirt and glasses. Name: John “Jack” Pehota.
Died: September 23, 2015.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: The Hammock, Florida, USA.
Disability: Heart condition, mobility impairment.

Details:
John was shot by his wife.

He loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing, and collected guns. In 2005, a local newspaper published a letter to the editor that John had written, in which he complained about a recent ban on beach-going vehicles. The ban on vehicles extended to John’s mobility scooter, and because he could not walk to the beach while carrying his fishing tackle, the ban prevented him from going fishing.

John owned a small dog and was often seen walking the dog around his neighborhood.

Case status:
Anna Pehota (Wife), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole, with a mandatory minimum of 25 years.

Source: Anna Pehota, 75, Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder for Shooting Husband in Hammock
“He Kept Pushing Me Mentally”: Anna and John Pehota’s Life Before She Shot Him

Jessica Hagan

A blonde young woman with Down Syndrome, wearing a fuzzy blue sweater and a medal around her neck. Name: Jessica Hagan.
Died: September 8, 2015.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Cranston, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Jessica’s mother allegedly poisoned her with a fatal drug overdose.

Jessica loved the Alberta Ballet and collected Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Her brother, a bodybuilder, names her as his biggest supporter.

Case status:
Christine Hagan (Mother). Never charged; died months later of natural causes.

Source:
Homicide unit investigating suspicious death in Cranston
Calgary police declare Jessica Hagan’s death a homicide, but no charges

Margaret Yamaguchi

Photo of Margaret Yamaguchi, a middle-aged Asian woman wearing a white dress and holding a bouquet of red roses. Name: Margaret Machiko Yamaguchi.
Died: September 7, 2015.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Covina, California, USA.
Disability: Unspecified (Assisted living facility resident).

Details:
Margaret’s daughter went to the assisted living center where she was staying and stabbed her to death.

Case status:
Athina Sumi Rivera (Daughter), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 10-16 years.

Source:
Woman Allegedly Stabs Mother to Death at Assisted Living Facility in Covina
Woman gets 16 year prison sentence for stabbing mother to death at Covina senior living facility
Margaret Yamaguchi Obituary

Julie Collier

Photo of Julie Collier, a woman with straight blond hair, wearing a floppy hat. She is smiling. Name: Julie Anne Collier.
Died: September 5, 2015.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, UK.
Disability: Mobility impairment (wheelchair user), possibly due to alcoholic neuropathy and a bad fall.

Details:
Julie’s husband killed her by beating her in the head and face.

Julie was an outgoing woman whose favorite band was the Manchester pop group “Take That”.

Case status:
Christopher Collier (Husband), charged with murder; pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years.

Source:
Man charged with murder in Chippenham
Police launch investigation into Chippenham woman’s death
Neighbours tell of their shock as husband faces murder charge
Family tribute to Julie Collier after murder charge
Man who killed disabled wife in drink-fuelled row jailed
Man who beat disabled wife to death during argument at Chippenham home is jailed for four years
Alcoholic husband jailed for four years for bludgeoning disabled wife to death in Chippenham

Meryl Parry

Photo of Meryl Parry. She is an elderly woman with fair skin and white hair. She is outdoors, wearing a blue coat with the hood up. Name: Meryl Parry.
Died: September 2, 2015.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Ainstable, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Meryl’s husband allegedly drugged her with sleeping pills, then put a plastic bag over her face and smothered her with a pillow.

Meryl was a retired teacher.

Case status:
Michael Parry (Husband); charged with murder, let out on bail, and committed suicide.

Source:
Murder of Meryl Parry by husband Michael ‘could not have been predicted’