Type: Homicide – Page 61 – Disability Day of Mourning

Yasuko Uechi

No Photo Name: Yasuko Uechi.
Died: December 18, 2015.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Kihocho, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified physical disability.

Details:
For some time, Yasuko had been asking her son to buy her a powered wheelchair; eventually she bought one for herself. Yasuko’s son allegedly suffocated her because he was angry she had bought a wheelchair he said he couldn’t afford.

Case status:
Norio Uechi; arrested for murder.

Source:
Mie cops: Man killed disabled mother over wheelchair purchase
Man kills his mother because she bought a wheelchair without his permission

Gregory Cortis

Photo of Carley, Gregory Cortis's Labrador. She is an elderly dog, lying in a pile of leaves on a grassy lawn. Name: Gregory Alan Cortis.
Died: December 12, 2015.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma.
Location: Milford, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s; stroke, causing memory loss and speech impairment.

Details:
Gregory’s wife beat him and his dog Carley with a crowbar, believing that they were both old and ill and it was “time for them to pass on”.

Gregory died after some time in the hospital. Carley, 11 years old and severely injured, recovered and was adopted by a new owner, but died of old age early in 2016.

Gregory’s wife claimed she had killed her husband and beaten the dog to “end their suffering”.

Case status:
Yvonne Cortis (Wife), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and torturing an animal, sentenced to 22-50 years in prison.

Source:
Milford man dies of injuries from crowbar attack
Man Beaten with Crowbar Dies; Murder Charges Expected
Milford woman charged with beating husband, dog with crowbar
Carly the Labrador – An Update
Woman pleads guilty to beating husband and dog to death with metal rod

Antonio Tucci

Photo of a balding man wearing a turquoise shirt. He has a wide grin on his face and his eyes are squeezed nearly shut with amusement. Name: Antonio Tucci.
Died: December 7, 2015.
Age at death: 71.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Castel del Piano, Italy.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Antonio was beaten to death, dying of head trauma after what looked like a robbery gone wrong. However, two days later, Antonio’s nephew was arrested. They had lived together in the past, and now Antonio’s nephew was demanding his pension money. When he would not give him the money, Antonio’s nephew killed him.

Antonio Tucci was a retired baker.

Case status:
Claudio Orlando (Nephew), convicted of murder, sentenced to 30 years.

Source:
Antonio Tucci: il caso dell’omicidio del pensionato ucciso a bastonate in casa sua
Wheelchair-bound pensioner murdered
Anziano trovato morto, fermato un nipote

Evelyn Harvey

Name: Evelyn Harvey.
Died: December 6, 2015.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: El Paso, Texas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; nursing home resident.

Details:
Evelyn was shot in her bed, in the back of her head. Her body was discovered in the morning and when he was woken, her husband allegedly confessed to killing her.

Case status:
Nelson Harvey (Husband), charged with murder; died in 2021.

Source:
Husband kills terminally ill wife to end her ‘suffering’
91yo Texas man charged with murder for ending terminally ill wife’s ‘suffering’
Man ‘tired of her suffering’ kills 93-year-old wife

Malik Drummond

Photo: Toddler boy with light-brown skin, wearing a T-shirt printed with a dancing skeleton; his hair is dark-brown and curly. He is smiling. He is sitting on a brown dog. Name: Malik Drummond.
Died: Reported missing November 23, 2014; body found December 2, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Searcy, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Family claimed he was autistic.

Details:
Two-year-old Malik’s family claimed that he was autistic and had wandered away from their home, leaving behind his twin sister. Searches were conducted to no avail; five days after he went missing, police became suspicious when it was revealed that Malik had never actually been tested for autism.

Over a year later, Malik’s father turned himself in, and Malik’s remains were discovered in a field near the house.

Case status:
Jeffery Leroy Clifton (Father), pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, sentenced to 40 years, with parole eligibility in 10 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Malik Drummond
Father gets 40 years after pleading no contest in death of toddler Malik Drummond
Father arrested for murder of missing Searcy toddler

Vincent Apilado

Photograph of Vincent Apilado, an older man in a suit and tie. He has dark brown, graying hair and olive-toned skin. Name: Vincent Apilado.
Died: November 28, 2015.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: El Paso, Texas, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease, dementia.

Details:
Vincent was shot and killed by his son, who had a history of violence against both his parents.

Vincent loved music and was a talented violinist; he played racquetball and was a devout Catholic. He worked as a college professor at Arizona State and chair of finance and real estate at the University of Texas.

Case status:
Steven Apilado (Son), convicted of murder, sentenced to 80 years.

Source:
Man sentenced to 80 years for the murder of his father
Dr. Vincent Paul Apilado’s Obituary
Documents: Killing suspect had attacked parents
Mother asks not to ‘make her son out to be monster’ after allegedly killing father
Neighbors shocked after alleged murder in east El Paso
Father murdered in Far East El Paso

Yoki Fujita

No Photo Name: Yoki Fujita.
Died: November 23, 2015.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Saitama, Japan.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Ms. Fujita’s husband was scheduled for surgery on his neck, and was worried that he would no longer be able to care for her. He had been approved for public assistance, but rejected elderly-care services.

Just before he was due for the surgery, Ms. Fujita’s husband talked to her daughter, explained that he wanted to kill his wife and commit suicide, and asked her to help him. She agreed, drove them both to the river, and drowned them.

Case status:
Atsuko Namikata (Daughter), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 4 years.
Yoshihide Fujita (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Woman pleads guilty to murder, assisted suicide of parents
Father’s scheduled surgery possibly linked to suicide assisted by daughter
Woman jailed for 4 years for murder, assisted suicide of parents

Josephine Williamson

No Photo Name: Josephine Anne Williamson.
Died: November 21, 2015.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Earley, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Josephine’s husband, having been recently diagnosed with cancer and not wanting her to become an “old hag”, pushed her down the stairs and then strangled her.

Josephine was a retired physical education teacher.

Case status:
Philip Williamson (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility; given a 2-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Victim of Lower Earley murder investigation named
Earley pensioner who killed wife reached ‘crisis point’ after being diagnosed with cancer
Dying pensioner spared jail after killing dementia-suffering wife in Reading
Philip Williamson, 88, charged with murdering his wife at their Elm Lane home
Elderly man from Earley sentenced for killing his wife
Murder charge over elderly woman’s death in Earley
Dying OAP escapes jail after killing dementia-suffering wife

Zvonimir Petrovski

Photo of Zvonimir Petrovski, a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and light skin, wearing a suit with a pink bow tie. His skin is slightly flushed, as though he finds the suit stifling. Name: Zvonimir Petrovski.
Died: November 21, 2015.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Mobility impaired; used crutches.

Details:
Zvonimir lived with a younger housemate who claimed he was her “father figure”. One day when his housemate demanded money for cigarettes and Zvonimir refused, she became angry and stabbed him to death.

Case status:
Anna Horneshaw (Housemate), convicted of murder, sentenced to 13-17 years in prison.

Source:
17 years jail for woman who stabbed ‘father figure’ to death in cigarette row
Woman jailed for killing housemate in ‘fit of rage’ over cigarette money

Lia Cotroneo

No Photo Name: Lia Cotroneo.
Died: November 19, 2015.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Turin, Italy.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Lia was allegedly smothered by her husband.

Case status:
Angiolo Zanasi (Husband); committed suicide about 6 months later.

Source:
Pensioner commits suicide
Uccise moglie malata, suicida anziano