Type: Homicide – Page 66 – Disability Day of Mourning

Joann Canfield

No Photo Name: Joann Canfield.
Died: October 26, 2014.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Alameda, California, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Joann’s husband took her home from her nursing home and, after a failed attempt to poison her with sleeping pills, shot her in the head.

Case status:
Jerry “J.C.” Canfield (Husband), pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years.

Source:
He Shot His Wife and Confessed — Why Neighbors Are Coming to His Defense
3 years for Alameda man who claimed mercy in wife’s killing

Debbie Holden

Name: Debbie Holden.
Died: October 24, 2014.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Chronic pain.

Details:
Debbie’s fiance shot her; then he tried to claim that Debbie must have committed suicide because of her chronic pain. Police became suspicious when they couldn’t find the bullet that had killed Debbie until her fiance turned up at the hospital with a matching bullet in his thigh.

Case Status:
Tim Noble (Fiance), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Sources:
Telltale Bullets, Exhumations, Staged Murders: Most Shocking ‘Accident, Suicide Or Murder’ Reveals
Man Passes Out, Urinates Himself After Being Questioned About Fiancée’s Murder

Sandra Deacon

No Photo Name: Sandra Deacon.
Died: October 1, 2014.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Budgewoi, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Brain damage due to neonatal encephalitis.

Details:
Sandra was found dead of massive head injuries, and her partner was arrested. Support workers told authorities that her partner had been dominating and isolating her, possibly forcing her to distance herself from support services.

Case Status:
Garry Weigand (Partner), charged with murder, died before trial.

Sources:
DNA needed to identify victim
Murder accused Garry Weigand dies in custody | Newcastle Herald | Newcastle, NSW
Inquest into the death of Sandra Deacon

Mr. Zhang

Photo of a young Asian boy with tan skin and black hair, wearing a sports jersey, his hands to his neck, looking puzzled. Name: Zhang (First name unknown).
Died: September 13, 2014.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Fall injury.
Location: Singapore.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
This 7-year-old boy was found dead on the ground outside a high-rise apartment building after being pushed out the 9th-story window by his mother.

Case status:
Koh Sook Hoon (Mother); pleaded guilty to culpable homicide, sentenced to 5 years.

Source:
Woman who threw her son from 9th storey flat jailed 5 years
Autism Memorial: Zhang (7-year-old male)
Seven-year-old boy found dead at the foot of a Tampines HDB block; police investigating
Mother of boy found dead at Tampines to face murder charge
Mother of seven-year-old boy found dead in Tampines arrested for alleged murder
Singaporean mother charged with killing autistic 7-year-old son
Mentally-ill mother gets five years’ jail for death of son
Jailed for pushing autistic son out of window

Dayne Hathman

Photo of a small boy with white-blond hair and fair skin, standing on a red plastic swing seat, head thrown back, laughing. Name: Dayne William Hathman; also spelled “Dane”.
Died: August 28, 2014.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Fulton, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Dayne was shot to death by his live-in babysitter.

Case status:
Scottie A. Willet (Family friend; caregiver); pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Slain 6-year-old loved to play, give hugs
Callaway County Sheriff’s Office – Posts | Facebook

Isaac Robitille

Photo of Isaac Robitille, a young boy with fair skin and shaggy brown hair. His facial features are atypical, with a small, flat nose. He is sitting tilted back in a power chair outdoors, eyes closed, with the sun on his face. Name: Isaac Robitille.
Died: August 22, 2014.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Alcohol poisoning.
Location: Hardwick, Vermont, USA.
Disability: Holoprosencephaly.

Details:
Isaac was killed by his mother and her boyfriend; they put so much alcohol into his feeding tube (some news stories say it was an IV) that he died of alcohol poisoning.

Case status:
Melissa Robitille (Mother), charged with second-degree murder, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years, sentence reduced to 3 1/2 years.
Walter Richter III (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years in prison with credit for 1 1/2 years time served.

Source:
Hardwick mom convicted in disabled son’s death gets reduced sentence
Woman convicted in disabled child’s death appeals again
Vt. woman convicted in disabled son’s death appeals again
Vermont mom, boyfriend kill disabled 13-year-old by putting alcohol in IV: cops
Man Sentenced After Killing Boy With Vodka
Vermont Woman Found Guilty of Manslaughter for Pouring Vodka in Disabled Child’s Feeding Tube
Mother who put vodka in disabled son’s feeding tube leading to his death gets appeal rejected in court

Sophie Kostek

No Photo Name: Sophie Kostek.
Died: August 7, 2014.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Somerset, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Sophie’s son beat her to death.

She enjoyed reading and caring for her home.

Case status:
Michael Kostek (Son), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and permitting injury to an elder/disabled person, sentenced to 8-10 years.

Source:
Somerset man sentenced in mother’s killing | WJAR
Sophie (Provocyck) Kostek – Obituary
Somerset man pleads guilty in death of disabled mother
Prosecutors allege Somerset man hit elderly, disabled mother and threw her on bed, where she was found dead
Trial date set for Somerset man accused of killing mother
Trial date scheduled for Somerset man accused in mother’s murder
Boyko Memorial Funeral Home – Sophie (Provocyck) Kostek – Obituary
Somerset man held without bail in killing of mother
Lawyer for Somerset man accused of killing mom asks for medical records
Somerset man charged with killing elderly mother
Somerset man indicted on murder charge in death of elderly mother

Theodore Meyer

Photo of Theodore Meyer, an elderly white man in a suit and black tie, wearing glasses. Name: Theodore Meyer.
Died: June 28, 2014.
Age at death: 91.
Cause of death: Blunt force chest trauma.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Dementia, heart disease.

Details:
Theodore’s son beat him to death with his own cane.

Case status:
Donald Ray Meyer (Son), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 12 years.

Source:
Oklahoma City man gets 12 years in prison for fatal beating of father, 91
Oklahoma City Man Charged With Murder In Father’s Death

On-Yu Choy

No Photo Name: On-Yu Choy.
Died: June 25, 2014.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Autism, ADHD.

Details:
On-yu’s father killed him by stabbing him more than 100 times with a pair of kitchen knives, reasoning that “if he is gone, the whole family will have peace”.

Case status:
Sin-hung Choy (Father), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to four years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: On-Yu Choy
Man, 61, kills autistic teenage son because he felt burden was ‘tough for the whole family’
A martyr for his family? Hong Kong court jails father four years for killing autistic son

David Alan

No Photo Name: David Alan.
Died: June 14, 2014.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Blood loss.
Location: Rutland, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder, anxiety.

Details:
David’s brother went to David’s home, killed him with pliers and a knife, then dismembered his body. David had a restraining order against his brother.

Case status:
Michael S. Dowjat (Brother), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.

Source:
Rutland Murder Victim Described As A Recluse
Self-defense, says Holden man charged in brother’s death
Fate of Michael Dowjat, Holden man charged in brother’s slaying, headed to jury
Dowjat trial jurors get look at sawed bones
Michael Dowjat found guilty of stabbing estranged brother 70 times and then cutting off his head
Man Pleads Not Guilty to Murder of Brother
Holden man convicted of killing younger brother whose body was dismembered