Type: Homicide – Page 79 – Disability Day of Mourning

Michael Becht Jr.

Name: Michael “Mikey” Becht Jr.
Died: July 6, 2009.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Michael’s mother poisoned him with a drug overdose.

Michael had befriended the neighbor’s six-year-old, with whom he played “Whales and Sharks”, a modified version of tag.

Case status:
Patricia Becht (Mother); pled guilty to murder; Sentenced to 38 years, 3 months with possibility of parole in 25-and-a-half years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Michael Becht Jr.
In Loving Memory Of Michael Becht Jr (Mikey)
Mother investigated in South St. Paul boy’s death
South St. Paul mother suspected of killing 10-year-old son
South St. Paul mom charged in attempted murder-suicide by drug overdose that left son dead
Mom admits to killing autistic son
Minnesota Mother Charged With Poisoning Children Says She Had Planned to Commit Suicide With Them at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch

D’Amber Myles

No Photo Name: D’Amber Myles.
Died: June 30, 2009.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Cerebral Palsy.

Details:
D’Amber’s mother allegedly put her in the bathtub and turned the water on, then closed the door and left her there with the water running as the bathtub filled. Because she could not hold her head out of the water, D’Amber drowned.

Case status:
Raven Gibbons (Mother), charged with second-degree murder.

Source:
Woman arrested, charged in drowning of daughter
Mother charged in drowning of 5-year-old daughter – Las Vegas Sun Newspaper
Mother charged with murder

Peter Mugo

No Photo Name: Peter Mugo.
Died: June 25, 2009.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Limuru, Kiambu County, Kenya.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Peter’s mother killed him and threw his body into a latrine. She had been hiding his existence from her current husband, and killed him to try to save her marriage.

Case status:
Alice Njoki (Mother), sentenced to 6 years.

Source:
Alice Njoki

Sherre Neal-Lypps

No Photo Name: Sherre Neal-Lypps.
Died: June 23, 2009.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Morro Bay, California, USA.
Disability: Chronic pain, depression, sciatica.

Details:
Sherre was strangled and drowned in her bathtub. Her death was disguised as a suicide, complete with forged suicide notes that claimed she was tired of being in pain. Five years after Sherre died, her husband was arrested because samples taken from her fingernails contained his DNA.

Case status:
James Victor Lypps (Husband), charged with first-degree murder, acquitted.

Source:
Nipomo man arrested 5 years after wife found dead in Morro Bay
‘No way’ death of James Lypps’ wife was a suicide, coroner says
Pathologist testifies Sherre Neal-Lypps’ death was a homicide
Nipomo man killed wife for her Social Security checks, prosecution suggests
Judge to consider removing DA’s Office from Morro Bay murder case
Judge orders Morro Bay murder suspect released
Former Morro Bay man not guilty of murder in death of his wife, jury finds

Lloyd Yarbrough

Name: Lloyd Yarbrough.
Died: May 27, 2009.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Prescription drug overdose.
Location: Austin, Texas, USA.
Disability: Brain injury from encephalitis.

Details:
Lloyd’s wife poisoned him with a prescription drug overdose.

Case status:
Kim Yarbrough (Wife); pled guilty to injury to a disabled person; sentenced to 10 years probation and 400 hours of community service.

Source:
After ending husband’s life, woman tries to go on with hers

Pamela Hall

Name: Pamela Camille Hall.
Died: April 11, 2009.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Figsboro, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Spinal cord injury.

Details:
Pamela was stabbed to death by her son-in-law.

Case status:
James Cleveland Miller (Son-in-law) pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life.

Source:
Miller pleads guilty to murder in death of his mother-in-law

Mike Tran

No Photo Name: Minh Trung “Mike” Tran.
Died: March 28, 2009.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Suffocated.
Location: Elmwood Park, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Mike was home for a visit from his nursing home when his wife suffocated him with a plastic bag.

Before his stroke, he was a stay-at-home dad who cared for the children and the house and cooked very good sauce. But after he became disabled, his wife became abusive and eventually killed him and tried to kill their children, who survived.

Case status:
Jenny Tran (Wife), convicted of aggravated manslaughter, attempted murder, and two counts of child endangerment; sentenced to 34-50 years.

Source:
Archive: Elmwood Park woman gets 50 years in husband’s killing despite pleas from her kids
Archive: Tran acquitted of murder, convicted of aggravated manslaughter, attempted murder
Archive: Attorneys argue over defendant’s sanity in Elmwood Park murder case
Archive: Murder defendant told detectives of events leading to husband’s ‘release’
Archive: Daughter told detective Elmwood Park mother tried to kill her earlier
Archive: Daughter saw ‘monster,’ she says at Elmwood Park mom’s murder trial

Rhonda Casto

Name: Rhonda Casto.
Died: March 16, 2009.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Fall into a ravine.
Location: Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Rhonda’s boyfriend increased her life insurance; some months later, he took her on a hike, where she died from a fall into a ravine. He told police that she must have jumped into the ravine because she had depression; but Rhonda’s family say that even though she was on antidepressant and antianxiety medication, she would never have committed suicide.

Case Status:
Steve Nichols (Boyfriend), pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and coercion, sentenced to 3 years probation. Murder charges were dropped in favor of a plea bargain because mistakes by investigators cast doubt on the state’s case.

Sources:
Rhonda Casto’s Family and Friends Discuss Her Fatal Fall
Man pleads to homicide in girlfriend’s death along Eagle Creek trail
Investigating the death of Rhonda Casto

Shaun Moloney

Name: Shaun Moloney.
Died: March 8, 2009.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma, burns, alcohol poisoning.
Location: Glenroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Shaun lived with two roommates. They beat him unconscious, dumped his body in a vacant lot, and set it on fire. Because Shaun had been drinking heavily the day he died, the court could not determine whether the cause of his death had been the beating, the fire, or alcohol poisoning; so his roommates could only be convicted of assault.

Case Status:
Darryl McHarg (Roommate), pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury, sentenced to 3 years 6 months to 6 years 6 months in prison.
Wayne Arthur (Roommate), pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury, sentenced to 3 years 6 months to 6 years 6 months in prison.

Sources:
R v McHarg & Arthur
Two charged with murder of Shaun Patrick Moloney
Pair jailed for assaulting a man who died, but escape charges over his death
MOLONEY, Shaun Patrick | Death Notices | Melbourne

Roberta Laws

Photo of Roberta Laws, an adult woman with light skin and dark-brown hair, wearing a peach top; she has brown eyes, and strabismus in one eye. Name: Roberta Laws.
Died: February 2009.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Middleburg, Florida, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Roberta’s boyfriend strangled her and buried her body in the backyard.

Case status:
Kenneth McBride (Boyfriend), sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Killer of disabled Clay County woman sentenced to life