Type: Homicide – Page 89 – Disability Day of Mourning

Michael Messenger

No Photo Name: Michael Messenger.
Died: February 8, 1994.
Age at death: Newborn.
Cause of death: Withdrawal of life support.
Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Prematurity with a risk of disability.

Details:
When Michael was born at 25 weeks gestation, he had a roughly 50% chance of survival. However, when their doctor told Michael’s parents that if he survived, he would probably be disabled, Michael’s father asked the doctor to leave and shut off the newborn’s ventilator, killing him.

Case status:
Gregory Messenger (Father); tried for manslaughter and admitted to disconnecting Michael’s life support; acquitted.

Source:
The Messenger Case: Summary and Analysis

Tracy Latimer

Name: Tracy Latimer.
Died: October 24, 1993.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Carbon monoxide poisoning.
Location: Wilkie, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Tracy’s father put her in his truck, connected the exhaust to the cab, and poisoned her with carbon monoxide.

Media coverage of Tracy’s death, which tended to support her killer, may have sparked several copycat crimes.

Case status:
Robert Latimer (Father), convicted of second degree murder, sentenced to life; paroled after 9 years, 11 months.

Source:
25 years after conviction, Robert Latimer still believes he was right to kill his daughter
Wikipedia: Robert Latimer
Right or wrong, Latimer’s actions touched off national debate on euthanasia
The Latimer Case: The Reflections of People with Disabilities
Robert Latimer seeking pardon for killing of severely disabled daughter
Community Living urges no pardon for murderer Robert Latimer
Trudeau asked to consider pardon or retrial for Saskatchewan man convicted of killing his daughter who suffered from cerebral palsy
Robert Latimer seeking pardon for killing of severely disabled daughter
Tracy Latimer’s killer does not deserve a pardon
Pardoning Robert Latimer is not justified
Lakritz: Pardoning Latimer would reduce Tracy’s value to the level of a dog
Robert Latimer’s request for clemency is a slam-dunk ‘no.’ Does Ottawa get that?

Josiah Carroll

Josiah Carroll's gravestone; it reads, Isaiah 55:12, 1981 to 1993. Name: Josiah Carroll.
Died: June 14, 1993.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Cedarville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Josiah was allegedly smothered by his older brother. The death was witnessed by Josiah’s brother Isaiah, but his testimony was not considered because he is non-verbal and communicates by pointing.

Case status:
Kathleen Carroll (Mother), not charged.
Timothy Carroll (Father), not charged.
James Carroll (Brother), charged with delinquency by reason of involuntary manslaughter, acquitted.

Source:
Hannah, Noah, Molly and Joshua Carroll
Boy Saw Slaying, He Tells

Layton Myers

No Photo Name: Layton Myers.
Died: May 15, 1993.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Disability: Terminal cancer.

Details:
Layton Myers was killed by his daughter and her husband, who put a pillow over his face and smothered him.

Case status:
Michael Power (Daughter’s common-law husband), pled guilty to manslaughter and were given suspended sentences, three years’ probation, and 150 hours of community service.
Cheryl Myers (Daughter), pled guilty to manslaughter and were given suspended sentences, three years’ probation, and 150 hours of community service.

Source:
No jail for N.S. “mercy-killers”
Of Life and Death – Appendices D-L
Robert Latimer: Justice gone awry

Mollie Carroll

Gravestone reading, "Bringer of Joy, Noah Carroll, 1989-1992; Princess, Mollie Carroll, 1989-1992." Name: Mollie Carroll.
Died: December 9, 1992.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Inconclusive; hypoxia.
Location: Cedarville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Cri-du-chat syndrome.

Details:
Mollie’s cause of death has been ruled inconclusive, but it is likely that she was smothered. Her death went unreported for at least twelve hours.

Mollie’s death is suspicious because the couple who adopted him has had five of their children die, and four of those deaths, including Noah’s, were investigated as possible homicides with both parents and 16-year-old older brother implicated.

Case status:
Kathleen Carroll (Mother), not charged.
Timothy Carroll (Father), not charged.
James Carroll (Brother), charged with delinquency by reason of involuntary manslaughter, acquitted.

Source:
Hannah, Noah, Molly and Joshua Carroll
Boy Saw Slaying, He Tells

Noah Carroll

Name: Noah Carroll.
Died: November 15, 1992.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Inconclusive; hypoxia.
Location: Cedarville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Prenatal cocaine exposure; epilepsy.

Details:
Noah’s cause of death has been ruled inconclusive, but it is likely that he was smothered.

Noah’s death is suspicious because the couple who adopted him has had five of their children die, and four of those deaths, including Noah’s, were investigated as possible homicides with both parents and 16-year-old older brother implicated.

Case status:
Kathleen Carroll (Mother), not charged.
Timothy Carroll (Father), not charged.
James Carroll (Brother), charged with delinquency by reason of involuntary manslaughter, acquitted.

Source:
Hannah, Noah, Molly and Joshua Carroll
Boy Saw Slaying, He Tells

Ed Dossett

Name: Ed Dossett.
Died: August 12, 1992.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Murder.
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Terminal cancer.

Details:
Ed was drugged with an overdose of morphine; then he was placed in a cattle pen, where he was trampled. The incident was initially written off as an agricultural accident until his wife, charged with killing her second husband, David Leath, came under suspicion for Ed’s death as well.

Ed Dossett served as the Knox County District Attorney General.

Case status:
Raynella Leath (Wife), charged with murder, convicted; conviction overturned, judge declared insufficient evidence to re-try the case.

Source:
Raynella Leath
Tennessee Woman Accused in a Trail of Death
Widow indicted in death once ruled a farm accident
Raynella Dossett Leath
Jury selection in accused black widow case underway
Testimony begins for woman accused of killing both of her husbands
Knox medical examiner calls death ‘homicide’ in accused black widow trial

Mark Dowell

Gravestone for Mark Lee Dowell, April 2 1956 to January 27 1992. The stone is a granite plaque engraved with flowers. Name: Mark Lee Dowell.
Died: January 27, 1992.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Drug overdose.
Location: San Diego, California, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

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

Case status:
Josephine Dowell (Mother), status unknown.

Source:
(Untitled newspaper article)
Mark Lee Dowell: Find A Grave

Brandon Sims

Name: Brandon Lamarr Sims.
Died: 1992 (Body never found).
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty.

Details:
Brandon was beaten to death by his mother, who said she “did not want to raise a freak”.

Case status:
Michelle Jones (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 50 years; released after 20 years.

Source:
We Need to Forgive the College-Bound Mother Who Killed Her Child
From Prison to Ph.D.: The Redemption and Rejection of Michelle Jones
Michelle Jones v. State

Noah Simpson

Name: Noah Simpson.
Died: December 10, 1991.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Eastlake, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Noah’s mother suffocated him by placing him face-down on a waterbed.

Case status:
Elayna Simpson (Mother); convicted of murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.

Source:
State of Ohio vs. Elayna Simpson. Court of Appeals of Ohio, Eleventh Appellate District, Lake County. 30 Sept. 1994. LexisNexus. Web. 30 May 2015.