Type: Multiple Homicide – Page 13 – Disability Day of Mourning

Zain and Faryaal Akhter

No Photo Name: Zain Syed Akhter.
Died: July 19, 2010.
Age at death: 5.
Disability: Autism.

Name: Faryaal Rashid Akhter.
Died: July 20, 2010.
Age at death: 2.
Disability: Developmental delay; her mother thought she also had autism.

Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA.

Details:
Zain and Faryaal’s mother tried to make them drink bathroom cleaner; when they wouldn’t do it, she strangled them.

Case status:
Saiqa Akhter (Mother), found not guilty by reason of insanity; hospitalized.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Zain and Faryaal Akhter
Dallas mom, Saiqa Akhter, killed her two children because they were autistic: 911 recording
Mother cites kids’ autism as motive for their slayings in call to 911 operator
Texas Mom Says She Killed Kids Because They Were Austistic

Manuel Reyes and Rita Morales

Photo of Manuel Reyes. He has tan skin and gray hair, and is wearing a blue sweater and white shirt. Name: Manuel Reyes.
Age at death: 85.
Disability: Double amputee (Legs).

Photo of Rita Morales. She is an elderly woman with gray hair and light-brown skin, wearing a brown collared shirt. Name: Rita Morales.
Age at death: 87.
Disability: Elderly disabled.

Location: Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Died: April 30, 2010.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.

Details:
Manuel and Rita were both killed by their caregiver, who was Rita’s son and Manuel’s nephew. They were bludgeoned to death with a hammer; Rita was also stabbed.

Case status:
Arthur Reyes Morales (Son, Nephew), pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, sentenced to 30 years to life and must serve at least 17 years.

Source:
Judge finds Canoga Park man was sane when he killed his elderly mother, uncle
Hammer killer sane when he murdered 87-year-old mom, 85-year-old double-amputee uncle
Manuel Reyes, 85
Rita Morales, 87

Aja Johnson

Name: Aja Danielle Johnson.
Died: March 29, 2010.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: ADHD, sleep disorder.

Details:
Aja’s abusive stepfather, after losing custody, killed her mother and kidnapped her. Two months later, he killed her and then himself.

Aja’s father called her “Punky.” She wanted to be a cheerleader.

Case status:
Lester Hobbs (Stepfather), deceased.

Source:
Amber Alert: 7-Year-Old Aja Johnson Believed to Be With Accused Murderer
Horrific abuse marked last three years of Aja Johnson’s life
New Info in Aja Johnson Case
Aja Danielle Johnson (2003-2010) – Find A Grave
Command center closing in search for 7-year-old

Jimmy Phillips

No Photo Name: James “Jimmy” Phillips.
Died: January 11, 2010.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Gulf Hills, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Paraplegic.

Details:
Jimmy and his wife Joanne, 70, were both killed by their son in a double murder-suicide. Jimmy was shot four times in the face; Joanne was beaten to death.

They left behind one surviving daughter.

Case status:
Sammy Phillips (Son), deceased.

Source:
He killed his parents then took his own life. Neighbors want their property cleared.
Jackson County Sheriff: Alcohol, drugs factor in double homicide-suicide case in St. Martin
Murder/suicide case to be sent to grand jury

Clyde Bedford

Name: Clyde Edward “Eddie” Bedford.
Died: December 18, 2009.
Age at death: 57.
Cause of death: Bludgoned.
Location: Kennedale, Texas, USA.
Disability: Wheelchair user.

Details:
Clyde, his daughter Joy, and his granddaughter Jodi were attacked by his son-in-law. Clyde and his granddaughter died from being bludgeoned with a bat, and his daughter was fatally stabbed.

Clyde and his granddaughter Jodi were especially close.

Case Status:
John William Hummel (Son-in-law), convicted of murder, sentenced to death. Executed June 30, 2021.

Source:
What did John Hummel do and how did he die? ID’s Sins of the Father revisits 2009 triple murders
Texas inmate faces execution after killing 3 family members
Kennedale Man Faces Execution After Killing 3 Family Members
Clyde Edward “Zeke” Bedford (1952-2009) – Find A Grave
Texas execution: Man stabbed wife 30+ times, used bat to kill daughter and father-in-law
Texas executes inmate for killing his pregnant wife, father-in-law back in 2009

Michelle Thomson

Photo of Michelle Thomson, a teenage girl with wavy brown hair and light skin, wearing a striped shirt. Name: Michelle Thomson.
Died: March 5, 2008.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Buckhaven, Fife, Scotland.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Michelle and her little brother Ryan were stabbed to death by her father.

Case status:
Rab Thomson (Father), sentenced to 17 years to life in prison.

Source:
Mother tells of agony after disabled daughter, 25, and son, 7, are brutally murdered by ex-husband bent on revenge
Traumatised mum who endured terrible loss of two children fears being made homeless after cruel benefits blow
Criminologist reveals how killer Rab Thomson murdered his children in a bid to seek revenge against his wife
Handicapped woman and brother found murdered

Daniel Benoit

Photo of Daniel Benoit, a little boy in a formal shirt and tie. Name: Daniel Christopher Benoit.
Died: June 25, 2007.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Suffocated.
Location: Fayetteville, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Fragile X (Disputed).

Details:
Daniel’s father suffocated him in a murder-suicide. He also killed Daniel’s mother, Nancy.

Daniel might not have had Fragile X; a family member reported that he did not, but the media widely reported Daniel’s Fragile X as having been the stressor that drove his father to kill him.

Case status:
Chris Benoit (Father), deceased.

Source:
Christopher Michael BENOIT
Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide – Wikipedia
The tragic family secret Benoit kept from the world
Attorney: Couple argued over care of mentally retarded 7-year-old son
Sandra Toffoloni talks about her sister’s murder at the hands of Chris Benoit
SON’S DISABILITY SUGGESTED AS FACTOR IN BENOIT MURDER-SUICIDE
Chris Benoit Conspiracy Theories Debunked: What Really Happened?

Jasmine and Minnet Bowman

Portrait photo of Minnet and Jasmine Bowman. They are young, dark-skinned girls with their hair in braids and barrettes, smiling at the camera. — Minnet Bowman, left, and Jasmine Bowman.

Name: Jasmine Nicole Bowman.
Age at death: 7.

Name: Minnet Cecelia Bowman.
Age at death: 9.

Died: May 2006.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Montgomery County, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Unspecified “special needs”.

Details:
Both Jasmine and Minnet were smothered by their adoptive mother. She then put their bodies in a freezer and continued to collect the subsidies she got for adopting special-needs children.

Case status:
Renee Bowman (Adoptive mother), murder, sentenced to 2 life terms plus 75 years without parole.

Source:
Renee Bowman

Gracie Sharpe

Name: Gracie Louise Sharpe.
Died: March 27, 2004.
Age at death: 20 months.
Cause of death: Shot with speargun.
Location: Mornington, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Congenital hip dysplasia.

Details:
Gracie’s mother was pregnant with her younger sibling; but her father resented having to care for her and her special needs, and did not want another child. He used a spearfishing gun to kill Gracie’s mother, Anna Marie Kemp, whose baby, a son named Francis, died with her. He hid the body and pretended she had left him. Days later, he killed Gracie with the same speargun.

Case Status:
John Myles Sharpe (Father), convicted of two counts of murder, sentenced to 66 years to life.

Sources:
Sharpe family murders
Gracie Louise Sharpe (2002-2004) – Find A Grave.

Andy and Michael Scott

Photo of Andy and Michael Scott, two men with black hair and light-brown skin. There are balloons in the background. Name: Andy Byron Scott.
Age at death: 41.

Name: Michael Randy Scott.
Age at death: 42.

Died: June 8, 2002.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Spalding County, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Huntington’s disease.

Details:
Andy and Michael’s mother went to their nursing home and shot them.

Case status:
Carol Carr (Mother), pleaded guilty to assisted suicide, sentenced to 5 years in prison.

(There is no evidence that the two men ever asked their mother to help them commit suicide; she seems to have been the one who decided they should not live any longer. –Ed.)

Source:
Carol Carr