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

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

Sean Hurtt

No Photo Name: Sean Hurtt.
Died: June 13, 2001.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: Garfield, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Sean and his mother, Kathy Hairston, were both bludgeoned to death with a hammer by Sean’s stepfather. His stepfather was facing imprisonment for rape, and claimed that he had killed them because no one could take care of them the way he could.

Case status:
Kenneth Hairston (Stepfather). Sentenced to death.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Sean Hurtt
Husband killed wife, son to spare them ordeal of his trial for rape, detective says
Kenneth Hairston Pennsylvania Death Row | My Crime Library
COMMONWEALTH v. HAIRSTON

Shi Rui Wang

No Photo Name: Shi Rui “Serena” Wang.
Died: September 23, 1998.
Age at death: 23 months.
Cause of death: Medication overdose.
Location: Padstow, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Serena’s parents were Chinese living in Australia, and Serena’s mother was afraid that if she committed suicide, her husband would take Serena back to a Chinese orphanage. She tried to tie up her husband to stop him from saving Serena’s life, but he fought back and she instead killed him. Then she killed Serena with a medication overdose, and attempted suicide, but was found by police.

Case status:
Joyes Hong Wang (Mother); convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 4-6 years in prison.

Source:
Regina v Wang [2000] NSWSC 447 (23 May 2000)

Ronald Blevins

Gravestone for Jean and Ronald Blevins. Name: Ronald Blevins.
Died: February 20, 1997.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: California, USA.
Disability: Disabled, diabetic.

Details:
During an argument over Ronald’s care, his father shot him and his mother, Jean Blevins, to death.

Case status:
Reed Blevins (Father), pleaded to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 24 years, 4 months.

Source:
“Do This In Remembrance of Me” Volume 4 Part Two

Justin and Sandra Blair

Photo of a gravestone. It reads: Blair, Sandi Kay, 1960-1996. Justin Michael, 1987-1996. Mother and son. Name: Sandra Blair.
Age at death: 36.
Disability: Injury from a car accident.

Name: Justin Blair.
Age at death: 8.
Disability: Cerebral palsy; blindness.

Died: March 11, 1996.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned with hammer.
Location: Concord, New Hampshire, USA.

Details:
Sandra and Justin, mother and son, were killed by Sandra’s husband, Justin’s father, who bludgeoned them with a hammer.

Case status:
Robert Blair (Father); convicted of murder; sentenced to two consecutive life terms.

Source:
Man Convicted in Hammer Slayings of Wife, Son

Basma Rafay

Name: Basma Rafay
Died: July 13, 1994.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Basma was bludgeoned to death by her brother and his friend. They also killed her parents, Tariq and Sultana Rafay.

Case status:
Atif Rafay (Brother), convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.
Sebastian Burns (Brother’s friend), convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Basma Rafay
The Rafay Family Murders