Sheila Murray

Sepia photo of a middle-aged African-American woman.Name: Sheila June Murray.
Died: August 15, 2019.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Johnson City, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Sheila died from abuse and neglect. Police arrested her son and daughter and charged them with murder.

Sheila’s obituary remembers her as a talkative, outgoing woman who “used her cooking to bless and bring others together”.

Case Status:
Michael Murray (Son), charged with first-degree murder.
Karen Murray (Daughter), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
TN Brother & Sister Accused Of Killing Disabled Mother
Tennessee Sister and Brother Charged with First-Degree Murder in the Death of Their Disabled Mother
Shelia June Murray – View Obituary & Service Information

Kiyoko Otsuka

Photo of an older Japanese woman wearing glasses and a blouse.Name: Kiyoko Otsuka.
Died: July 7, 2019.
Age at death: 96.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Ms. Otsuka had been unable to go outside because of problems with her leg for several months. She lived with her son and daughter-in-law.

Ms. Otsuka was reportedly strangled by her daughter-in-law. Police say she told them she had done it because she couldn’t sleep because she was taking care of Ms. Otsuka.

Case status:
Fumiko Otsuka (Daughter-in-law), charged with murder.

Source:
Aichi: Woman, 70, suspected of killing bedridden mother-in-law

Ashamati

No PhotoName: Ashamati.
Died: July 6, 2019.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Balangir, Odisha, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Witnesses reported to police that Ashamati’s son was arguing with her husband, and when her son picked up a piece of wood and started hitting her husband, Ashamati demanded he stop. According to the police, her son then poured kerosene on her and set her on fire. She died from her injuries.

Case status:
Santosh Kharsel (Son), charged with murder.

Source:
Man burns mother to death in Balangir
Man burns bedridden mother to death
Man sets bed-ridden mom on fire, arrested

91-year-old woman

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: June 19, 2019.
Age at death: 91.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Shevchenko, Isilkulsky district, Omsk Oblast, Siberia, Russia.
Disability: Blind; frail elder.

Details:
This 91-year-old woman was allegedly beaten to death by her son because he was tired of caring for her.

Case status:
Ivan L. (Son), charged with infliction of bodily harm resulting in death.

Source:
A resident of Omsk region beat to death a blind 91-year-old mother
Житель Омской области досмерти избил свою слепую 91-летнюю мать
Омич устал ухаживать за тяжелобольной слепой матерью и забил ее до смерти — СуперОмск

Wilma Melchert

Photo of an older woman with short, permed brown hair, wearing a flower-print dress.Name: Wilma Melchert.
Died: June 12, 2019.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Morphine overdose.
Location: Gillespie, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
Wilma did a lot of volunteer work and was active in her community, went to church and was a member of the Lions Club. Her daughter, Denise, says that her mother “wanted to live.”

Wilma’s daughter-in-law took her home from her nursing home and poisoned her with a morphine overdose.

Case status:
Amy Melchert (Daughter-in-law), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 5 years.

Source:
Woman sentenced in mother-in-law’s death
Metro East woman sentenced for role in overdose death of mother-in-law
Wood River nurse charged with killing mother-in-law in hospice

Betty Crews

Photo of an older woman with straight white hair dyed partly blonde and dark circles under her eyes.Name: Betty Elouise Crews.
Died: June 7, 2019.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Harriman, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Betty lived with her daughter and another caretaker. Their lack of care led to her starvation death.

Case status:
Christopher Kennedy, convicted of felony murder; at large.
Evelyn Kennedy (Daughter), convicted of felony murder, sentenced to 51 years to life.

Source:
Convicted murderer at large after Roane County trial
Daughter, one other charged with murder after 72-year-old mother starved to death in Roane County
Daughter charged in starving death of elderly mother
Caretakers charged in starvation death of Roane County woman
Obituary of Betty Elouise Crews | Harriman Location

Frances Kelly

Photo of an older woman with gray hair; she has pale, wrinkled skin and is wearing a beige flowered sweater and a pin with the number ninety on it.Name: Frances Kelly.
Died: May 29, 2019.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Bartlett, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Frances’s son stabbed her in the back, killing her. At trial, though both sides agreed that Frances’s son had a mental illness, the prosecution argued that his motive had been frustration with his mother’s worsening dementia and that he knew that what he was doing was wrong.

Frances loved playing cribbage. She lived to see the birth of her first great-grandchild.

Case Status:
Edward Mitzelfeld (Son); charged with murder, declared guilty but mentally ill, sentenced to 27 years.

Sources:
Insane or just irked? Bartlett man on trial, accused of killing mother
Bartlett man found guilty but mentally ill in murder of his mother
Bartlett Man Found Guilty But Mentally Ill in the Stabbing Death of his 93-Year-Old Mother

Lillian Walsh

No PhotoName: Lillian Walsh.
Died: March 17, 2019.
Age at death: 94.
Cause of death: Bedsores, poor care.
Location: Ramsbottom, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Lilian had been discharged to a care home from the hospital; but her son took her home to his own house. Now solely responsible for her care, he neglected her hygiene and allowed severe bedsores to develop. She died in the hospital after falling out of bed.

Lilian was a retired accountant.

Case Status:
Graham Walsh (Son) pleaded guilty to two charges of ill-treating or neglecting a person who lacks capacity.

Sources:
Woman with dementia ‘must have suffered’ under son’s care ahead of death
Probe as Ramsbottom 95-year-old had ‘unexplained facial bruises’ inquest hears.

Kiyoshi Suzukawa

No PhotoName: Kiyoshi Suzukawa.
Died: March 2, 2019.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified; disabled elder.

Details:
Police suspect Kiyoshi’s son of strangling him to death. They say he told them that he had done it because caring for his father was stressful and he wanted to put his father out of his misery.

Case status:
Koji Suzukawa (Son), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Source:
46-year-old man kills bedridden father, then tries to kill himself

Mary Fitzgerald

Photo of a white-haired, pale-skinned older lady, wearing glasses.Name: Mary E. Fitzgerald.
Died: February 17, 2019.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, pressure sores.
Location: Rutland City, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Mary had been living under the care of her daughter and grandson. When she was brought to the hospital, she was very thin and badly injured, already dying. To make things even worse, she had to die without pain medication, allegedly because a nurse at the nursing home where she spent her last days stole her morphine.

Mary had worked at a delicatessen and bakery. She had three grandchildren.

Case status:
Marie E. Fitzgerald (Daughter), charged with murder and neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Christopher Preedom (Grandson), charged with murder and neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Dermot J. Hanna (Nurse), charged for fraud and exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

Source:
Daughter and grandson charged with second-degree murder in death of 85-year-old
Mother and son charged with murder of grandmother
Woman and son may face homicide charge for grandmother’s death
Mary E. Fitzgerald