Category: Relationship: Offspring

Child by birth or adoption.

Refilwe Monamodi

Photo of Refilwe Monamodi. She is a woman with light-brown skin and black hair that has been partly dyed green. She looks about middle aged.Name: Refilwe Rebecca Monamodi.
Died: March 5, 2017.
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: East Rand, South Africa.
Disability: Hemiparesis due to a car accident.

Details:
Refilwe’s daughter strangled her and threw her into the family’s swimming pool. Her four-year-old grandchild witnessed her death at the hands of her own daughter.

After she died, a police sergeant reported that he had often been called to the house on domestic violence calls. Refilwe had regularly been beaten up by her daughter, but was unable to press charges, probably due to fear of victimization or economic dependence.

Before her disability, she had worked as an advocate (that is, a barrister–a type of lawyer).

Case status:
Lerato Monamodi (Daughter), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Daughter gets life behind bars for killing her mother in Glen Marais
Murder accused ‘often abused’ mom
Drowning of disabled woman blamed on daughter
Daughter ‘kills’ disabled mom
Woman Drowns Disabled Mom
Drowning blamed on daughter
Murder accused ‘often abused’ mom

Prakash and Shoba Singh

Photo of Prakash and Shoba Singh. He is a middle-aged man wearing a suit and tie; his skin is medium-brown and his head is shaved. She is wearing a dress with a red sash, has light-brown skin and curly short gray hair.Name: Prakash Singh.
Age at death: 56.
Disability: Stroke-related.

Name: Shoba Singh, also referred to as Shoba Hariparsad.
Age at death: 50.
Disability: Unspecified.

Died: February 28, 2017.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Phoenix, South Africa.

Details:
Prakash and Shoba Singh were allegedly hacked to death with a bush knife by their son. Reportedly, he was angry that his mother wanted to send him to a drug rehabilitation center.

Case status:
Shanveer Singh (Son), charged with murder.

Source:
Decomposing bodies: son in dock for murders
KZN double murder accused son to stay behind bars
Indian-origin hacks parents to death in SA, lives with decomposed body for a week
NRI Youth Kills Disabled Parents, Lives With Their Corpses For A Week | Link Newspaper
Man slept in house with couple’s decomposing bodies | IOL
UPDATE: Phoenix man appears in court for parents’ alleged murder
Phoenix Parents Hacked To Death By Son

Theresa Smothers

No PhotoName: Theresa Marie Irene Smothers.
Died: December 31, 2016.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Neglect, malnutrition, dehydration.
Location: Poplar Bluff, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
When a hospice worker visited Theresa for the first time, she saw obvious signs of neglect and called for an ambulance. Theresa was taken to the hospital with starvation, dehydration, and infected bedsores; two days later, she died. She weighed 71 pounds; she had been fed just one packet of applesauce per day.

Case status:
Judy Smothers (Daughter), charged with second-degree murder and elder abuse.

Source:
Elderly Woman Dies from Extreme Neglect, But It’s Her Daughter’s Excuse That Tops Everything…
Victim of suspected elderly abuse dies
87-year-old woman, suspected victim of abuse, dies
Missouri woman accused in death of mother, 87
87-year-old woman, suspected victim of abuse, dies after authorities remove her from daughter’s home
Woman charged with murder, elder abuse in mother’s death
Poplar Bluff woman pleads not guilty to murder after her mother died of malnourishment

Sonia Riang

Photo of Sonia Riang, an African-American woman with medium-brown skin and curly black hair. She is wearing a flannel jacket and smiling.Name: Sonia Riang.
Died: December 25, 2016.
Age at death: 45.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Clinton Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired due to car accident; used wheelchair and cane.

Details:
Sonia was stabbed to death by her daughter on Christmas day.

She was a fan of Korean soap operas.

Case status:
Delilah Evans (Daughter), convicted of first-degree murder, guilty but mentally ill; sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Teen Arrested Monday in Connection With Christmas Day Murder
Daughter arrested in fatal stabbing of disabled mother in Clinton Township
Clinton Township teen may be arraigned in mother’s death
Daughter Arrested in Christmas Day Murder of Disabled Mother
17-year-old charged in murder of disabled mother
17-year-old daughter arraigned in mother’s stabbing death on Christmas
17-Year-Old Girl Charged With Murder In Mother’s Fatal Stabbing Christmas Day
Clinton Township Girl Arraigned In Mother’s Death
Teen arraigned in disabled mother’s stabbing death
Teen charged with murder in stabbing death of mother
17-Year-Old Girl Murders Mom On Christmas Day, But Family Upset About Murder Charges
Clinton Township teen seeking insanity verdict for stabbing mother to death
Teen gets life for stabbing disabled mom 120 times on Christmas Day
Teen who killed disabled mom on Christmas gets life in prison
Metro Detroit teen gets life without parole for stabbing her disabled mom 120 times, killing her
Clinton Township teen who killed mother gets life without parole
Daughter sentenced to life in prison for mother’s fatal stabbing on Christmas
Teen girl stabs disabled mother 120 times, killing her, on Christmas Day

Danny Fernandez

Photo of an older man with shaggy gray hair.Name: Danny Fernandez.
Died: December 11, 2016.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Springfield, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Danny’s stepdaughter brought him to the emergency room, claiming he had fallen out of his wheelchair. However, when the injuries were examined, she was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. When Danny died in the ICU a few days later, she was charged with murder.

Case status:
Christina Mathews (Stepdaughter), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
Obituary for Danny Fernandez at Ruby Funeral Services & Chapel, Inc.
Springfield woman facing multiple first-degree murder charges
Springfield Woman Accused of Beating Disabled Step-Father to Death
Woman Charged With Stepfather’s Murder
Money alleged motive for murder
Springfield woman charged with murder in stepfather’s death
Danny Fernandez’s Obituary

Riba Dewilde

Photo of Riba DeWilde. She is a woman with brown hair, fair skin, and large glasses. She is wearing a large hiking backpack and smiling.Name: Riba Dewilde.
Died: November 26, 2016.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Tok, Alaska, USA.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
Photo of "Athabaskan Male Doll with Accessories", artwork by Riba Dewilde. The doll is made of wood, bark, fur, and antler. It is dressed in traditional clothing, sitting in a canoe and holding a fishing spear.

Riba was an artist who would go out hunting and trapping to gather materials for her art.

Riba’s son shot her with a hunting rifle.

 

Case status:
Eli Simpson (Son), charged with first- and second-degree murder. Convicted; sentence unknown. Currently incarcerated.

Source:
Prisoners charged in riot, occupation of Fairbanks Correctional Center
21-year-old Tok man faces murder charges in Alaska artist’s death
Alaska artist Riba DeWilde shot and killed in Tok; son in custody
Artist Riba DeWilde Murdered; Emergency Fundraiser Planned

Albert Weaver Sr.

No PhotoName: Albert W. Weaver Sr.
Died: November 22, 2016.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Sepsis, malnutrition.
Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Albert was neglected by his family while they emptied his bank accounts and cashed his pension checks. He was taken to the hospital with a combination of malnutrition, septic shock, untended bedsores, and multiple infections, and survived for twelve days before dying from the effects of neglect.

Case status:
Albert W. Weaver Jr. (Son), pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person, sentenced to 15-48 months.
Virginia Weaver (Daughter-in-law), pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person and theft, sentenced to 2-5 years.
Amanda Weaver (Granddaughter), pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person and theft.
Anthony James Dorney (Granddaughter’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person and theft, sentenced to 2-5 years.

Source:
Family Members Plead Guilty in Elderly Man’s Neglect Death
DA: Family left Bucks County man to starve while they spent his money on cars, firearms
4 Charged In Deadly Bucks Co. Neglect Case Appear In Court
Four Held for Trial in Deadly Neglect of Elderly Man

Carol Simon and Brayden Otto

Picture of Carol Simon. She is a heavyset woman with brown curly hair and fair skin; she is wearing a pink fuzzy scarf. Brayden is a young boy with red hair and fair skin, wearing a collared orange shirt.Name: Carol Simon.
Age at death: 48.
Disability: Unspecified skin condition.

Name: Brayden Robert-Emil Otto.
Age at death: 7.
Disability: Unspecified disability.

Died: November 20, 2016.
Cause of death: Strangled, throat cut.
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA.

Details:
Carol and her grandson Brayden were killed by her son, who strangled them and then slit their throats to make sure they were dead. Later, the killer claimed that he had done it as a “mercy killing”, because Carol was ill and wasn’t getting better and because Brayden was disabled.

Carol was an outgoing nurse who liked learning. Brayden was an elementary school student remembered for his big smile.

Case status:
Heath Allen Otto (Carol’s son, Brayden’s uncle), charged with first-degree murder, found not guilty by reason of insanity; committed to a mental institution.

Source:
Man who killed mother, nephew in 2016 not guilty by reason of insanity
Man told police he wanted to put mother, nephew out of their misery
7-year-old homicide victim was South Dakota suspect’s nephew
Name released of 7-year-old killed in double homicide
Accused killer makes amazing claim
Child in double killing also related to suspect
Child’s name released in double homicide
Brayden Otto, 7
Guestbook for Brayden Robert-Emil Otto
Brayden Otto’s Obituary
Carol L. Simon, 48
Monsters Among Us: Heath Otto charged with killing his mother, Carol Simon and a his 7-year-old nephew, Brayden Robert-Emil Otto
Trial on pause to evaluate competency of man charged with murder of mother, nephew

Robert Libby

White marble gravestone reading, "Robert F Libby, AM2, US Navy, World War II, Jan 10, 1922 November 19 2016."Name: Robert Libby.
Died: November 19, 2016.
Age at death: 94.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: South Windsor, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Dementia, frail elder.

Details:
Robert’s son was supposed to care for him; instead he neglected his father, depriving him of food, water, and medical care, while he spent Robert’s disability payments on himself. Robert died of starvation in a filthy house.

Robert was a military veteran.

Case status:
James Libby (Son), pleaded no contest to first-degree manslaughter, sentenced to seven years in prison and ten years of parole.

Source:
Connecticut man gets 7 years in neglect death of father
Connecticut man sentenced for neglecting 94-year-old father
Police: South Windsor Man Neglected Dad, 94, Then Left Body For Days
South Windsor Man Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter For Neglecting Father
His son was his caretaker. Police found insects eating the 94-year-old’s body.

Henrietta Belcher

Photo: An elderly woman with curly brown short hair and pale skin, photographed against the brick wall of a house; she is wearing sunglasses. Her expression is neutral. Name: Henrietta “Retta” Green Belcher.
Died: November 5, 2016; bodies found November 15, 2016.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Inman, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Stroke; communication impaired; chronic illness.

Details:
Retta was a homemaker whose husband William “Eddie” Belcher, an associate pastor, had retired to care for her after she had a stroke. The couple had five children and fourteen grandchildren.

Eddie and Retta were shot to death by their son, their bodies left in the house for ten days until a relative called police to ask for a welfare check.

Their killer claims that he shot his parents because his father asked him to do it. Whether or not Eddie Belcher asked to be killed, Retta Belcher, unable to communicate because of her stroke, could not have made such a request for herself.

Case status:
Stephen Linwood Belcher (son), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Source:
Boiling Springs man pleads guilty in ‘merciful’ killing of parents
Attorney: Stephen Belcher’s parents asked son to kill them
Community ‘shocked’ at son confessing to parents’ murders
Community ‘shocked’ at son confessing to killing parents
Deputies arrest son in parents’ killing after wife calls 911
Deputies: Son confessed to murdering parents in SC
Eddie and Rhetta Belcher’s Obituary
Lawyers: Spartanburg Parents Pleaded with Son to Kill Them
Laywer: Upstate murder suspect was asked to kill parents in poor health
Man confesses to killing parents, directs deputies to bodies, authorities say
SC Deputies: Son confessed to murdering parents
SC man charged with killing his parents
Sheriff’s Office: Man, 38, confesses to killing parents
Son confessed to murdering parents in Inman say Spartanburg Co. deputies
South Carolina deputies investigating after son admits to killing parents
South Carolina father begged son to shoot him, attorney says
South Carolina man who shot dead his parents claims his father begged him to shoot them