Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Relative other than parent, child, or sibling.
Name: Leon Perkins.
Died: December 1, 2023.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, wheelchair user.
Details:
Leon was found dead at his home, sitting in his wheelchair. His death was ruled a homicide, and a relative who lived with him to care for him was arrested as the primary suspect.
Case Status:
Charles Parker (Relative), arrested.
Sources:
Silver Spring man charged in death of disabled relative
Name: Mahadev.
Died: November 25, 2023 (Body Found).
Age at death: Unknown.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Disability: Unspecified disability.
Also Killed: Gangarani Das, age 65, Mahadev’s grandmother.
Details:
Mahadev and his grandmother Gangarani Das lived in the same house; her granddaughter and her husband moved in to take care of them. Six months later, the two were nowhere to be found and the couple was questioned. Soon two skeletons, matching Mahadev and Gangarani, were found in the house’s septic tank. Police think that the couple who ostensibly moved in to care for Mahadev and his grandmother were actually planning to claim the house for themselves.
Case Status:
Priyanka Das and Shantanu (Relatives), charged with murder.
Sources:
Skeletons of sr citizen, disabled cousin found
Couple confesses to murders
Name: Aremean Mayo.
Age at death: 93.
Disability: Unspecified/Frail elder.
Name: Michael Willett.
Age at death: 69.
Disability: Wheelchair user, Stroke survivor
Died: November 25, 2023 (Bodies Found).
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Denmark, Maine, USA.
Details:
Michael, his partner, and his partner’s grandmother Aremean shared a household, where Michael’s partner cared for them both. Another of Aremean’s grandchildren grew worried when she couldn’t contact them and their caregiver told her she was “tired of taking care of them both”; so she asked for a welfare check. When police knocked on her door, their caregiver told police that Aremean was in the hospital and Michael was in the woods, hunting. But Michael couldn’t have pushed his wheelchair through the woods, and police quickly determined that Aremean was not in the hospital; so they forced their way into the house, where they found that both of them had been stabbed to death.
Case Status:
Tzara Jones (Michael’s partner, Aremean’s granddaughter), charged with murder.
Sources:
Maine woman accused of killing her partner, elderly grandmother to be arraigned
‘Tired of taking care of them’: Maine caretaker accused of killing her partner, grandmother appears in court
‘Took me by surprise:’ Neighbors shocked as Denmark woman charged with killing 2 people in her care
Name: Hashi Som (Sometimes spelled “Harshi Som”).
Died: April 28, 2023.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: New Delhi, National Capital Territory, India.
Disability: Arthritis, mobility impaired.
Details:
Hashi was found dead in her home. She had massive head injuries. Allegedly, her daughter-in-law, frustrated at having to care for her, bludgeoned her to death with a pressure cooker.
Case Status:
Sharmishtha Som (Daughter-in-law), charge with murder.
Sources:
In Delhi, 86-year-old killed with frying pan, cooker by daughter-in-law
Mom-in-law beaten to death in Delhi for refusing to live in care home
Delhi: Woman brutally beats 86-year-old mother-in-law to death using frying pan
Name: Gary Lew.
Died: April 11, 2023.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Beating.
Location: Denton, Nebraska, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida, dementia; wheelchair user.
Details:
Gary was beaten to death by his daughter, son in law, cousin, and a family friend. Two young children witnessed the incident.
Case Status:
Christina Thornley (Daughter), pleaded no contest to six charges including abuse of a vulnerable adult, false imprisonment, being an accessory to murder, and evidence tampering; sentenced to 15 years.
Justin Thornley (Son in law), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, tampering with evidence, vulnerable adult abuse, false imprisonment, and criminal conspiracy; sentenced to 25 to 30 years.
Jacob Thornley (Cousin), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, abuse of a vulnerable adult, false imprisonment, evidence tampering and criminal conspiracy; sentenced to 29 to 30 years.
Braden Bongers, pleaded no contest to attempted assault; sentenced to 9 to 18 years.
Sources:
Final 2 of 4 suspects convicted in Omaha man’s murder sentenced to prison
Three men accept plea deals in beating death of wheelchair-bound Omaha man
Multiple suspects found guilty in Omaha man’s death after pleading ‘no contest’
3 of 4 suspects in Omaha man’s murder plead ‘no contest’
Name: Juanita Cox.
Died: March 20, 2023.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.
Details:
Juanita was found stabbed to death in her home. Police found her grandson, who sometimes stayed with her, after he made a public suicide attempt. He is suspected of burglarizing Juanita’s house and killing her in the process.
Case Status:
James Cox IV (Grandson), charged with second-degree murder.
Sources:
Man faces 2nd-degree murder charge in 82-year-old Jacksonville woman’s stabbing death
Update: 82-year-old woman stabbed to death in Jacksonville home identified, grandson suspected, family says
Grandson allegedly kills grandmother, climbs on top of Jacksonville fire trucks and cuts self
Name: Amalie G.
Died: March 6, 2023.
Age at death: 100.
Cause of death: Hit with an axe.
Location: Hamburg, Germany.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Amalie’s grandson, who served as her caregiver, allegedly killed her with an axe after an argument over money. Police say they think that her grandson was “overwhelmed” by caregiving.
Case Status:
Artur B (Grandson), charged with murder.
Sources:
German man on trial for killing 100-year-old grandma with ax – DW – 09/07/2023
Grandson goes on trial for decapitating 100-year-old grandmother
Woman, 100, decapitated in her wheelchair as axe-wielding grandson confesses
Grandma with dementia, 100, ‘decapitated by her own grandson with axe’
Name: Rosa “May May” Hargrave.
Died: March 2, 2023.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Sepsis; untended wounds.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Autism, ADHD, asthma.
Details:
Rosa lived in unsanitary conditions, was poorly cared for, and often had to be treated for skin infections. She died of sepsis after one such infection went untreated until it spread to her bloodstream.
Rosa was a “girly girl” who loved all things pink; she enjoyed watching YouTube videos.
Case Status:
Rosa Hargrave (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, sentenced to 3 years house arrest and 4 years probation.
Charles Turner (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, sentenced to probation.
Felicia Hargrave (Aunt), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, sentenced to probation.
Sources:
Indy mom avoids jail time after daughter dies from infected wound
Obituary for Rosa May Hargrave | Fountain Square Mortuary
3 charged with neglect in death of Indy 12-year-old, mice and feces found inside home
Autism Memorial: Rosa Hargrave
Name: James “Little Jimmie” Parham.
Died: February 13, 2023.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.
Details:
James, called Little Jimmie, died from alleged neglect while in the care of his father and nephew.
Jimmie was a car enthusiast who enjoyed going to car shows.
Case Status:
James Parham Sr. (Father), charged with first-degree murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in serious physical harm.
Austin Parham (Nephew), charged with first-degree murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in serious physical harm.
Sources:
Father, nephew charged with killing disabled man last February in Montgomery County – ClarksvilleNow.com
James Parham – ClarksvilleNow.com
Name: Patrice Johnson.
Died: November 18, 2022.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Springfield Gardens, Queens, New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
When Patrice’s aide arrived at her house, they found her dead, along with her aunt and stepmother. Patrice’s nephew was arrested on suspicion of having stabbed all three women to death after an argument.
Police say that Patrice’s stepmother, 65-year-old Hyacinth Brown-Johnson, died trying to protect her. Also killed was Latoya Gordon, 47, Hycainth’s daughter.
Case Status:
Jabari Burrell (Nephew), charged with three counts of first-degree and second-degree murder, grand larceny, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Sources:
Brooklyn Man Charged In Triple Homicide
Suspect arrested in fatal stabbings of grandmother, 2 aunts: sources
Queens killer fatally stabs three relatives in Springfield Gardens home; cops seek fugitive family member
Queens triple murder: Mom, daughter and disabled stepdaughter stabbed to death, hunt on for family member
Suspect in Queens triple homicide reveals grisly details on slays: sources
UPDATE: Relative arrested in Friday triple killing
Family member of Queens murder victims charged in their deaths: Police
Queens man wanted for fatally stabbing family members arrested in Virginia covered in blood
Gran shielded stepdaughter as nephew allegedly stabbed pair to death
Relative arrested in Friday triple killing