Relationship: Parent – Page 59 – Disability Day of Mourning

Joseph Johnson Jr.

No Photo Name: Joseph Johnson Jr.
Died: June 19, 2013.
Age at death: 14 months.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified severe birth defects.

Details:
Joseph’s father scalded him with hot water. He died of the burns after just over two weeks in the hospital.

Case status:
Joseph Dwayne Johnson (Father), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 40 years.

Source:
LR father takes plea in death of toddler
Bail set at $1 million for father charged with killing toddler

Amelia Dew

No Photo Name: Amelia Dew.
Died: June 19, 2013.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Gosport, England, UK.
Disability: Myotonic dystrophy.

Details:
When Amelia was brought to the hospital with a massive head injury, her stepfather, who had been watching her, claimed she had hit her head on a chair she was strapped into during tube-fed meals. Amelia died four days later.

Initially, her stepfather was arrested, but not charged. Two years later, doctors who examined Amelia came forward, stating that her injuries were highly consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

Case status:
Robin Dowse (Stepfather), no charges.
Inquest underway.

Source:
The inquest into the death of two-year-old Amelia Dew has been halted due to police receiving new information
Inquest into Gosport toddler’s death due to restart after police probe ends
Police investigation into Gosport toddler’s death reopened

Alex Spourdalakis

Photo of a teenage boy, smiling, with fair skin and dark hair in a buzz cut; he is wearing a gray striped shirt. The photo is propped up with a bunch of yellow roses. Name: Alex Spourdalakis.
Died: June 9, 2013.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: River Grove, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Alex’s mother and caregiver tried to kill him with an overdose of painkillers; when that didn’t work, they stabbed him to death.

Case status:
Dorothy Spourdalakis (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years; released immediately on credit for time served.
Jolanta Agatha Skrodzka (Godmother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years; released immediately on credit for time served.

Source:
Autism Memprial: Alex Spourdalakis
Suburban mom admits to stabbing autistic son to death
Mother, godmother plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter of severely autistic teen
Mother, godmother who killed autistic teen released from prison
How Murder Victims With Disabilities Get Blamed For Their Own Deaths
New Report Discovers That the Media Normalizes the Murders of People with Disabilities

Miss Seo

No Photo Name: Seo (First name unknown).
Died: June 2013.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Yeosu, South Korea.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
This four-year-old girl’s mother strangled her to death.

Case status:
Ms. Seo (Mother); sentenced to 3 years.

Source:
Seo, 4-year-old female, name unknown
Korean Mother Kills Her Autistic Child, Gets 3 Years in Prison

Levai Bonnar

Photo of a boy with tan skin and straight black hair, smiling for the camera, wearing a blue hoodie. Name: Levai Bonnar.
Died: May 21, 2013.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Sydney, Australia.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Levai was beaten, starved, and humiliated by his parents. The abuse eventually proved fatal when Levai died of head injuries.

Levai’s killers nearly escaped justice by claiming the boy had died from falling off a pogo stick.

Case status:
Kayla James (Mother), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 10½ years.
Kodi James Maybir (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 31½ to 38 years.

Source:
Boy spent last months being abused: court
Life term urged for child killer Kodi Maybir
Christian hip-hop producer Kodi Maybir jailed for killing partner’s child

Alexandru Radita

Photo of a thin teenage boy with sandy hair and pale skin, wearing a black and white print jacket and a lanyard. Name: Alexandru Radita.
Died: May 7, 2013.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Sepsis, untreated diabetes.
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Juvenile diabetes.

Details:
Alexandru was neglected and confined to his room, and treatment for his diabetes was withheld. He died of a bacterial infection he could not fight because he was so badly malnourished.

Case status:
Emil Radita (Father), convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life.
Rodica Radita (Mother), convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Testimony from convicted father of teen in malnourishment death delayed until June
Supreme Court won’t hear appeals of couple convicted in diabetic son’s death
Alex Radita’s Parents Guilty Of Murder: Dead 15-Year-Old Starved, Neglected
Parents face homicide charges in death of son
Alex Radita, 15, weighed 37 pounds when he died, murder trial hears
Alex Radita lay dead for up to 36 hours, police officer testifies at parents’ murder trial
Calgary murder trial hears diabetic teen was malnourished, covered in ulcers
Raditas guilty of 1st-degree murder of teen son who weighed 37 lb. at death
Diabetic boy’s parents who ‘didn’t believe in doctors’ found guilty of murder
A diabetic boy’s religious parents ‘didn’t believe in doctors.’ Now they’re guilty of his murder.
Can the sad, short life of one boy save others?
Appeal dismissed for Calgary parents convicted of murder in teen’s death

Aliyah Branum

Photo of a toddler with wispy blond hair and fair skin, wearing a green shirt, grinning at the camera. Name: Aliyah Marie Branum.
Died: April 26, 2013.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma; fractured skull.
Location: Citrus County, Florida, USA.
Disability: Multiple congenital disabilities.

Details:
Aliyah was beaten to death by her mother.

Case status:
Chelsea Huggett (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse; sentenced to 30 years.

Source:
Chelsea HUGGETT
ANGELIZD’s Place – Child Abuse Pages – Aliyah Marie Branum

40-year-old man

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: April 22, 2013.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Drugged and asphyxiated.
Location: Poissy, France.
Disability: Autism, hypoxic brain injury.

Details:
This 40-year-old man was found dead, drugged and smothered with a plastic bag over his head. His father was found unconscious but alive in a similar state.

Case Status:
His father was charged with murder.

Sources:
Poissy : désespéré, il tue son fils autiste
Autisme : les entendre vivants, ou les comprendre… morts ?

Adrian and Alexis Colon

Portrait photo of three children, a girl in a pink dress, with brown skin, curly black hair, and brown eyes; and twin toddler boys in blue-striped shirts, with pale skin and dark-brown hair and eyes. Name: Adrian Colon.
Disability: Autism.

Name: Alexis Colon.
Disability: Cerebral Palsy.

Died: April 11, 2013.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: West Allis, Wisconsin, USA.

Details:
Adrian and Alexis, twin brothers, and their sister Nayeli, were left locked into their room by their mother while she went out. While they were alone, a fire started and killed the three siblings. Their mother had received prior warnings about her neglect of the children.

Case status:
Angelica Belen (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect, sentenced to 18 years in prison and 18 years of probation.

Source:
Three young children die in West Allis house fire, mother in custody
Mother of victims in fatal West Allis fire faced previous neglect charges
Couple wishes they would have done more for children killed in fire
Find a Grave: Adrian Colon
Autism Memorial: Adrian Colon

Terrilynn Dennis

Photo of a young girl with dark skin and dark braided hair, wearing a pink skirt and a pink T-shirt with a cupcake on it. Name: Terrilynn Destiny Julz Dennis.
Died: April 4, 2013.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Peritonitis.
Location: Newport News, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.

Details:
Terrilynn died of peritonitis from blows to the stomach, complicated by physical and medical neglect. Her parents allegedly waited eight hours after she became unresponsive to take her to the hospital, and she died shortly thereafter.

From her obituary: “Terrilynn had a warm spirit; she enjoyed playing with her sisters and learning about the Bible.”

Case status:
Terri W. Dennis (Adoptive father), charged with murder.
Pamela T. Dennis (Adoptive mother), charged with murder.

Source:
Girl adopted by Terri and Pamela Dennis
Terrilyn Destiny Julz Dennis