Location: Australia – Page 5 – Disability Day of Mourning

Norma Ludlam

Name: Norma Ludlam.
Died: July 6, 2015.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Eli Waters, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Norma was severely beaten by her neighbor and caregiver. She was taken to the hospital alive, but survived only two days before succumbing to head injuries.

Case Status:
Frederick Ronald Sinfield (Neighbor, caregiver), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.

Sources:
Hervey Bay carer denies murdering frail friend | The Courier Mail
Man charged with 75-year-old Norma’s brutal murder
The Queen v Sinfield (No 2) [2019] QSCPR 5
Man accused of murdering 75yo Fraser Coast woman remanded in custody

Portrait photo of a seated toddler boy with dark straight hair and fair skin, wearing a dark vest over a white dress shirt. Name: Aidan Fenton.
Died: April 27, 2015.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Insulin deprivation.
Location: Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Juvenile diabetes.

Details:
Aidan died after a “slapping therapy” workshop, a treatment that included several days of fasting and repeated, hard slaps meant to cause bruising and “release toxins”. He may also have been taken off insulin by his parents.

Case status:
Hong Chi Xiao (Healer), found guilty of manslaughter, sentenced to 7-10 years in prison.
Aidan’s parents Lily and Geoff Fenton were not charged and are suing the medical practice.

Source:
Aidan Fenton, 7, was made to fast before ‘slapping therapy’, then he vomited and died
Couple sue medical practice over the death of their son
Chinese ‘slapping therapy’ healer jailed over Australian diabetic boy’s death

5-year-old boy

Photo of a small boy, with a censor blur obscuring the face. The child has blond hair and fair skin and is wearing a blue hoodie. Name Unknown.
Died: March 26, 2015.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Drug overdose.
Location: Pennant Hills, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Epilepsy, Hepatitis C.

Details:
This young boy had allegedly been abused by his foster family before he died of an overdose of several drugs, including diazepam, morphine, and other opiates.

He had been taken from his birth mother because she used drugs.

Case status:
His foster family is under investigation.

Source:
Five-year-old foster boy had ‘toxic drug cocktail’ in system at death, reports
Dead five-year-old foster child “had drugs in system”
Five-Year-Old Boy Who Died in Foster Care Had Heroin in His System
Police investigate death of boy, five, in notorious foster home
Boy, five, in foster care died with a cocktail of drugs in his system
Boy, 5, dies under same care as Girl X

Liam Milne

Photo of Liam Milne and his mother Susana. Liam is a light-brown-skinned boy with curly black hair, wearing a baseball cap and pink shirt. His mother is a woman with brown hair and pale skin, wearing sunglasses and a straw hat. She has her arms around Liam. Name: Liam Milne.
Age at death: 11.
Disability: Fragile X.
Died: February 1, 2015.
Cause of death: Car crash.
Location: Sydney, Australia.

Details:
Liam and his brother Ben both had Fragile X, and their mother Susana was six months pregnant with another boy. Their father, who feared that the boys would not be able to cope with their disabilities, bundled his whole family into the car and crashed it into a tree at 90 miles an hour.

Only seven-year-old Ben survived the crash, though he was severely injured. Ben is now living with his aunt, who says he is doing well.

Case status:
Darren John Milne (Father), deceased.

Source:
Darren John Milne who killed his pregnant wife and son in a car crash had set up bombs
Double murder-suicide driver planted bombs in engine bay
Horror crash mum Susana Milne was pregnant with third child
NSW coroner criticises dead father after horror car crash

Sandra Deacon

No Photo Name: Sandra Deacon.
Died: October 1, 2014.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Budgewoi, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Brain damage due to neonatal encephalitis.

Details:
Sandra was found dead of massive head injuries, and her partner was arrested. Support workers told authorities that her partner had been dominating and isolating her, possibly forcing her to distance herself from support services.

Case Status:
Garry Weigand (Partner), charged with murder, died before trial.

Sources:
DNA needed to identify victim
Murder accused Garry Weigand dies in custody | Newcastle Herald | Newcastle, NSW
Inquest into the death of Sandra Deacon

Kim and Fletcher Hunt

Sepia-tone portrait photo of a woman and three children, a boy and two girls. They are smiling at the camera.

Name: Kim Hunt.
Died: September 9, 2014.
Age at death: 41.
Disability: Traumatic brain injury (from car accident), causing hemiplegia and personality changes.

Name: Fletcher Hunt.
Age at death: 10.
Disability: ADHD.

Died: September 9, 2014.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lockhart, New South Wales, Australia.

Other victims: Mia (8 years) and Phoebe (6 years).

Details:
Kim’s husband shot her and her three children before committing suicide.

Before her car accident, Kim had been an intensive-care nurse. Now unable to do the physical work of nursing, Kim was planning to return to work as a nursing administrator instead.

Fletcher liked Australian rules football and riding his motorbike.

Case status:
Geoff Hunt (Husband, father), deceased.

Source:
‘He may have simply just snapped’: Disability worker breaks down as she describes Kim Hunt’s violent rages after a car crash left her with brain injuries before her husband shot his family dead
Hunt family inquest findings

Marcia Clark

Photo of Marcia Clark. She is a thin elderly woman with pale skin and gray hair, wearing glasses and a purple long-sleeved shirt. Name: Marcia Clark.
Died: July 20, 2014.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Starvation and infection.
Location: Taree, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Frail elder; caregiver claimed dementia and Parkinson’s.

Details:
Marcia died of infected bed sores and starvation after being neglected by her daughter.

The death was ruled as having been of “natural causes… the combined effects of severe malnutrition and infection… after a period of being neglected by her carer.”

Case status:
Nardia Clark (Daughter), no charges; went missing, found dead in 2016.

Source:
How the system failed this elderly mother and her daughter who couldn’t cope
Death of Marcia Clark: Coroner finds daughter struggled to care for elderly mother
Findings Marcia Clark.pdf

Tyron Honeywood

Photo of Tyron Honeywood, a young man with brown hair and light skin sitting cross-legged in a wheelchair and smoking a cigarette. He is wearing sunglasses, gloves, and black athletic pants and hoodie. Name: Tyron Paul Honeywood.
Died: March 21, 2014.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Disability: Paraplegic.

Details:
Tyron was shot dead by his father.

Case status:
Brian Robert Honeywood (Father), pleaded guilty to murder, committed suicide just before sentencing.

Source:
Perth father charged with murder of paraplegic son
Brian Honeywood pleads guilty to murdering paraplegic son Tyron in their Midland home
Father, 60, in court on murder charge over disabled son, Tyron Paul Honeywood’s death
Midland man s death a homicide: police
Tyron HONEYWOOD Obituary

Steven Copo-Horton

Name: Steven Copo-Horton.
Died: October 28, 2013.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Emerton, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Angelman syndrome.

Details:
Steven drowned in the bathtub. Prosecutors say he could not have gotten into the bathtub on his own.

“All [Steven] wanted to do was kiss and cuddle everyone,” his mother remembers.

Case status:
Charbel Younes (Stepfather), charged with murder. After being released on bail, he broke his wife’s arm and shot at his other stepson. Court subsequently denied bail. Acquitted.

Source:
Stepdad acquitted of murder at retrial
Drowned teen couldn’t have got in bath
Charles Younes trial: Man denies murder of disabled stepson in bathtub
Tradie charged with drowning murder of his disabled teenager stepson
Stepfather charged over teen’s bathtub death
‘Concerning history of violence’: Couple split one week before teen found dead in bath
Man charged with murder over 2013 bathtub drowning of teen
Man who drowned disabled stepson ‘broke ex-wife’s arm and shot a gun’

Martin Meffert

Photo of a man with fair skin and dark-blond hair, wearing a black and white print baseball cap. He has a stubbly beard and mustache. Name: Martin Meffert.
Died: October 24, 2013 (Body found); Missing February 8, 2005.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Terownie, South Australia, Australia.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
23-year-old Martin, grieving the death of his mother, arranged to stay with an aunt and some cousins. Then he disappeared.

Eight years later, one of his cousins, who had been collecting Martin’s disability payments, pulled out Martin’s skull and showed it to a friend. This was not reported until a firearms raid found Martin’s bones in plain view in the fireplace of his home. His cousin admitted to shooting Martin in the head and stealing his disability pension for ten years.

Martin loved Bruce Springsteen’s music. He was proud uncle to a baby nephew and awaiting a second nephew when he died.

Case status:
Christopher Travis Scott (Cousin), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Teen who shot Martin Meffert dead then claimed his Centrelink payments
Martin Meffert murder: Police conduct doorknocks in Terowie, SA
Bones-in-fireplace murder: Sister of Martin Meffert wants to end her family’s torment and get justice
No one had spoken to Martin for years. Then police made a gruesome discovery.
Case against accused cold case murderer labelled ‘weak’
Cold case murder accused remanded in custody
Accused killer pulled skull out of box ‘like a show-and-tell’, court told
Accused Terowie murderer admits to killing relative whose bones were found in fireplace
Killer’s confession leads police to find remains of SA murder victim
Bones of murdered man found at Terowie property
Property searched to find murdered man’s remains