Location: Canada – Page 5 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jamie Hawley

Name: Jamie Hawley.
Died: May 26, 2008.
Age at death: 41.
Cause of death: Starvation, pneumonia, infection.
Location: Brockville, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Cerebral palsy and intellectual disability.

Details:
Jamie was neglected by his brother. Because he used a wheelchair, Jamie’s brother was able to confine him to the second floor of their home, which had no wheelchair ramps.

While his brother collected his disability checks, Jamie died of starvation, pneumonia, and infected bedsores.

Case status:
Jerry Hawley (Brother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 20 years; reduced to 14 years 11 months on 1.5x credit for time served.

Source:
Man who starved brother receives extra credit for time served
Inquest to begin Dec. 7 into disabled man’s starvation death
Ontario man gets 20 years for starving disabled brother to death

Courtney Wise

No Photo Name: Courtney Wise.
Died: February 18, 2008.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Courtney’s mother neglected and starved her to death.

Case status:
Astrid Hueller (Mother), pled guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 6 years in jail, minus double time served, for a total of five years.

Source:
Mother pleads guilty to manslaughter –
Mother gets six years for daughter’s death

Sarah Grupstein

No Photo Name: Sarah Grupstein.
Died: September 19, 2007.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Stroke, mobility impaired (Wheelchair user), diabetes, heart disease.

Details:
Sarah was shot by her son in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Percy Stein (Son), deceased.

Source:
History of euthanasia in Canada
Sarah Grupstein’s Obituary on National Post
Cancer-stricken man commits murder-suicide
`We weep for their pain,’ rabbi says at murder-suicide funeral
Murder or mercy?

Samantha Collins

Name: Samantha Collins.
Died: March 22, 2007.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Samantha’s boyfriend hit her in the head and killed her; then he dismembered and hid her body.

She was the mother of a toddler son.

Case status:
Ian Charles Borbely (Boyfriend), convicted of second-degree murder and indignity to a body; sentenced to 17 years to life.

Source:
MANDEL: Muskoka murderer who cut up spouse’s body loses appeal
Borbely found guilty in Samantha Collins murder
Argument before eviction led to murder: Crown

Kawliga Potts

No Photo Name: Kawliga Potts.
Died: January 27, 2007.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Developmental delay, possible fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Kawliga was deprived of food and clothing by his foster parent. He died of injuries from being hit in the head.

Case status:
Lily Choy (Foster mother), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 8 years.

Source:
Alberta foster boy’s death a direct result of child welfare failure: judge
New sentence for woman in death of foster child
Report to the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General – Public fatality inquiry into the death of Kawliga Potts

Sherry Lavery

Name: Sherry Lavery.
Died: September 27, 2006.
Age at death: 50.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Depression, alcoholism.

Details:
Sherry’s husband smothered her with a pillow after she told him she believed she would not recover from her alcoholism.

Sherry, a mother and grandmother, had been a political activist and a campaign manager for an MP, and regularly contributed to her local newspaper’s letters page. She loved the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Case Status:
Noel Lavery (Husband), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years house arrest, 3 years probation, and community service.

Sources:
Edmonton senior who smothered wife avoids jail | CBC News
Dead woman had alcohol, anti-depressants, in blood | CBC News
Killer of alcoholic wife guilty of manslaughter
Sherry Lavery Obituary (2006) – Edmonton Journal
Trial delayed by technical glitch to resume Friday | CTV News
Mental-health system needs fix

Lorna McCadden

Blurry black and white photo of Lorna McCaddon, a light-skinned woman with a beehive hairdo, wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, photographed outside in a garden. Name: Lorna McCadden.
Died: August 29, 2006.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Penticton, British Columbia, Canada.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Lorna’s husband went to the hospital where she was staying and shot her and then himself in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
John McCadden (Husband), deceased.

Source:
History of euthanasia in Canada
Murder/Suicide Update
Elderly Murder-Suicides Indicate Desperation, not Compassion
Elderly couple shot to death at B.C. hospital
Such an ugly unnecessary way to die: Two old, failing lovers might choose to end it all rather than to live apart
Slaying of wife seen as act of compassion

B. L.

No Photo Name: B. L. (Initials; full name unknown.)
Died: November 26, 2005.
Age at death: 13 months.
Cause of death: Brain damage; shaken baby.
Location: Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Developmental delay.

Details:
B. L. died of shaken baby syndrome, caused by his foster father.

Case status:
His foster father pleaded guilty to manslaughter; he was sentenced to five years, paroled within 2 years.

Source:
Learning from a sad, short life

Tiffany Pinckney

Name: Tiffany Pinckney.
Died: April 2, 2005.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Autism, developmental delay.

Details:
Tiffany was locked in a basement by her sister and her sister’s husband, where she starved to death.

Teachers remember Tiffany as a girl who loved music and “was lots of fun”.

Case status:
Allison Cox (sister), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 9 years.
Orlando Klass (sister’s husband), pled guilty to criminal negligence, sentenced to 2 years house arrest.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Tiffany Pinckney
Trial ordered in autistic woman’s death
The life and death of Tiffany Pinckney
Autistic woman was starved to death, crown asserts
Nine years for woman’s death

Ian Carmichael

Photo of Ian Carmichael, a boy with fair skin and short brown hair. He is wearing a red sweater with a sports logo on it, and a necklace of steel-gray beads. He is smiling for the camera. Name: Ian Carmichael.
Died: July 31, 2004.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Poisoned, strangled.
Location: London, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Epilepsy, dyslexia, developmental delay.

Details:
Convinced that he was ridding his family of an “intolerable burden”, Ian’s father took him to a hotel room, where he poisoned and then strangled him to death.

Ian competed in BMX bike racing. He left behind his older sister Gillian.

The crime was initially presented by the media as a “mercy killing”. Later on, Ian’s father blamed the antidepressants he was taking.

Case status:
David Carmichael (Father), charged with first-degree murder, ruled not guilty by reason of mental disorder; hospitalized for four years; absolute discharge in December 2009.

Source:
Accused David Carmichael remains silent while media puts defense forward
Carmichael murder case put off
Man not criminally responsible in son’s death
‘Loving’ father opens up over murder of son during psychotic episode
Can pills for depression turn you into a killer?
Canadian man who killed son while taking anti-depressants lobbies for freedom of U.S. dad who killed twins