Location: USA – Page 79 – Disability Day of Mourning

Kimberly Stern

No Photo Name: Kimberly L. Stern.
Died: June 9, 2015.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Dubuque, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kim’s father killed her by shooting her 17 times.

Kim had a doll collection, with a name and a personality for each doll. She liked to write stories about them.

Case status:
Robert Stern (Father), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Dubuque man convicted of killing daughter gets life sentence
Testimony begins in Robert Stern murder trial
Opening statements, witness testimony heard in Robert Stern trial
UPDATE: Police: Dubuque dad shot daughter with 3 different guns
Dubuque Father Charged with Murder in Daughter’s Death
Police say Dubuque man admitting to killing his daughter
Autism Memorial: Kimberly Stern
Police: Man admits to shooting, killing daughter
Dubuque man charged in daughter’s death
UPDATE: Dubuque man convicted of 1st-degree murder in daughter’s killing

Lorrie Rolen

Name: Lorrie Ann Rolen.
Died: June 7, 2015.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Fittstown, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: COPD; wheelchair user.

Details:
Lorrie’s death was declared a homicide, and her husband was charged with first-degree murder. The jury acquitted him because they decided that it could not be proved that her head injury had not come from a fall.

Case status:
Frinchey Dwain Rolen (Husband), charged with first-degree murder; acquitted; died May 9, 2021.

Source:
Husband on trial for Fittstown woman’s murder
Fittstown man arrested in connection with wife’s 2015 death
Oklahoma man arrested for wife’s murder two years after her death
Pontotoc County man arrested for wife’s murder
Authorities investigating woman’s death at home near Fittstown
Obituary for Frinchey Dewayne Rolen | Amy Stittsworth Funeral Service and Cremation Directors

Hiroko Ono

Name: Hiroko Ono.
Died: June 5, 2015.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Sacramento, California, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Hiroko was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband.

Case status:
Masaharu Ono (Husband), charged with murder; released from jail into hospice care due to his bad health.

Source:
Documents: 92-year-old accused of killing wife near death in hospice care
Calif. man, 89, charged with murdering his wife: cops
Nonagenarian Accused of Killing Wife Said to Be Near Death

Courtney Liltz

Photo of Courtney Liltz, a young woman with short, curly brown hair and fair skin. She wears a Christmas sweater. Name: Courtney Liltz.
Died: June 5, 2015.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Rolling Meadows, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
As a baby, Courtney was put up for adoption, but her first adoptive placement failed, and instead she had to live in an institution for people with developmental disabilities. At five, she was adopted.

Courtney was a fan of Sesame Street‘s Ernie. She liked going to school and using the computers there.

Courtney’s adoptive mother poisoned her with an overdose of drugs. She died in the hospital nine days later.

The case was used as precedent for the trial of the killers of Alex Spourdalakis, who were both sentenced to four years and released on time served.

Case status:
Bonnie Liltz (Adoptive mother), pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to four years in prison, served 72 days before being released pending appeal; appeal rejected; died by suicide.

Source:
Illinois mom accused of killing daughter gets support
Friends support Schaumburg mom charged with disabled daughter’s death
Schaumburg Woman’s Sentence being determined in Daughter’s Death
Schaumburg mom gets four years in prison for killing disabled daughter
Schaumburg mom out on bond after serving 72 days for killing disabled daughter
Mother, godmother who killed autistic teen released from prison
Court Rules Against Bonnie Liltz During Appeal
Schaumburg mother ordered back to prison for disabled daughter’s death
Mom gets prison for killing disabled daughter
Mom Who Killed Disabled Daughter Loses Appeal To Drop 4-Year Sentence
Schaumburg woman who killed disabled daughter faces possible return to prison
Schaumburg mom appeals manslaughter sentence to state supreme court
4-year sentence stands for Schaumburg mom who killed disabled daughter
Bonnie Liltz on killing her daughter: ‘She stayed asleep’
Bonnie Liltz hopes Illinois governor will grant her clemency
Bonnie Liltz, woman who killed disabled daughter, commits suicide
Woman who killed disabled daughter found dead 2 days before prison stint was to begin
Schaumburg mom who killed disabled daughter found dead

David Matwiju

Photo of a man with fair skin and shaggy brown hair and beard. His eyes are wide open, giving him a wild look. Name: David Lee Matwiju Sr.
Died: June 3, 2015.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Springfield Township, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Stroke, kidney disease, alcoholism.

Details:
David starved to death while in the care of his wife.

Mr. Matwiju was a US military veteran whose alcoholism began after his return from Vietnam.

Case status:
Dorothy Matwiju (Wife), convicted of failing to provide for a functionally impaired person, sentenced to 1 year probation.

Source:
Springfield Township wife sentenced for neglecting ailing husband, who later died
Springfield Township Police: Wife charged after husband found starved to death
Springfield Township woman’s lack of care contributed to husband’s death, police say

Gracie Buss

Photo of Gracie Buss, a small girl with fair skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair. She is smiling. Name: Gracie Buss.
Died: June 3, 2015.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Waterloo, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
When her boyfriend beat little Gracie Buss to death, Gracie’s mother told the police that Gracie’s seizures had made her fall down the stairs.

Case status:
Chad Little (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life.
Kristi Buss (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglecting a dependent person, child neglect resulting in serious injury and involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 25 years.

Source:
Iowa crime: Waterloo woman pleads guilty in 4-year-old daughter’s death
No bond reduction for mom held in child death case
Waterloo man charged with death of 4-year-old girl
What happened to Gracie Buss?
Gracie Buss’s family searching for answers one month later
Defense begins in child death trial

Aiden Archer

Photo of Aidan Archer, a toddler with blue eyes and blond hair. Name: Aiden Archer.
Died: June 1, 2015
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Aiden was beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend.

Case status:
Maurice Snyder (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded no contest to second-degree reckless homicide and three counts of physical abuse of a child, sentenced to 24 years.
Megan Scott (Mother), charged with failure to act to prevent bodily harm to a child; died before trial.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Aidan Archer
Maurice Snyder Jr. now faces homicide charge in death of three-year-old Aiden Archer
Charged: Two accused in connection with death of three-year-old Aiden Archer
Vigil honors life of 3-year-old Milwaukee boy
Maurice Snyder sentenced to 24 years in prison for murder of 3-year-old Aiden Archer

Abigail Cozad

Photo of Abigail Cozad. She is a young woman with fair skin and long straight brown hair; she has a pair of glasses pushed up on top of her head. Name: Abigail Cozad.
Died: June 1, 2015.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Blunt force head and neck injury.
Location: Kusa, Colorado, USA.
Disability: TBI from car accident.

Details:
Abigail was beaten to death by her boyfriend.

Abigail loved pottery, photography, and painting, and wanted to be an interior designer or graphic designer.

Case status:
Emiliano Urioste (Boyfriend), convicted of first-degree murder and robbery, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Man gets life in prison for motel murder
Obituary for Abigail Ann Cozad at Kibbey-Fishburn Funeral Home & Crematory

Dorothy Berry

No Photo Name: Dorothy Berry.
Died: May 24, 2015.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, sepsis.
Location: Merritt Island, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Dorothy’s son and daughter neglected her, keeping her on a wooden bench in the living room and not feeding or cleaning her. She died from malnutrition and infected bedsores.

Case status:
George Mack Berry Jr. (Son), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 5 years probation.
and Susan Dawn Berry (Daughter), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Source:
Supervised Population Information Detail
Inmate Population Information Detail
Merritt Island siblings fight charges in mom’s death

George Philip Carter

No Photo Name: George Philip Carter.
Died: May 15, 2015.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Spanaway, Washington, USA.
Disability: Autism, developmental disability.

Details:
Philip’s caregiver neglected him; he died of infected bedsores because instead of taking him to a doctor, his caregiver stuffed the bedsores with paper towels.

Case status:
Larry John Lee (Unlicensed caregiver), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 18 years.

Source:
Caregiver charged with murder in neglect of vulnerable adult
Caretaker sentenced to 18 years for ‘murder by neglect’
Jury finds Spanaway man guilty in death of adult he cared for
Autism Memorial: George Philip Carter