Main List – Page 34 – Disability Day of Mourning

Pierre Pasquiou

No Photo Name: Pierre Pasquiou.
Died: December 28, 1998.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Saint-Brieuc, France.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Pierre was drowned by his mother; she pushed him off a pier into the Atlantic Ocean.

Case status:
Annie Pasquiou (Mother). Given a three year suspended sentence; served no time.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Pierre Pasquiou
Solomon, A. (2014). Far from the tree: Parents, children and the search for identity. Scribner Classics.
Life with Aspergers: Murdering Disabled People

Jim Helm

No Photo Name: Jim Helm.
Died: November 8, 1998.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Unspecified; homicide.
Location: Nelson, New Zealand.
Disability: Down syndrome, Autism.

Details:
Jim’s mother killed him and herself because she was afraid of what would happen to him if she died.

Case status:
Nancy Helm (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Jim Helm
Jim Helm died at the hands of a loving mother who despaired of his future.

A photo of Tausha Lanham, a toddler with pale skin and fine ginger hair. Name: Tausha Lee Lanham.
Died: April 19, 1998.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Burgettstown, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Prematurity, developmental delays.

Details:
Tausha’s mother kept her restrained and starved her to death. She was seven years old, but weighed less than twelve pounds, when she died.

Case status:
Michelle Tharp (Mother), first-degree murder, death sentence.

Source:
Under a rock, near some water
Michelle Tharp’s attorneys say she should not face death for starving daughter
Michelle Tharp | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Orachanee Anderson

No Photo Name: Orachanee Anderson.
Died: January 15, 1998.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Long-term trauma, starvation.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Orachanee’s stepfather and mother beat and starved her to death.

Case status:
John Hester, Sr. (Stepfather), found guilty of murder, death sentence, commuted to life in prison.
Peggy Anderson (Mother), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Source:
Father guilty in death of disabled stepchild
Death Penalty archive

Mary Carlson

Name: Mary Lynn Carlson.
Died: April 21, 1997.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Maricopa County, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Multiple Sclerosis.

Details:
Mary Lynn’s son and daughter-in-law had promised to care for her in exchange for room and board, but instead neglected her and spent her money. When Lynn moved into an assisted-living facility, they took out a life-insurance policy on her and hired two fellow lodgers to kill her. They stabbed her to death.

Case status:
Doris Ann Carlson (Daughter-in-law), convicted of murder, sentenced to death; sentence reduced to life without parole.
David Carlson (Son), conspiracy to commit murder, life sentence.
Scott Smith, second degree murder, 10 years.
John McReaken, first degree murder, life sentence.

Source:
Woman Hires Men to Brutally Kill Bedridden Mother-in-Law with Multiple Sclerosis
Darling Doris was a Deadly Daughter-in-law
Doris Carlson | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Ronald Blevins

Gravestone for Jean and Ronald Blevins. Name: Ronald Blevins.
Died: February 20, 1997.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: California, USA.
Disability: Disabled, diabetic.

Details:
During an argument over Ronald’s care, his father shot him and his mother, Jean Blevins, to death.

Case status:
Reed Blevins (Father), pleaded to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 24 years, 4 months.

Source:
“Do This In Remembrance of Me” Volume 4 Part Two

Matthew Richmond

Name: Matthew Richmond.
Died: January 13, 1997.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability.

Details:
Matthew’s mother’s boyfriend held him in a tub of scalding water, and they did not seek medical treatment for twelve hours. He died of third-degree burns thirteen days later.

Case status:
Sharon Richmond (Mother), failing to seek medical care, 5 years.
Richard Joseph Klein (Mother’s boyfriend), child endangerment, 31 years.

Source:
Boy scalded in tub dies

Casey Albury

Black and white photo of a teenage girl with fair skin and shaggy hair cut into bangs; her expression looks puzzled. Name: Casey Janine Huinui Albury.
Died: 1997.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Feilding, New Zealand.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Casey was killed by her mother, who initially took her to a bridge in the hopes that Casey would climb onto it and fall off. When Casey refused, she took her daughter into an alley and strangled her.

Casey liked painting and composing music.

Case status:
Janine Albury-Thomson (Mother), convicted of manslaughter; sentenced to four years; served 15 months.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Casey Albury
Tragic end to life of beauty and misery
Woman who killed autistic daughter jailed for church fire

Christina Corrigan

Portrait photo of Christina Corrigan, a heavyset teenage girl with curly black hair and light-olive skin. Name: Christina Corrigan.
Died: November 19, 1996.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Heart failure.
Location: El Cerrito, California, USA.
Disability: Mobility impairment due to obesity; possible Prader-Willi syndrome.

Details:
Because Christina was gaining weight, her mother took her out of school. Her mother left her on the living room floor and did not take her to see a doctor. Christina gained so much weight that she could not walk, and died from heart failure. She had been badly neglected and was covered with bedsores.

Case status:
Marlene Corrigan (Mother), convicted of misdemeanor child abuse, sentenced to 3 years probation.

Source:
Christina Corrigan
Bedsores Covered 680-Pound Girl, Expert Says

Charles-Antoine Blais

No Photo Name: Charles-Antoine Blais.
Died: November 6, 1996.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Montreal, Canada.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Charles-Antoine was drowned by his mother in her bathtub.

Case status:
Danielle Blais (Mother). Pled guilty to manslaughter, given a 23-month suspended sentence and offered a job at the Autism Society of Montreal. No jail time.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Charles-Antoine Blais
Solomon, A. (2014). Far from the tree: Parents, children and the search for identity. Scribner Classics.
Blais decision brings new concern to the disabled
People with Disabilities Outraged by Murders
History of euthanasia in Canada
Tracy Latimer is dead because her father is a murderer