Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Spouse or romantic partner.
Name: Gina Riccò.
Died: October 25, 2018.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Langhirano, Parma, Italy.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.
Details:
Gina’s husband shot her, then jumped out a fourth-story window to his death.
Case status:
Gino Ziveri (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Tragedia: lo stupore e il dolore dei langhiranesi Video
Man, 80, shoots wife, kill self – English
Name: Christiane Belzile.
Died: October 14, 2018.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Insulin poisoning.
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Dementia, stroke, diabetes.
Details:
Christiane’s husband gave her a fatal overdose of insulin.
At trial, he called himself “Latimer Two”, in reference to the death of Tracy Latimer, a disabled teenage girl who was killed by her father.
Case Status:
Francois Belzile (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter; sentenced to 2 years house arrest.
Source:
Edmonton man, 75, who killed severely disabled wife on ‘compassionate’ grounds sentenced to house arrest
‘Latimer Two’: Former Montreal man admits to manslaughter for killing disabled wife
Man, 73, charged with murder in 2018 death of wife
Woman found dead in Edmonton apartment suffered from dementia for a decade
Suspicious death of elderly woman at downtown Edmonton apartment
Senior woman dead, husband injured under suspicious circumstances
Police waiting for toxicology results in 69-year-old woman’s death
Autopsy conducted on woman, 69, found dead in Edmonton apartment suite
Name: Stacy Hunsucker.
Died: September 23, 2018.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Tetrahydrozoline poisoning.
Location: Mount Holly, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Chronic heart condition; pacemaker.
Details:
Stacy had a heart condition that had required a pacemaker. She died and her husband tried to claim the insurance money, but Stacy’s mother was suspicious and requested an investigation into possible insurance fraud. Stacy had been cremated, but because she was an organ donor, a vial of her blood had been taken and stored. When analyzed, the blood was shown to contain a chemical found in eye crops, which can cause heart failure, and with which her paramedic husband had allegedly poisoned her.
Case status:
Joshua Hunsucker (Husband), charged with first-degree murder.
Source:
Who is Joshua Hunsucker? Man accused of poisoning wife with eye drops arrested for starting fire on helicopter | MEAWW
‘Cheating’ Paramedic ‘murdered wife with eye drops to claim huge life insurance payout’
View Stacy Hunsucker’s Obituary on gastongazette.com and share memories
Name: Mary Kathleen Black Terry.
Died: September 21, 2018.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Catonsville, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; recent injury requiring wheelchair use.
Details:
Mary and her husband were living in a retirement community when she was injured and had to start using a wheelchair. Mary’s husband fatally shot her, then killed himself.
Case status:
Clifford Wilson Terry (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Police ID Elderly Couple In Murder-Suicide In Retirement Community
Police name Clifford and Mary Terry as couple in murder-suicide at Catonsville retirement home
UPDATE: Couple identified after retirement community murder suicide
Baltimore County police investigating suspected murder-suicide in parking lot of Catonsville retirement community
Name: Bonnie Hanks.
Died: August 28, 2018.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Multiple injuries from a beating.
Location: Fort Pierce, Florida, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.
Details:
Bonnie was beaten to death by her boyfriend. He explained the bruises on her body by claiming that she fell down a lot because she had multiple sclerosis.
Bonnie cared about her appearance and never left home without first fixing her hair and doing her make-up. She liked having coffee with friends.
Case status:
Jeffrey Yankowski (Boyfriend), convicted of first-degree murder; automatic life without parole.
Source:
St. Lucie County jury convicts Jeffrey Yankowsi in 2018 beating death of girlfriend Bonnie Hanks
Bonnie Hanks, beaten to death in St. Lucie County, was a ‘good soul’
Name: Ann DeLucia.
Died: August 8, 2018.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Valhalla, New York, USA.
Disability: Stroke, mobility impaired.
Details:
Ann was in the hospital when her husband walked into her room, shot her, and then killed himself.
Case status:
Richard DeLucia (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Staff, patients: Somber atmosphere blankets Westchester Medical Center after shooting
Man upset by wife’s illness kills her, himself at hospital
What is mercy killing? Does Richard DeLucia’s murder-suicide qualify?
Name: Joe Pooley.
Died: August 7, 2018.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Ipswitch, England, UK.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Joe’s girlfriend encouraged three of her friends while they beat Joe up, threw him into the river, and held his head under until he drowned.
Case status:
Becki West-Davidson (Girlfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 17 years to life.
Lisa-Marie Smith, charged with murder, acquitted.
Sean Palmer, convicted of murder, sentenced to 18 years to life.
Sebastian Smith, convicted of murder, sentenced to 21 years to life.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Joe Pooley
Joe Pooley: Lack of prison recall ‘contributed to’ murder
Murder accused told mother ‘I held his head under water’, court hears
Murder accused ‘bullied and ganged up’ on autistic man found dead in river
Joe Pooley death: Vulnerable man ‘attacked and thrown into river’
Joe Pooley death: Mother ‘frustrated’ by Ipswich murder trial delay
Murder accused ‘bragged about killing’, court hears
Court told pair panicked after alleged attack on Joe Pooley
Murder accused allegedly tried to cover his tracks – court told
Joe Pooley death: Gang ‘attacked vulnerable man and threw him into river’
Name: Stephanie Packman.
Died: August 1, 2018.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Kemsley, Kent, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Stephanie had dementia and was living in a care home. When her husband came to get her from the care home, staff became alarmed and called police. But they were too late; Stephanie’s husband had already cut her throat. He attempted suicide himself, but survived.
Stephanie’s husband claims that it had been a suicide pact, but no evidence for this has emerged.
Case status:
Michael Packman (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility, given a 2-year suspended sentence.
Source:
Pensioner charged with murdering his wife over ‘failed suicide pact’
Wife killed in ‘failed suicide pact’ named
Sittingbourne man accused of murdering his wife needed hospital treatment too
Murder suspect remanded in custody after death of woman in Sittingbourne
Pensioner who killed wife with dementia in failed suicide pact spared jail
‘Devoted’ husband who fatally cut dementia-stricken wife’s throat is spared jail
Name: Laurel Doreen Bentley-Bearham.
Died: July 25, 2018.
Age at death: 91.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Terra Linda, San Rafael, California, USA.
Disability: Dementia, frail elder.
Details:
Laurel was shot by her husband in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
James Leonard Bearham (Husband), deceased.
Source:
Marin coroner IDs couple in murder-suicide
San Rafael police probe murder-suicide shooting in Terra Linda
Name: Samantha Fraser.
Died: July 23, 2018.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Phillip Island, Australia.
Disability: Depression.
Details:
Samantha was found hanging in her garage with bruises on her body. Her estranged husband, on trial for murder, admitted to beating Samantha, but claimed he left her alive, and that she must have died from suicide due to her depression. The murder happened just weeks before he was due to go to trial for repeatedly raping her.
Case Status:
Adrian Basham (Estranged husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.
Sources:
‘Justice for Sam’: Life sentence for Phillip Island ex-wife killer Adrian Basham
Grandparents left to raise murdered daughter’s children ask for help
Adrian Basham found guilty of murdering wife Samantha Fraser
Estranged husband allegedly murdered wife and made it look like a suicide, court hears
Accused Man Admits To Bashing Samantha Fraser