Relationship: Partner – Page 26 – Disability Day of Mourning

Kari Whitley

Sepia-tone photo of a young woman with short hair and big earrings. Name: Kari Marann Whitley.
Died: May 3, 2017.
Age at death: 43.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Gulfport, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Brain cancer survivor, wheelchair user.

Details:
Kari survived brain cancer at age 19 and went on to get a degree in journalism. She worked at the VA as a public relations specialist until she retired due to medical problems.

Kari’s husband, who had in the past assaulted her, took her back to his home from her assisted living facility so that he could get her disability check. A month later, she was dead. He had beaten her to death with a hammer.

Case status:
William Bryant (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to life in prison.

Source:
Man admits to removing wife from facility to get her disability check, then killing her with a hammer
Kari Whitley’s Obituary

Manubhai Bujad

No Photo
Name: Manubhai Bujad.
Died: April 25, 2017.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Mithapur, India.
Disability: Physically challenged.

Details:
Manubhai’s death was originally reported as a suicide, but his brother came forward and told authorities that he had been killed by his live-in girlfriend, who wanted his money. Police arrested the girlfriend, who allegedly confessed to the crime.

Case status:
Rukshana (Live-in girlfriend), arrested.

Source:
Live-in partner held for killing disabled man
Disabled man found murdered in Dwarka village

Abbie Speir

Name: Abbie Diana Speir.
Died: April 20, 2017.
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Soon after she tried to leave him, Abbie’s partner stabbed her to death and set the house on fire.

Abbie was a playful lover of parties, especially community fundraisers, and was often seen wearing her trademark high heels and animal print.

Case Status:
Kevin Obinna Okafor (Partner), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 16 years to life.

Sources:
Abbie’s story: How intimate partner violence affects those left behind
Remembering the life of Abbie SPEIR 1983 – 2017
Yellow Grass, Sask. man sentenced to life in prison for killing of Abbie Speir | Globalnews.ca
Family still haunted by violent last moments of slain Yellow Grass mother as killer sentenced

Helen Dansie

Name: Helen Dansie.
Died: April 16, 2017.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Helen’s husband picked her up from her nursing home, went to a park, and pushed her into a pond, where she drowned. He believed she had become a burden to him, and had taken out a life insurance policy on her four days prior.

She was a retired microbiologist. At the nursing home, she liked playing chess and doing crossword puzzles.

Case status:
Peter Rex Dansie (Husband); charged with murder. First trial ended in mistrial; second trial ended in conviction for murder. Sentenced to 25 years. Died in prison in 2024.

Source:
Man who killed his disabled wife dies in prison
Life sentence stands for killer who pushed disabled wife into pond
Killer who pushed wife’s wheelchair into pond loses appeal
Real life: My dad staged my mum’s murder as an accident
Lawyer for wife-killer Peter Dansie compares his murder conviction to George Pell case
Man killed wheelchair-bound wife by pushing her into pond
Adelaide man guilty of murdering wife who drowned in pond
This is what accused Adelaide wife-killer Peter Rex Dansie told police on the day his wife died
‘Suitcase full of condoms’: Adelaide murder accused bought ticket to China
Alleged wife killer replied ‘no comment’ when son asked about her death
Dansie to face new murder trial in October
Disabled woman’s husband ‘carefully planned her murder’
Husband charged with murder of wheelchair-bound wife found in pond
Murder charge
Man charged with murder of wife who drowned in Adelaide pond
Wheelchair-bound wife drowned in ‘planned attack’
Husband charged with murder of wheelchair-bound wife
SA man charged over Adelaide pond death
Husband charged with his wheelchair-bound wife’s murder
Tiny pond where a wheelchair-bound woman was mysteriously found dead
Veale Gardens pond drained as police investigate Helen Dansie’s death
Wheelchair drowning death unexplained, despite autopsy, police say
Detectives return to scene of pond death
Pond death: ‘Of course it was an accident’
Twist in parklands pond death mystery
Man accused of drowning wife had allegedly searched internet for ‘cheap funerals’
Man accused of pushing disabled wife into pond pleads not guilty to murder
Man accused of drowning wheelchair-bound wife fronts court
Man charged with drowning wheelchair user wife in Adelaide pond to face trial by judge
Husband ‘pushed wife’s wheelchair into pond for insurance pay-out’
Man accused of drowning wife seemed ‘unfazed’ when paramedics arrived, court hears
Man, 70, accused of drowning disabled wife in pond after she ‘became a burden’
Man accused of drowning wife with disabilities saw her as a ‘cost burden’, court hears

Tyson Clark-Robertson

Name: Tyson Timothy Clark-Robertson.
Died: July 20, 2016; body found April 11, 2017.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Mayfield, Tasmania, Australia.
Disability: Unspecified; received disability pension.

Details:
Tyson lived with his ex-girlfriend, who had recently started dating their housemate. The housemate became angry and hit him in the head with a hammer, killing him. They buried him in a shallow grave. For the next seven months, they pretended Tyson was still alive by impersonating him on social media and stole his disability pension from his bank account.

Case Status:
Ian Rosewall, pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 12.5 to 22 years.
Renae Lorraine Donald (Ex-girlfriend), pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder, sentenced to 3-6 years.

Source:
STATE OF TASMANIA v RENEE LORRAINE DONALD, COMMENTS ON PASSING SENTENCE
Murderer ‘lost it’ after victim’s ‘paedo dog’ comment, court hears
Human remains found at Launceston house, three charged

Estelle Swanson

Name: Estelle “Essie” Millifera Swanson.
Died: April 9, 2017.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Knife wound.
Location: Kirkland, Washington, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness or mental illness.

Details:
Essie was stabbed to death by her husband in a murder-suicide.

She was a retired physical therapist and the mother to one daughter. She enjoyed woodworking, hiking, and badminton. She volunteered for a cat rescue, fostering kittens who needed a temporary home to grow big enough to be adopted. When she was murdered, she had just bought tickets and was looking forward to traveling the world, a life-long dream.

Case status:
David Swanson (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Police: Kirkland couple dead in murder-suicide were confronting ‘health issues’
Essie Swanson Obituary – Kirkland, Washington

Charles Singer

Name: Charles William “Butch” Singer.
Died: April 7, 2017 (Body found); missing since February 8, 2017.
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Bunnell, Florida, USA.
Disability: Legally blind.

Details:
When Charles’s sister began receiving text messages from him that included misspelled words, she became suspicious: Charles, who was blind, normally used speech-recognition to send text messages.

When his body was found, it became clear that Charles had been shot to death by his wife. She had sent the text messages to make it seem like he was still alive.

Case status:
Dorothy Singer (Wife), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole; new trial ordered on appeal; pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 to 32.5 years in prison.

Source:
Eligible for Re-Trial, Dorothy Singer Pleads in 2017 Murder of Her Husband and Is Sentenced to 32 Years
Retrial date set for Bunnell woman accused of murdering husband
New trial ordered for Flagler woman convicted of killing husband, hiding body
Missing Bunnell man found shot to death
Charles Singer, previously reported missing, was shot to death
Wife arrested in death of disabled, blind Flagler County man, deputies say
Florida woman accused of murdering husband in ‘Dateline’-type case
JUST IN: Florida woman arrested in death of blind husband
Wife arrested in death of blind Flagler County man, deputies say
Wife arrested in murder of Charles William Singer
Bunnell woman charged with husband’s death months after his disappearance
Wife Arrested on 1st Degree Murder Charge In West-Flagler Killing of Charles Singer
Woman, 52, ‘killed her blind husband’ and planned to fake own death
Woman Killed Husband, Used Moth Balls to Mask Odor: Police
Sheriff: Wife killed man, covered up death
Bunnell woman found guilty of murdering husband
Dorothy Singer convicted of first-degree murder in February 2017 killing of her husband, Charles Singer

Samantha Link

Name: Samantha J. Link.
Died: March 31, 2017.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Peosta, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression.

Details:
Samantha was stabbed to death, and her boyfriend was charged with murder. Convicted at his first trial, he was granted a new trial because he had not been allowed to produce evidence of Samantha’s mental illness as a way to argue that she had stabbed herself. “Everything points to him as a murderer, not a suicide,” her father says, “so they’re just dragging my daughter’s name through the mud.”

Samantha owned dogs named Winnie, Bear, Stewie and Duke.

Case Status:
Fontae C. Buelow (Boyfriend), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 34-50 years; new trial granted, convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 34-50 years.

Source:
Man sentenced for second time in death of girlfriend in Iowa
Dubuque County woman’s mental health in spotlight during man’s murder trial
Samantha Link murder: Iowa Supreme Court orders new trial in 2017 case
Iowa Supreme Court orders new trial for Dubuque man convicted of killing his girlfriend

Wilma Paletti

No Photo Name: Wilma Paletti.
Died: March 29, 2017.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Knife wound.
Location: Felegara, Parma, Italy.
Disability: Chronic illness; bedbound.

Details:
Wilma was stabbed to death by her husband in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Gianfranco Carpana (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Homicide-suicide near Parma
Felegara, uccide la moglie malata con un coltello e si suicida

Pamela Kruspe

Photo of Pamela Kruspe, an older woman with fair skin and brown hair. She is wearing glasses and a striped shirt; she is smiling at the camera. Name: Pamela Kruspe.
Died: March 27, 2017.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Boynton Beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia, depression, anxiety.

Details:
Pamela’s husband allegedly went to the assisted living center where she lived and shot her in the chest, killing her.

Pamela was the mother of three children. She was a marathon runner who also enjoyed cycling, and did volunteer work at a museum.

Case status:
Stephen Kruspe (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 20 years.

Source:
For a Florida Marine who killed his wife, a life sentence or leniency?
Mercy or murder? Marine vet who assisted ailing wife’s suicide pleads guilty to manslaughter
‘They adored each other’: Should court free caregiver who killed wife with dementia?
Lake Worth husband not using ‘mercy killing’ defense in murder trial of wife with Alzheimer’s
She was ‘beyond help:’ Man speaks after he allegedly mercy killed his wife
Florida murder suspect claims wife asked him to kill her — to spare her from dementia
New details in fatal Boynton shooting of woman with dementia
Fla. husband says he killed wife because she wanted to die
Florida Murder Suspect Claims Wife Asked Him to Kill Her — to Spare Her from Dementia
Stephen Kruspe: I killed my wife suffering from dementia cause she wanted to die
Husband Watched His Wife Disappear from Dementia Until She Spoke Six Words That Made Him Grab a Gun