Relationship: Partner – Page 33 – Disability Day of Mourning

Patricia Gordon

No Photo Name: Patricia Gordon.
Died: April 28, 2016.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Troon, Scotland, UK.
Disability: Health anxiety, depression, lung cancer.

Details:
Patricia hated doctors and didn’t want to go to see one, but was worried that she had lung cancer. One day when she was in pain, instead of taking her to a doctor, her husband smothered her to death with a pillow.

Although he admitted to killing her, the murder charge was dropped after a family member explained to the court how sick Patricia had been and how hard it had been for her husband to care for her.

Case status:
Ian Gordon (Husband), convicted of culpable homicide, sentenced to 3 years, 4 months; sentence overturned, released.

Source:
Pensioner cleared of murder after smothering his wife
Husband who smothered wife to death with pillow cleared of murder
Troon pillow killer Ian Gordon jailed for three years
Judges overturn sentence for man who killed his wife
Husband jailed for culpable homicide over ‘mercy killing’ of terminally wife admonished following appeal

Laraine Rayner

Name: Laraine Rayner.
Died: Two weeks before April 24, 2016 (Body found).
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Sharp trauma.
Location: Wisbech, UK.
Disability: Mental and physical health problems; OCD; mobility impaired.

Details:
Laraine was stabbed to death by her boyfriend.

Case status:
Steven Stocks (Boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 20 years to life.

Source:
Laraine Rayner murder: Disabled woman’s partner jailed for life
Man left dying stabbed partner to rot in shrine, court hears
Wisbech carer ‘stabbed girlfriend to death, then wrote letter apologising for mess’, court hears
Man ‘fatally stabbed his disabled partner and left her body under makeshift shrine for two weeks’

Barbara Kavanaugh

No Photo Name: Barbara Kavanaugh.
Died: April 19, 2016.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Port Charlotte, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Barbara’s husband went to the nursing home where she was staying, shot her to death, and committed suicide.

Case status:
Frank Kavanaugh (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Port Charlotte murder-suicide shakes nursing home, friends
Florida right-to-die advocate, wife dead in murder-suicide at nursing home

Lynda Cestone

No Photo Name: Lynda Cestone.
Died: April 16, 2016.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Burned.
Location: Lucerne Valley, California, USA.
Disability: Stroke; wheelchair user.

Details:
Lynda was mobility-impaired because of a stroke. Her husband is suspected of killing her by detaching a gas line in their cluttered home and setting it on fire. Lynda and her twelve cats burned to death.

Case status:
Donald Wayne Jenman (Husband), charged with murder.

Source:
Man suspected of causing fire that killed wife arrested
Donald Wayne Jenman, California man, charged with murdering bed-ridden wife Lynda Cestone who died in house fire
Fire investigators suspect man murdered his wife
Husband charged with murder after bedridden wife dies in house fire
Lucerne Valley man arrested in connection to wife’s death
6 Years After A Catastrophic Stroke Leaves Wife Bedridden, Her Home Mysteriously Burns Down. When Her Husband Makes It Out Alive, Police Get Suspicious

Masano Yao

No Photo Name: Masano Yao.
Died: April 6, 2016.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Kato, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Ms. Yao’s husband called police and allegedly admitted to strangling her because he “had a hard time taking care of her”. Police went to the house, found Ms. Yao’s body, and arrested her husband.

Case status:
Yoshiaki Yao (Husband), arrested.

Source:
Hyogo man, 82, arrested, admits strangling dementia-stricken wife

Cathy Evans

Portrait photo of Cathy Evans. She is a middle-aged woman with permed dark-brown hair and pale skin. Name: Cathy Evans.
Died: April 5, 2016.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Springfield Township, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Cathy’s husband shot and killed her, then killed himself.

Cathy and her husband used to walk the neighborhood, picking up trash as they went.

Case status:
Daniel Evans (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Police: Married couple dead in Springfield Twp. murder-suicide
Dan Evans Obituary
Wife, husband dead after apparent murder-suicide

Luciana Torcello

Portrait photo of Luciana Torcelli; she is an elderly woman with curly gray hair and fair skin. She is wearing a red blouse and glasses. Name: Luciana Torcello.
Died: March 29, 2016.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Staranzano, Italy.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Luciana’s husband strangled her, then killed himself.

Case status:
Zuppi Pietro (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Staranzano, soffoca la moglie malata e poi si impicca
Staranzano, moglie ha alzheimer. La soffoca e si impicca

Kenneth Nix

Name: Kenneth Nix.
Died: March 21, 2016.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Chronic nerve disease, related mobility issues.

Details:
Kenneth was shot to death by his ex-wife as he lay asleep in bed. She tried to cover up the death as a suicide.

During trial, the defense claimed that Kenneth’s ex-wife had battered woman syndrome and was trying to protect herself when she shot Kenneth, whose mobility issues prevented him from getting out of bed.

Ken loved motorcycles.

Case status:
Judith Nix (Ex-wife), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to 39 years to life.

Source:
Broken Arrow woman gets life sentence in shooting death of ex-husband
Broken Arrow woman convicted of murdering ex-husband

Mary Palley

Photo of Mary Palley. She is an older woman with graying blonde hair and fair skin. She is wearing glasses and a pearl necklace. Name: Mary Flynn Palley.
Died: March 11, 2016.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Logan, Utah, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease.

Details:
Mary Palley was a retired lawyer. She was an advocate for abuse victims, served as a historian for Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse, and did pro bono work for abuse victims, helping them get protective orders.

When she became disabled because of Parkinson’s disease, her husband killed her and then committed suicide.

Case status:
Dell Andrew Johnson (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Logan woman killed in apparent murder-suicide remembered as advocate for victims of abuse
Mary Palley Obituary
Couple identified after letter to newspaper leads Logan police to apparent murder-suicide
‘Something about Mary:’ Logan woman remembered for her passion, selflessness
Police continuing to look for answers in apparent murder-suicide
Logan woman killed in apparent murder-suicide remembered as advocate for victims of abuse

Roberta Rybinski

Name: Roberta A. Rybinski.
Died: March 8, 2016.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Tonawanda, New York, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Roberta, who was living on disability payments due to her bipolar disorder, was abused by her boyfriend. At one point she was able to leave him and get a protection order, but eventually she moved back into his apartment–an apartment to which he held the only key.

Roberta was stabbed to death by her boyfriend.

Case status:
John M. Avent (Boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Judge tells convicted murderer his 25 years-to-life prison sentence is well-deserved
Jury convicts boyfriend in Tonawanda woman’s murder
Man arrested in connection to Tonawanda murder
Police investigate Town of Tonawanda woman’s death