Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Spouse or romantic partner.
Name: Carla Jacobs.
Died: May 9, 2022.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: West Point, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Neurological disorder.
Details:
Carla was shot by her husband in a murder-suicide.
Carla was a church member who worked for Motorola and Methode Electronics.
Case Status:
Gary Jacobs (Husband), deceased.
Sources:
Sheriff: Deaths in rural West Point were result of murder-suicide
Gary And Carla Jacobs Obituary (2022)
Name: Harvey Lee Baker.
Died: May 5, 2022.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Topeka, Kansas, USA.
Disability: PTSD.
Details:
Harvey was found dead from severe blunt trauma, and police arrested his girlfriend, with whom he lived, on suspicion of murder. Harvey’s daughter told police that she suspected that Harvey’s girlfriend had been abusing him.
Harvey was a veteran of the Vietnam War who had been awarded the Silver Star for saving two of his comrades under enemy fire. He enjoyed fishing, writing, cooking soul food, and playing with his grandchildren.
Case Status:
Vicki Lee Shelton (Girlfriend), charged with first-degree murder.
Sources:
Harvey Baker saved the lives of 2 Marines in Vietnam War. He was killed Thursday in Topeka.
Topeka woman charged with murder of live-in boyfriend
Name: Girija.
Died: April 21, 2022.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Melamcode, Kerala, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.
Details:
Girija was found dead by her son; she had been strangled. Police arrested her husband, whom they suspect of killing her before injuring himself non-fatally.
Case Status:
Sadasivan Nair (Husband), hospitalized; will be arrested when his injuries are treated.
Sources:
Woman’s death turns out to be murder
Name: Richard Judson Rutherford.
Died: April 15, 2022.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Mobility impaired, cognitive decline.
Details:
Richard died the victim of homicide; his husband was arrested and charged with his murder, which is being called a “mercy killing”.
Richard was a former principal dancer in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet who worked with the Canada Council for the Arts after he retired as a dancer. In his elder years, he tended his garden and watched the birds and chipmunks that came to his feeder.
Case Status:
Philippe Hébert (Husband), charged with second-degree murder.
Sources:
The ‘tragic and profoundly human’ story of Richard Rutherford and Philippe Hébert
Bail granted to Ottawa man charged with second-degree murder in the death of his spouse
Ottawa man charged with murder after elderly man found dead on Good Friday
Richard RUTHERFORD Obituary (1935 – 2022)
Name: Helen Lawrie.
Died: April 4, 2022.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Cromer, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia, mobility impaired, speech impaired, low vision.
Details:
Helen’s husband killed her before taking his own life.
Helen was a member of the Royal Cromer Golf Club. She owned hair salons and taught hairdressing.
Case Status:
Alexander Lawrie (Husband), deceased.
Sources:
Inquest verdict found couple died in ‘unlawful killing and suicide’ – Cromer
Inquests open into deaths at home of Cromer couple
Husband kills wife before taking his own life in tragic dementia pact
Name: Thomas Conley.
Died: March 20, 2022.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Head injury, blood loss.
Location: Sherman, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Anemia, alcoholic liver disease.
Details:
Thomas’s husband hit him in the head. Already weakened by poor health, Thomas died from blood loss from several scalp wounds.
Case Status:
James Maharg (Husband), convicted of murder and evidence tampering, sentenced to 35 years in prison and 10 years special parole.
Sources:
Sherman man convicted in husband’s death sentenced to 35 years
Sherman man James Maharg found guilty in murder of his husband
Sherman man’s ‘compromised’ health contributed to his death, says expert for defense in murder trial
New details emerge in Sherman murder
Alcohol may have fueled Sherman murder
Name: Toyoko Amano.
Died: February 13, 2022.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Osaka, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.
Details:
Police say Toyoko’s husband called police and admitted to strangling her. When they went to her home, they found her dead and arrested her husband.
Case Status:
Seiji Amano (Husband), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Sources:
80-year-old man arrested over bedridden wife’s murder
Name: Melvin Weller.
Died: February 11, 2022.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Palm Springs, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; mobility impaired, poor grip strength.
Details:
Police were called to Melvin’s home and found him dead on his kitchen floor, having been stabbed more than 140 times. His wife was arrested on suspicion of murder.
The two were in the midst of divorce proceedings, and had been working out how to split up the couple’s real estate. After the divorce, Melvin planned to retire to Jamaica, where he had been born.
Case Status:
Joan Burke (Wife), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 35 years.
Sources:
Florida woman charged with murder after allegedly stabbing husband 140 times
FL woman, 61, is accused of stabbing her disabled husband to death
61-Year-Old Woman Stabbed Her Physically Disabled Husband More Than 140 Times: Police
Police: Palm Springs woman, 61, stabbed husband more than 140 times
Jamaica Observer Limited
Florida woman facing murder charges after allegedly stabbing her husband more than 140 times
Name: Jasbir Kaur.
Age at death: 81.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.
Name: Kamaljit Kaur.
Age at death: 55.
Disability: Down syndrome.
Died: February 7, 2022.
Cause of death: Laceration/Blood loss.
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Details:
Jasbir and Kamaljit were found dead at their home after their Jasbir’s husband, Kamaljit’s father, reportedly called a family member and told her that he had killed them, that he did not want to “see their pain”. The family member called police, who made the arrest.
Case Status:
Purushottam Singh Gandhok (Husband), arrested and charged with murder.
Sources:
A 90-year-old Purshottam Singh Gandhok justifies the killing of his wife and daughter
A 90-year-old murderer getting better in Arthur Road jail
Ex-Army Man Slits Throats Of Bedridden Wife, Daughter In Mumbai
Wanted To End My Life: Senior Who Killed Wife And Daughter | Mumbai News – Times of India
Mumbai: 89-year-old ex-Army man slits throats of ailing wife, daughter
Mumbai: Fed up of their health issues, 89-year-old man kills wife, mentally unwell daughter
‘I killed them both, was not able to do all the household chores’
Name: Sara McKeddie.
Died: January 22, 2022.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Brain injury.
Location: Arnprior, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Injuries from car accident; required caregiver.
Details:
Sara was badly beaten by her husband, suffering broken ribs, internal injuries, and a brain injury that would lead to her death about a month later.
Her two boys, ages 5 and 3 when she died, are being raised by her sister.
Case Status:
David Michael Dubois (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 12 years minus time served.
Sources:
David Dubois to serve almost 10 years for manslaughter near Arnprior
McNab/Braeside man charged with murder 9 months after woman’s death
Obituary of Sara Jean McKeddie