Status – Page 154 – Disability Day of Mourning

Betty Guy

Photo of Betty Guy, an elderly woman with light skin and light-gray hair, wearing glasses and a blue top. She is smiling and hugging someone off-camera. Name: Betty Guy.
Died: November 7, 2011.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Haverfordwet, England, UK.
Disability: Mobility impaired, chronic pain, frail elder.

Details:
Betty’s daughter and grandson had decided it was “time for her to go”, so they drove to her house, where they drugged her with sleeping pills; then her grandson smothered her with a pillow. He had to try twice before he killed her, because she fought to live.

Betty was a retired nurse.

Case status:
Barry Rogers (Grandson), found guilty of murder and sentenced to 11 years to life.
Penelope John (Daughter), found guilty of murder and sentenced to 11 years to life.

Source:
Ex-soldier could not have murdered grandmother as Iraq left him so ‘messed up’ he would not kill again, court hears
Man lied about killing ‘for attention’
Murder accused ‘talked about euthanasia’
Ex-Soldier Accused Of Murdering Grandmother “Messed Up By Iraq”
Murder accused ‘told ex-wife he had killed his grandmother’
Accused ‘had to smother gran twice’
‘Murder victim Betty Guy fought off grandson as he smothered her with pillow’, jury told
‘Man said he would finish off ill gran’
Betty Guy trial: Grandson threatened to kill girlfriend while she slept
Pensioner ‘smothered’ by grandson
Man smothered his grandmother twice before she died, court told
Mother and son to go on trial accused of murdering grandmother
Mother and son’s murder trial to start today
Mother and son’s murder trial begins

Cordero Webber Jr.

No Photo Name: Cordero Webber Jr.
Died: November 4, 2011.
Age at death: 5 months.
Cause of death: Fatal abuse.
Location: Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Disability: None diagnosed; his parents claimed he was autistic.

Details:
Cordero’s parents abused and neglected him and explained away his malnourishment as a sign that he was autistic. Eventually, he died of head injuries from the abuse.

Case status:
Cordero Anthony Webber (Father), convicted of manslaughter and child neglect, sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Kierra Monet Hayes Laird (Mother), sentenced to one year in prison.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Cordero Webber Jr.
acksonville parents charged after malnourished baby’s blunt-trauma death
“Primary caretaker” dad on trial for beating death of 5-month-old son (Jacksonville, Florida)
Parents Face Felony Neglect Charge; Baby Died of Head Trauma, Had Other Past Injuries and Was Malnourished
Jurors convict Jacksonville man in son’s death

Cora Sam

No Photo Name: Cora Sam.
Died: October 10, 2011.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral malformation; likely stroke.

Details:
Cora died of malnutrition and blood poisoning from infected bedsores, weighing 66 pounds.

Case status:
Amy Sam Ho (Sister), found guilty of second-degree murder and dependent adult abuse resulting in death; sentenced to 15 years; conviction overturned due to ineffective defense counsel, with possibility of new trial.

Source:
Woman’s murder and elder abuse conviction reversed in death of her sister in Montebello
Woman, 62, Sentenced To 15 Years For Neglect Of Disabled Sister That Ended In Sibling’s Death
Montebello woman sentenced for abuse, murder of disabled sister
Woman Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison For Murdering Sister
Officials identify Montebello woman whose death is under investigation

Dana Turner

Photo of Dana Turner, a young woman with long, bushy brown hair and fair skin, wearing a suit jacket and brown bead necklace, smiling at the camera. Name: Dana Turner.
Died: October 9, 2011.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Stabbed, strangled.
Location: Innisfail, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Dana was studying theology and wanted to become a minister. Her mother said she would “give away anything to anybody who needed it”.

She was stabbed and strangled to death by her boyfriend.

Case status:
Mark Lindsay (Boyfriend), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 16 years to life.

Source:
Convicted murderer Mark Lindsay loses appeal of murder conviction
Innisfail remains identified as Dana Turner
Former Edmonton police chief’s son found guilty of second-degree murder in girlfriend’s slaying

Julian Pintar

Photo of Julian Pintar. He is a young boy with dark curly hair, olive skin, and large dark brown eyes. Name: Julian Pintar.
Died: October 1, 2011.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Kandos, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Autism, neurocutaneous melanosis.

Details:
Julian died of long-term abuse and neglect. He had been tied to a chair for long periods of time, expected to sleep upright, in a garden shed. He had also been sprayed with cold water and then left in the shed, causing hypothermia which was particularly dangerous to this already thin boy, weakened by malnutrition. By the time he was found unresponsive and taken to the hospital, he was dead. An autopsy also found blood poisoning and internal injuries.

Case status:
Rudolph Pintar (Stepfather), pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
KP (Mother), charged with manslaughter.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Julian Pintar
Murdered boy was autistic: police
Pair charged with autistic boy’s murder
Man and woman charged with child’s death
Boy with autism died after being bound to chair and showered in cold water: court
Boy with autism ‘was bound to chair and showered in cold water’ before dying
Magician pleads guilty to unlawful death of autistic boy left to freeze in shed
Julian Pintar 2000-2011

Evan Watkins

Photo of a young boy with sandy blond hair, fair skin, turned-up nose and brown eyes. He is smiling for the camera. Name: Evan Watkins.
Died: September 30, 2011.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Lakeland, Florida, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay, possible autism.

Details:
Evan was beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend because he would not go to sleep.

Case status:
Marton Pal (Mother’s boyfriend); pleaded guilty to aggravated child abuse and first-degree murder, sentenced to life in prison.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Evan Watkins
Man charged with beating child to death
Polk man gets life sentence for Lakeland boy’s death
Innocents Lost: Evan Hayden Watkins, 4

Matthew Degner

No Photo Name: Matthew Degner.
Died: September 8, 2011.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Matthew was neglected by his mother. He died of pneumonia.

Case status:
Lydia Price (Mother), charged with neglect, cruelty to animals; sentenced to probation and forbidden from owning animals.

Source:
Woman Gets Probation in Berwyn Squalor Death
What went wrong in disabled Berwyn teen Matthew Degner’s death?
WATCH: Boy Found Dead Outside Squalid Home With More Than 200 Animals
Disabled teen found dead at suburban Chicago home, mother charged
Dead teen Matthew Degner lived with over 100 animals in squalid conditions, authorities say
Boy, 14, found dead in squalid bungalow housing more than 200 animals riddled with disease

Tanilla Warrick-Deaves

Photo of Tanilla Warrick-Deaves. She is a toddler with tan skin and curly black hair. She is wearing a pink dress, and holding a ribbon in her hands. Name: Tanilla Warrick-Deaves.
Died: August 27, 2011.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Bowed legs.

Details:
Tanila was abused by her stepfather. After a beating, it was obvious that Tanila had a head injury, but her mother, seeing how badly hurt Tanila was, did not call the ambulance because she figured it would be better if Tanila died than if she lived as “a vegetable”. Instead, she put Tanila in a pram, where the little girl took three days to die.

Case status:
Donna Deaves (Mother), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 9-12 years in jail.
Warren Ross (Stepfather), convicted of murder, sentenced to 30-40 years prison.

Source:
Mum who watched daughter, 2, being whipped and tortured to death set to go free
How a monster was able to kill little Tanilla Warrick-Deaves
Mum felt it ‘a bit late’ to save beaten Tanilla
Agonising abuse of tiny Tanilla: NSW court

Noe Medina Jr.

Name: Noe Medina Jr.; also called Noe Hermosillo Jr.
Died: August 25, 2011.
Age at death: 7 months.
Cause of death: Fall injury.
Location: La habra, California, USA.
Disability: Congenital muscular torticollis, plagiocephaly (Twisted neck, flat head).

Details:
Noe’s mother thought his congenital conditions made him unacceptable; she threw him off a four-story parking garage to his death.

Case status:
Sonia Hermosillo (Mother); found guilty of first-degree murder and assault of a child causing death, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Mother who hurled disabled baby son to his death could get PAROLE
California mother gets 25-to-life for pushing infant son off parking structure
Jury: Mom who dropped 7-month-old son to his death from parking garage was sane at the time
Mom convicted of murder for dropping her baby off parking garage
California mom convicted of murder after baby dropped from hospital’s parking garage
California mom who pushed disabled baby son to his death didn’t love him, murder trial hears
Baby Noe Medina Jr. allegedly tossed from hospital roof dies, mother Sonia Hermosillo to face a murder charge
California mother to stand trial in 4-story drop that killed baby

Barbara Rabins

No Photo
Name: Barbara Rabins.
Died: August 18, 2011.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Dehydration, choking.
Location: Ross, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, stroke.

Details:
Barbara’s caregivers neglected her and stole her trust fund money. When she died, she was underweight, dehydrated, and covered in bedsores.

Case status:
John Tedesco and Tina Tedesco, friends of the family, charged with third-degree murder; initially pled guilty, but revoked the plea; convicted of third-degree murder, sentenced to 15 1/4 – 30 1/2 years in prison.

Source:
Defendants in fatal elder neglect case: ‘We did the best we could’
Ross Twp. couple gets state prison time for fatal neglect
Sleeping juror claim doesn’t save man from prison for neglect death of disabled woman