Status – Page 157 – Disability Day of Mourning

Yasushi Yamamoto

No Photo Name: Yasushi Yamamoto.
Died: March 5, 2011.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Tokyo, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified mental illness.

Details:
Mr. Yamamoto’s family took him out of the hospital where he was being treated. His son, a doctor, killed him later that day. Prosecutors say that they considered Mr. Yamamoto to be “burdensome” because of his illness.

Case Status:
Junko Yamamoto (Wife), convicted of conspiracy to murder, sentenced to 11 years.
Naoki Yamamoto (Son), convicted of murder, sentenced to 13 years.
Yoshikazu Okubo (Doctor; acquaintance), charged with murder.

Sources:
Woman gets 11 yrs for murder of mentally ill husband with son’s help in Japan
Woman denies killing mentally ill husband with help of doctor son
Kyoto court hands ex-doctor 13 yrs in prison for murdering father
Doctors held over ‘mercy killing’ accused in another death

Rene Vera

No Photo Name: Rene Vera.
Died: March 2, 2011.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Flushing, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Rene was stabbed and smothered by his mother.

Case status:
Migdalia Vera (Mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 7 years.

Source:
A Queens Woman Is Accused of Murdering Her Ailing Son
Mom allegedly kills wheelchair-bound son
Sentenced to 7 years

Makayla Norman

Photo of Makayla Norman, a teen girl with brown skin and fuzzy black hair, sitting in a bean bag chair, with her head propped against a pillow. She is wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. Name: Makayla Norman.
Died: March 1, 2011.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, sepsis.
Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Makayla’s mother had hired three nurses to help take care of her. Despite that, she managed to neglect Makayla so badly that she died of malnutrition and infected bedsores. The young girl spent her last years in a filthy, trash-ridden house and died weighing 28 pounds.

Case status:
Angela Norman (Mother), involuntary manslaughter, nine years.
Mollie E. Parsons (Nurse), manslaughter, 10 years; health care fraud, 3 years.
Marky K. Kilby (Nurse), convicted of failing to provide for functionally-impaired person, sentenced to probation; convicted of failing to report abuse; 180 days in jail, all but 15 days suspended.
Kathryn Williams (Nurse), convicted of failure to report child abuse or neglect and failing to provide for a functionally-impaired person; sentenced to 30 days in jail, 160 hours community service, and one year of probation.

Source:
Makayla M. Norman
Angela Norman: Murderpedia
Nurse in prison for teen’s death accused of health care fraud
Middletown caregiver sentenced for defrauding Medicaid in disabled Dayton teen’s death
Woman sentenced in Medicaid fraud case related to a minor’s death

Cynara Ali

Name: Cynara Ali.
Died: February 21, 2011.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Hypoxia.
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Cynara’s mother called emergency services, saying that masked intruders had smothered her daughter. Cynara was rushed to the hospital where she died two days later from a hypoxic brain injury.

Prosecutors alleged Cynara’s mother had actually smothered Cynara with a pillow and staged the home invasion to cover up the crime; but after thirteen years and two trials, a judge acquitted Cynara’s mother because, he stated, the crime could not be proven “beyond a reasonable doubt”. No trace of any intruders was ever found.

16-year-old Cynara was a recent immigrant from Trinidad to Canada. She had been in Canada only a month before her death.

Case status:
Cindy Ann Sherry Ali (Mother), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life; retrial ordered, charged with first-degree murder; acquitted.

Source:
Toronto mother acquitted in death of disabled daughter launches $10.5-million lawsuit against police, city
Toronto mom acquitted in daughter’s death sues police, city
‘Project Litoria’: How Toronto police charged a now-acquitted mother in the death of her disabled daughter
Mother acquitted in retrial of disabled daughter’s death
‘After so long it’s done’: Cindy Ali acquitted of daughter’s murder in retrial
Toronto mother acquitted of first-degree murder charge in 2011 death of disabled daughter
Toronto mother acquitted of first-degree murder charge in disabled daughter’s death
Toronto mother acquitted of first-degree murder charge in 2011 death of disabled daughter
MANDEL: Mom cleared of murder 13 years after disabled daughter’s death
Toronto mother Cindy Ali’s retrial: Who killed Cynara?
Toronto mom’s trial focuses on decade-old memories of death scene
Convicted of killing her child over 10 years ago, Ontario woman seeks to clear name in 2nd trial
After appealing conviction in death of disabled daughter, Ontario mother begins new murder trial in Toronto
Cynara Ali death: Week 1 of Cindy Ali trial in Toronto. What happened? | CP24.com
Convicted of killing her child over 10 years ago, Ontario woman seeks to clear name in 2nd trial
Cindy Ali trial: Day 2 updates | CP24.com
After appealing conviction in death of disabled daughter, Ontario mother begins new murder trial in Toronto
Cynara Ali death: Week 1 of Cindy Ali trial in Toronto. What happened? | CP24.com
Toronto mom guilty of killing severely disabled teen daughter
‘My baby’s not breathing’: 911 call of mother accused in disabled teen’s death
Crown in murder trial challenges mother’s story of child’s death: DiManno
Mom blamed home invaders after smothering disabled daughter: Crown
Trinidadian sentenced to life in prison in Canada for killing disabled daughter

Christine Anthony

No Photo Name: Christine Anthony.
Died: February 15, 2011.
Age at death: 50.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Narromine, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Spastic paraplegia.

Details:
On Valentine’s Day, Christine’s boyfriend poured alcohol over her and set it on fire. Christine managed to call for help and identified her boyfriend as the attacker before dying of a heart attack on the way to the burn unit.

Case Status:
David Allan Harding (Boyfriend), sentenced to 20 years 3 months to 27 years.

Sources:
CHRISTINE ANTHONY (#2-2011)
‘Defenceless woman’ murdered
Harding v R [2013] NSWSC 513 (16 May 2013)

Maurice, Leo, and Ivonna Vanhaverbeke and Gerard Vercamer

No Photo Name: Maurice Vanhaverbeke.
Died: 1978.
Age at death: 79.

Name: Leo Vanhaverbeke.
Died: May 17, 1986.
Age at death: 81.

Name: Gerard Vercamer.
Died: 2004.
Age at death: 80.

Name: Ivonna Vanhaverbeke.
Died: January 27, 2011.
Age at death: 90.

Cause of death: Air embolism.
Location: Menen, Belgium.
Disability: Unspecified; frail elders.

Details:
Maurice, Leo, Gerard, and Ivonna were family members of a serial killer who worked as a nurse and killed patients who were elderly or had terminal illnesses, usually by smothering them or injecting air bubbles into their bloodstreams. He is thought to have committed at least ten murders, including those of four family members. He called them “mercy killings”, but there is no evidence any of his victims wanted to die.

Case status:
Ivo Poppe (Family member). Ivonna was his mother; Leo and Gerard were great-uncles; Maurice was his father-in-law. Convicted of 5 counts of murder, sentenced to 9-27 years.

Source:
17 // Deacon of Death // Ivo Poppe // ANGEL OF DEATH • Talk Murder To Me – via Podcast Addict
‘Deacon of death’ accused of Belgium serial killings
Frank Verbruggen over anonieme slachtoffers Ivo Poppe
Aartsbisschop De Kesel getuige op assisenproces
‘Ik ben geen seriemoordenaar, maar een verlosser’
Le procès d’Ivo Poppe, « le diacre de la mort », s’ouvre en Belgique
Diaken Ivo Poppe naar assisen voor minstens tien moorden
‘Diaken des doods’ staat terecht voor oudermoord en minstens tien andere moorden
Le «diacre de la mort» admet avoir euthanasié 20 personnes au maximum: «Je n’ai jamais voulu tuer»
Le “diacre de la mort”, pire tueur en série belge?
Ivo Poppe trial: ‘Deacon of death’ accused of killing 10 people – including own mother – by injection
Belgium: ‘Deacon of death’ goes on trial on serial murder charges
‘Deacon of Death’ accused of using air injections to kill in Belgium

Donald Parojinog

Name: Donald Parojinog.
Died: January 18, 2011.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, sepsis.
Location: Washington DC, USA.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Donald’s daughter was supposed to be taking care of him after he suffered three strokes, but instead, she neglected him. He died of starvation and blood poisoning from infected bedsores.

Case status:
Donna Parojinog (Daughter), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 12 months in jail.

Source:
Woman sentenced in elderly father’s death

Marcus Hill

No Photo Name: Marcus Hill.
Died: December 2, 2010.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Bessemer, Alabama, USA.
Disability: “Special Needs”.

Details:
Marcus was severely beaten by his stepfather and died of head injuries.

Case status:
Jeremy Coleman (Stepfather), convicted of murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Tynecia Stewart (Mother), charged with failure to protect Marcus from child abuse.

Source:
Detective testifies timeline makes Bessemer man only one who could have beaten 4-year-old to death
Bessemer man on trial for capital murder in 2010 death of 4-year-old stepson
Bessemer man sentenced for murder conviction in death of 4-year-old step son

Amanda Cooper

Photo of Amanda Cooper, a girl in a fancy dark red dress and hairbow. She is smiling and holding up her hand in a peace sign. Name: Amanda Cooper.
Died: November 27, 2010.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Homicidal trauma.
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, leukodystrophy.

Details:
Amanda was found unresponsive in her home by paramedics. She had been sexually assaulted, and died soon thereafter. At the time she was found dead, Amanda’s case was under active supervision by child protective services.

Case status:
Unsolved. Amanda’s death was likely caused by a family member, but there is a security hold on the case and no information is being released.

Source:
Death Of 10-Year-Old L.A. County Resident Amanda Cooper Might Have Involved Sexual Assault
No one arrested in Hawthorne girl’s death
Amanda Cooper, 10 [Updated]

Clara Laird

Photo of Clara Laird, an elderly red-haired woman with pale skin. Her hair is cut short and permed; she is wearing square-rimmed glasses and gold hoop earrings. The photo is slightly blurry and overexposed. Name: Clara Laird.
Died: November 21, 2010.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Seal Beach, California, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Clara’s husband went to her nursing home and shot her to death.

Case status:
Roy Charles Laird (Husband), charged with murder, died before trial.

Source:
A tragic end to 70 years of marriage
Crime Log: Nursing home homicide case dismissed
Husband charged in nursing home ‘mercy killing’