Status – Page 183 – Disability Day of Mourning

Florence Simpson

No Photo Name: Florence Marjorie Simpson.
Died: October 3, 2000.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Howick, New Zealand.
Disability: Terminal cancer.

Details:
Florence’s son drugged her and strangled her with the cord to her morphine pump.

Case status:
Christopher Simpson (Son), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years.

Source:
Doctor jailed for killing his terminally ill mother
Doctor charged with strangling mother
Strangled mum full of morphine
The New Zealand Herald
Mercy Killing

Name: Alex Charles Boucher.
Died: September 25, 2000.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: New Port Richey, Florida, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, medical problems.

Details:
Alex’s adoptive father, angry that he had soiled himself, wrapped him in a blanket so tightly that he choked on his own vomit and died of asphyxiation.

Case status:
James Curtis (Adoptive father), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to “nearly 14 years” in prison.

Source:
Fla. man pleads guilty in state tot’s death
Alex Boucer, 3, Smothered
CHARGE FOUGHT IN CHILD’S DEATH
Alex Charles Boucher

Meridee Reynolds

Name: Meridee “Kay” Reynolds.
Died: September 9, 2000.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Vancouver, Washington, USA.
Disability: Mobility impairment; sleep disorder.

Details:
Meridee’s friend and caregiver shot her, and claimed she had done it “to end the pain”.

Case status:
Melanie McDonald (Caregiver), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 8-30 years.

Source:
Caregiver Accused of Murder

Grace Bogey

Name: Grace Lee Bogey (Born Gracielo Cano).
Died: September 2, 2000.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Roswell, New Mexico, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.

Details:
Grace was abused by her adoptive mother and adoptive grandparent. At death, she had multiple head injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

Case status:
Veronica Bogey (Adoptive mother), charged with child abuse; acquitted; civil suit underway.
Terry/Terri Bogey (Adoptive grandparent), pleaded no contest to child abuse, sentenced to probation.

Source:
Grace Lee Bogey (Gracielo Cano)
Scott Johnson, As Personal Representative of the Estate of Graciela Cano A/k/a Grace Lee Bogey, Deceased; and Lorena Torrez, Plaintiffs-appellants, v. Anne Holmes; Bonnie Vehstedt; Karen Zarate; Lydia R. Saenz; Sonia Perez; Virginia Villareal; Viviane Encinias; Ginger Bowman; Denise H. Narvaez; Children, Youth and Families Department, New Mexico; Veronica Bogey; Terry Bogey A/k/a Teri Bogey, Defendants-appellees, 455 F.3d 1133 (10th Cir. 2006)

Jenny Lerner

No Photo Name: Jenny Lerner.
Died: July 14, 2000.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease (Early).

Details:
Soon after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Jenny was asphyxiated by her husband. He called it a mercy killing.

Case status:
Herbert Lerner (Husband), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to five years in prison and spent only months there before he was transferred to a halfway house. Committed suicide.

Source:
History of euthanasia in Canada
Herbert Lerner accusé du meurtre de sa femme
Herbert Lerner s’est immolé par le feu sur la tombe de sa femme
Herbert Lerner aurait tué sa femme par compassion

Shane Graham

No Photo Name: Shane “Moo” Graham.
Died: July 2000.
Age at death: About 10.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Florida, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, autism, sickle-cell anemia.

Details:
Shane was one of eleven children adopted by the same family. When Shane’s siblings were discovered, badly neglected and abused, they told police that Shane had died and their adoptive mother had taken him away. Shane’s body has not been found, but he is presumed dead.

Shane was called “Moo” because it was a sound he often made.

Case status:
Judith Leekin (Adoptive mother) was charged for child abuse for Shane’s siblings, but since Shane’s body was never found, she has not been charged for his death. Her fraud and abuse charges netted her twenty years in prison.

Source:
Eight in Adoption Abuse Case Agree to $17.5 Million Settlement With Foster Agencies
Autism Memorial: Shane Graham
Shane Graham and 10 Siblings
Children adopted by Judith Leekin

Joyce George

Name: Joyce May George.
Died: April 24, 2000.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Pneumonia secondary to malnutrition and pressure sores.
Location: Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Osteoporosis, hyperthyroidism, atrial fibrillation, chronic constipation, depression and mild dementia.

Details:
Joyce was left in place on her bed, allowing large pressure sores to develop and become infected. By the time her son and main caregiver called medics, she was malnourished and dehydrated and her condition was too poor to survive; she died 4 days later in the hospital.

Case Status:
Phillip George (Son), found guilty of manslaughter by criminal negligence, sentenced to 2-3 years.

Sources:
R v George [2004] NSWCCA 247 (19 August 2004)

Justin Malphus

Black and white photo of Justin Malphus, a little boy with a big smile. Name: Justin Malphus.
Died: April 19, 2000.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: Savannah, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Justin had been physically abused by his mother for some time. In the end, she slammed his head into a refrigerator and dumped him into a swimming pool, where he drowned.

Case status:
Joyce Malphus (Mother). Convicted of felony murder; sentenced to life plus sixty years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Justin Malphus
Mother convicted in murder of autistic child
Daily Listing of Sacred Family Unit Atrocities
Neighbors recall recovering boy

Cora Okonski

Name: Cora Okonski.
Died: April 16, 2000 (Last seen); body never found.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Tama, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder, ADHD.

Details:
After telling her friend that she was afraid that her fiance was going to kill her, Cora Okonski disappeared, leaving behind her two-year-old son. Seventeen years later, with Cora still missing, her fiance was charged with her murder. Her son was adopted by family.

Cora’s murder trial is proceeding even though her body was never found, but there is good evidence that she is dead. After she disappeared, her family didn’t hear from her, and her disability payments went uncollected. The case broke when Cora’s fiance, in prison for unrelated charges, bragged to another prisoner that he had “choke-slammed” Cora and buried her body.

Case status:
Tait Purk (Fiance), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 35-50 years in prison.

Source:
Murder trial for Iowa woman whose body was never found begins Monday
Prosecution witnesses testify in Purk murder trial
Cora Okonski feared for her life, friend testifies at Tait Purk murder trial
Cara Okonski feared for her life, friend testifies in murder trial
UPDATE: Purk case goes to the jury
Iowa mom’s 2000 disappearance now investigated as murder
Tait Purk found guilty of fiancee’s murder
Tait Purk guilty of killing fiancée in rare murder trial with no body

Joseph Beebe

Name: Joseph Jose Beebe.
Died: March 17, 2000.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Tarkington Prairie, Texas, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Joseph, who told his triplet siblings that he wanted to give them a better life, was beaten to death by his adoptive mother for wetting his pants. When Joseph died, they were removed from the home, and survived.

Case status:
Edith Beebe (Adoptive mother), convicted of injury to a child, 30-75 years.
Brian Beebe (Adoptive father), convicted of failure to protect, served 6 months of a 10-year sentence.
Justin Martin (Stepbrother), convicted of injury to a child, served 6 months of a 10-year sentence.

Source:
Survivor of childhood abuse moves forward by looking back
WHO’S TO BLAME FOR Joseph’s DEATH?
Joseph Jose Beebe

Category: Status