Category: Status

Lindeva Rosario

Photo of a heavyset woman with long dark-brown hair and pale skin, smiling for the camera.Name: Lindeva “Lindy” Rosario.
Died: July 9, 2020.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Fentanyl overdose.
Location: Celina, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Deaf, intellectual disability.

Details:
Lindeva died of a fentanyl overdose given to her by her boyfriend.

Lindy’s hobbies included reading and watching mystery shows. She is survived by two children.

Case Status:
Frederick S. Cass (Boyfriend), convicted of reckless homicide, possession of fentanyl, tampering with evidence, identity fraud, and petty theft.

Sources:
Jury finds man guilty of reckless homicide
Lindeva Rosario

Pauline Brown

Blurry photo of a middle-aged woman with graying sandy hair, round face, and pale skin; she wears a white top and pearl necklace.Name: Pauline Brown.
Died: July 8, 2020.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Monk Bretton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Pauline’s husband strangled her, then killed himself. Police say that he had told family members that there was “only one cure–murder and suicide.”

Case Status:
Malcolm Brown (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Retired barber, 74, took his own life after suffocating wife, 73, to death because she was suffering hallucinations due to dementia, inquest hears
Barnsley dementia patient killed before husband took own life

Eduardo José

Slightly grainy photo of a teenage boy with dark-brown hair and eyes, light skin, and a wispy mustache. He is wearing a blue jacket.Name: Eduardo José.
Died: July 6, 2020.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Cabanelas, Mirandela, Portugal.
Disability: Autism, epilepsy.

Details:
Eduardo was found dead in a well, where he had drowned after his mother drugged him with antipsychotics, pushed him in, and then held him under to ensure he drowned.

Though there was talk of lack of support, Eduardo’s mother had in fact refused to admit her son to an institution that specialized in autism a few years previously. According to the court, Eduardo’s mother never accepted that he was autistic, and would not give him medication that he had been prescribed.

The coronavirus pandemic left Eduardo alone at home with his mother, who claimed that she could not stand his behavior. But Eduardo’s teacher remembers him as “a very sweet child. He never gave us any problems over the 11 years he was here; he never had any episode of violence.”

Case Status:
Fátima Martinho (Mother), also called Fátima da Conceição, convicted of homicide and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Eduardo Jose
Mulher que matou filho autista condenada a 10 anos de prisão
Mãe que afogou filho autista em Mirandela fica em silêncio em frente ao júri
Jovem que sofria de autismo encontrado morto num poço. Mãe é a principal suspeita
Mãe atirou o filho autista a um poço. O que se sabe do crime de Cabanelas?
Julgamento com júri da mulher acusada de matar o filho autista em Mirandela arrancou esta terça-feira

Nicole Jakubek

Photo of a white woman with blonde hair, sitting in front of a field of sunflowers. She is wearing a pink swimsuit and purple wrap and smiling for the camera.Name: Nicole Gayle Durham Jakubek.
Died: July 5, 2020.
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Redmond, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Details:
Nicole was a widow when she met her new boyfriend, but they broke up because he would not go to rehab. Her ex-boyfriend was arrested after a car accident while driving Nicole’s car, which he had stolen. Nicole herself was found stabbed to death at her house, and her ex-boyfriend admitted to killing her.

Case Status:
Clinton Kevin Holland (Ex-boyfriend), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Obituary: Nicole Durham Jakubek
Redmond man gets life in prison for killing ex-girlfriend
Redmond murder victim wanted restraining order against accused killer
Redmond-area man arrested on murder charge in woman’s killing

Frederick Johnson

No PhotoName: Frederick Johnson.
Died: June 25, 2020.
Age at death: 43.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Schizoaffective disorder, epilepsy.

Details:
Frederick lived with a couple who were supposed to care for him in exchange for his disability payments. His caregivers allegedly abused him, beating him and forcing him to do exercises for hours. Police suspect them of beating him to death, then paying a friend to help hide the body.

Case status:
Santino Carter (Caregiver), charged with first-degree murder.
Dominique Beck (Caregiver), charged with first-degree murder and neglect as a caregiver.
Brian Gray, charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
3 Charged With Torturing, Beating Schizophrenic Man to Death
Englewood couple tortured to death a disabled man who paid them to help him, prosecutors say
Caretakers Among 3 Charged In Mentally Ill Man’s Murder

Kylie Larson

Photo of a girl lying on a striped blanket. Her skin is fair and her long hair is strawberry-blonde. She is smiling broadly and wearing a black-and-white flowered shirt and a trach collar.Name: Kylie Larson.
Died: June 21, 2020.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Respiratory failure.
Location: Paynesville, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Perinatal hypoxic brain injury, quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

Details:
Kylie’s mother, alone with her because her stepfather was on a fishing trip and her brother was staying with friends, ignored alarms from her blood oxygen and heart rate monitor, repeatedly turned off the alarms, reduced the sensitivity, and eventually removed the alarm altogether. Kylie died of respiratory failure.

Kylie was a middle-school student whose schoolmates often pushed her around the halls to hear her laugh. She liked going outside, especially to new places. She enjoyed boat rides and spinning around in her wheelchair.

Case status:
Elise Nelson (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 21 years 9 months and $12,000 restitution.

Source:
Paynesville mother gets over 21 years for 2nd-degree murder for ignoring disabled child’s medical needs
Paynesville Woman Sentenced to Nearly 22 Years for Death of Severely Disabled Child
Judge Denies Payneville Woman’s Motion to Withdraw Murder Plea
Paynesville Mother Seeks to Withdraw Guilty Plea in Disabled Daughter’s Death
Stearns County mom admits to murder for silencing disabled child’s oxygen-monitoring device alarm
Central Minnesota woman pleads guilty to the murder of her disabled daughter
Paynesville Woman Pleads Guilty to Murder in the Death of Her Disabled Daughter
Paynesville, Minnesota, woman pleads guilty to murder in disabled daughter’s death
Disabled girl, 13, died ‘after mother turned her pulse alarm off for some peace’
Murder charges: Stearns County mom silenced disabled child’s medical device alarm
Charges: Paynesville mom deprived care, killing her daughter with disabilities
Kylie Christine Larson
Mother kills disabled daughter, silences her medical device alarm while stepdad is away fishing: Police
Woman charged in death of her disabled daughter
Paynesville mom charged with murder for tampering with child’s medical equipment, warrant issued

Isaac Guillen

No PhotoName: Isaac Guillén.
Died: June 18, 2020 (Body found; died December 1, 2019).
Age at death: 45.
Cause of death: Drugged and strangled.
Location: Godelleta, Valencia, Spain.
Disability: Unspecified degenerative disease.

Details:
Isaac’s wife allegedly convinced her 17-year-old son that Isaac wanted to die due to his disability. Together, they drugged and strangled Isaac. Authorities say that her actual motive for killing Isaac was economic greed.

Isaac was a former police officer.

Case Status:
Biatriu (Wife), accused of murder.
Unnamed stepson, sentenced to 2 years for assisting suicide (court chose this charge because he believed he was assisting suicide rather than committing murder).

Source:
GODELLETA CRIME: Mother and son on trial over killing of disabled former police officer in Spain’s Valencia
They judge the minor accused of murdering her husband with his mother in Valencia – Digis Mak

Deepak Kumar

No PhotoName: Deepak Kumar.
Died: June 18, 2020.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Tohana, Haryana, India.
Disability: Wheelchair user.

Details:
When Deepak’s mother transferred ownership of a house to him, his brother became angry. He threatened to kill Deepak unless Deepak gave him the house. Several days later, he stabbed and killed his brother and threw his head in a nearby canal. During his trial, a horrified court described the crime as “extreme, grotesque, and heinous,” one of the rarest of the rare crimes that deserve the death penalty.

Case Status:
Ashok Kumar (Brother), convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

Sources:
Haryana Man Who Carried Disabled Brother’s Severed Head In A Bag Sentenced To Death
Extreme, grotesque: Court in death sentence to Haryana man who stabbed disabled brother 28 times for property
Haryana court sentences man to death for murder of disabled brother
Man given death penalty for killing disabled younger brother

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

Photo: A boy with short, curly blond hair and fair skin, smiling, holding his thumbs to his ears and wiggling his fingers; he is wearing a blue and white striped shirt.Name: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
Died: June 16, 2020.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Traumatic brain injury.
Location: Solihull, West Midlands, England, UK.
Disability: Father told neighbors he was autistic or had ADHD.

Details:
Arthur died of a brain injury received while he was at home with his stepmother. His father and stepmother were arrested and charged with murder. Prosecutors say that Arthur was subjected to constant abuse; he was being denied food, made to sleep on the floor, exiled to the apartment hallway, and beaten. Two weeks before his death, a neighbor reports, Arthur’s father came to them and said that if the neighbors heard Arthur saying, “Please don’t kill me,” they should ignore him because Arthur “[had] issues; he suffers from ADHD or autism.”

Case Status:
Emma Tustin (Stepmother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
Thomas Hughes (Father), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 21 years.

Sources:
Murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes
Autism Memorial: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes
Dad accused of killing son told neighbour to ignore ‘please don’t kill me’ cries
Boy, 6, ‘murdered’ by parents cried ‘no one loves me’ as he begged for mercy
Family sent photos of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ injuries to police, court told
What happened to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes?
Sentencing Remarks

April Zavala

No PhotoName: April Heather Zavala.
Died: June 14, 2020.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Elko, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
April’s mother strangled her because she wanted to dress herself instead of letting her mother dress her. She said that caring for April during the COVID pandemic had become too stressful. At the time of her death, April had not seen a doctor in several years.

Case status:
Judith I. Zavala (Mother), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 10-25 years in prison.

Source:
Autism Memorial: April Zavala
Elko woman convicted of 2nd degree-murder in 24-year-old daughter’s death
Mom bound over to district court in daughter’s death
Mom says stress led to daughter’s strangulation