Status – Page 56 – Disability Day of Mourning

Gerald Walton

Name: Gerald Walton.
Died: February 27, 2020.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Arson.
Location: Forsyth, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Special needs, unspecified.

Other Victim: Tasha Vandiver, 46, non-disabled; Gerald’s mother.

Details:
Gerald and his mother died in a house fire set by his sister.

He was a Special Olympics athlete. A teacher remembers that Gerald was a cheerful young man who “loved everyone he met”.

Case status:
Candace Walton (Sister), pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and theft, sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Kaleo Pangelian (Sister’s boyfriend), convicted of arson, sentenced to 20 years.

Source:
Pangelinan gets 20 years for role in double murder; see murderous Instagram messages below
Monroe County teen pleads guilty to killing mother, brother in 2020 arson
Monroe County teen pleads guilty to killing her mother, brother with special needs in 2020 arson
Nearly 1 year since Monroe County arson that took lives of a mother, son
Georgia teen Candace Walton extradited from Kentucky on murder charge
Boyfriend of girl charged with killing her mom and brother is arrested
Boy, 17, set to be charged with murder for ‘helping girlfriend, 16, he met online kill her mom, 46, and special needs brother in a house fire before trying to start a new life with him’
Monroe County teen charged with killing mom, brother extradited to Georgia
16-year-old charged with murder, arson in Monroe County fatal fire
Georgia teen charged with arson, two counts of murder after fatal fire

Marvat Gerges

No Photo Name: Marvat Gerges.
Died: February 22, 2020.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Strangulation.
Location: Merrick, New York, USA.
Disability: Rheumatoid arthritis.

Details:
Marvat and her husband got into an argument over sink repairs, which her husband escalated by strangling her to death.

Case status:
John Gerges (Husband), pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter; sentenced to 21 years and five years post-release supervision.

Source:
Merrick man sentenced to 21 years for wife’s strangulation
Police: Man arrested for allegedly strangling his wife to death in their Merrick home
Merrick man charged in wife’s killing pleads not guilty

Chhaba Kuri

No Photo Name: Chhaba Kuri.
Died: February 18, 2020.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Disability: Partial paralysis.

Details:
Chhaba was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband. He told police that he had a dream that no one would take care of her after his death.

Case status:
Gopal Kuri (Husband), arrested.

Source:
Elderly man kills paralysed wife in Dhaka
Elderly woman killed by husband
Elderly woman hacked to death in Dhaka

Cherith Van Der Ploeg

No Photo
Name: Cherith Van Der Ploeg.
Died: February 15, 2020.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Costessey, Norwich, England, UK.
Disability: Terminal lung cancer.

Details:
Cherith was dying of cancer when her ex-husband smothered her to death. His actions, Cherith’s daughter told the court, had robbed her of precious time with her mother; instead of grieving normally after her mother’s natural death on hospice care, she had to come to terms with her mother’s death while giving evidence to police about her murder.

Cherith was an introverted, family-oriented woman who always waved and greeted her neighbors when she saw them.

Case status:
Cornelius Van Der Ploeg (Ex-husband), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to six years to life.

Source:
It was not his decision to make – children devastated by murder of mum
Tributes paid to Cherith Van Der Ploeg who was found dead at Costessey home
Jailed: Telford father killed terminally ill ex-wife

David Allsopp

No Photo Name: David Allsopp.
Died: February 15, 2020.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Derby, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
David was exploited by a woman who moved in with him as his caregiver. She beat him on a regular basis and told his friends and family that the bruises were from falls. The beatings eventually killed him.

David leaves behind a twin sister.

Case status:
Magdalena Kissova (Caregiver, roommate), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 24 years.

Source:
Face of killer carer who savagely beat Derby man to death
‘Carer’ exploited and murdered vulnerable Derby man
Evil woman battered dementia OAP she was paid to care for to death

Derrick Christophe

No Photo Name: Derrick Christophe.
Died: February 14, 2020.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Internal bleeding.
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability.

Details:
Derrick died of internal bleeding. Police allege that his father, who was regularly abusive, had been beating him with a broom handle.

Case status:
Ellsworth Hull (Father), charged with second-degree murder.

Source:
Bond set for father accused of killing his mentally handicapped son
Elderly dad turns himself in after accusations he beat his disabled son to death, cleaned the scene

Tracy Hamby

Name: Tracy Hamby.
Died: February 13, 2020.
Age at death: 37.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Tavares, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; receiving disability payments.

Details:
Tracy’s boyfriend, a military police officer, fatally shot her. He claimed that he had shot her because she startled him, but the prosecution pointed out that he and Tracy had been arguing that day because Tracy’s boyfriend had been taking her disability payments. The gun, which her boyfriend said had gone off accidentally, had a trigger that was very hard to pull. The jury agreed and convicted Tracy’s boyfriend.

Case Status:
Renee Aviles (Boyfriend), convicted of domestic manslaughter with a firearm, sentenced to 20 years.

Sources:
Lake County man found guilty of killing girlfriend in 2020

Ma’Leyah Hardin

Name: Ma’Leyah Ayesha Hardin.
Died: February 10, 2020.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Marietta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; used breathing tube.

Details:
Ma’Leyah’s mother strangled her.

Case status:
Shekinah Akbar (Mother), pleaded guilty but mentally ill to felony murder and cruelty to children in first degree; sentenced to life.

Source:
Mother sentenced to life after killing daughter during exorcism attempt, prosecutors say
Mother charged with strangling disabled daughter, 5, to death
Ma’Leyah Ayesha Hardin
Churchgoing ‘pretty good’ mom accused of strangling 5-year-old daughter
Mother charged with strangling disabled daughter, 5, to death

Makeisha Maynard

Name: Makeisha Maynard.
Died: February 9, 2020.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Trauma.
Location: Caroni, Trinidad and Tobago.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Makeisha’s father beat her to death with a cutlass because she wet the bed. He hung himself the next day.

Makeisha knew her numbers, colors, and shapes, but had trouble writing.

Case status:
Michael Maynard (Father), deceased.

Source:
Girl, 8, beaten to death after wetting bed, father takes own life
Girl, 8, beaten to death with cutlass
Trinidad: Father beats 8yro daughter to death with cutlass
Autism Memorial: Makeisha Maynard

Masatoshi Chiba

No Photo Name: Masatoshi Chiba.
Died: February 2, 2020.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified chronic disease.

Details:
Masatoshi was allegedly strangled by his wife, who said she was “worn out from looking after him”.

Case status:
Mitsuko Chiba (Wife), arrested and confessed to murder.

Source:
69-year-old woman arrested over death of ailing husband