Jean Salter

No PhotoName: Jean Ann Salter.
Died: October 8, 2023.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Mount Maunganui, North Island, New Zealand.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Jean’s dementia was progressing, and it had been suggested that Jean should be moved to a residential facility; her husband, upset that they might be separated, strangled her with a necktie. The killer claimed that there was a suicide pact, but there is no evidence of this save for his claim, and Jean, impaired by dementia, would not have been able to consent to an assisted suicide.

Case Status:
John Alfred Salter (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder.

Sources:
Wife’s last words as husband of 60 years strangled her with a tie
‘Smell of an oily rag’: Murder of wife with Alzheimer’s shows need for more dementia support

Alice Matheny

Photo of a smiling elderly woman, with deeply wrinkled fair skin and curly white hair, smiling for the camera. She is wearing wire-rimmed glasses and an orange blouse.Name: Alice Matheny.
Died: November 15, 2022.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Eaton, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Alice’s granddaughter, who had just found out that Alice needed a nursing home and her insurance wouldn’t cover it, allegedly drowned her grandmother in the kitchen sink.

Case Status:
Heidi Matheny (Granddaughter), pleaded guilty to murder.

Sources:
Ohio woman drowns 93-year-old grandmother in sink
Ohio woman pleads guilty to drowning 93-year-old ‘perfect’ grandmother in kitchen sink
Ohio woman confesses to drowning grandmother who needed nursing home: reports
Ohio Woman Allegedly Drowned Her Grandmother In Kitchen Sink Over Cost Of Nursing Home Care
Woman charged with murder accused of drowning grandmother, 93, in Eaton
Eaton woman admits to killing grandma

Hena

Photo of an Indian woman in wedding attire, with a golden headdress and earrings, multiple golden beaded necklaces, a red flowered sash, and a purple sari. She has tan skin and black hair.Name: Hena.
Died: May 26, 2022.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Strangulation, head injury.
Location: Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Hena had recently married, and her husband, a traditional healer, was angry that her family was not providing him more dowry payments. During an argument, he became violent and choked her, slamming her head against a wall and killing her. Investigators discovered that her husband had been harassing her family for money because she had been mentally ill from childhood and he believed he deserved a higher dowry.

Demanding dowries for marriage is illegal in India, and doing so is often associated with domestic abuse, suicide, and sometimes, as in this case, murder.

Case Status:
Appukuttan (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder.

Sources:
Man arrested in suspected dowry killing in Kerala
Kollam woman’s death a case of murder, husband nabbed
Death of newly-wed in Cherthala; police says its murder, dowry abuse, husband arrested
Hena was not released, and neighbors only learned of the death shortly after the funeral

Thomas Conley

No PhotoName: Thomas Conley.
Died: March 20, 2022.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Head injury, blood loss.
Location: Sherman, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Anemia, alcoholic liver disease.

Details:
Thomas’s husband hit him in the head. Already weakened by poor health, Thomas died from blood loss from several scalp wounds.

Case Status:
James Maharg (Husband), convicted of murder and evidence tampering.

Sources:
Sherman man James Maharg found guilty in murder of his husband
Sherman man’s ‘compromised’ health contributed to his death, says expert for defense in murder trial
New details emerge in Sherman murder
Alcohol may have fueled Sherman murder

Lacey Fletcher

Black and white photo of a young woman with fair skin and long dark hair, smiling.Name: Lacey Fletcher.
Died: January 3, 2022.
Age at death: 36.
Cause of death: Medical neglect; pressure sores.
Location: Slaughter, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Autism; catatonia or locked-in syndrome.

Details:
Lacey’s body was found sitting on a filthy couch at home. She had multiple pressure sores and infections, and was underweight. According to the coroner who ruled her death a homicide, she had suffered “at least a decade of neglect”.

Case Status:
Sheila Fletcher (Mother), pleaded no contest to manslaughter.
Clay Fletcher (Father), pleaded no contest to manslaughter.

Sources:
Louisiana parents accused of letting autistic daughter die plead no contest to manslaughter
Parents expected to plea to manslaughter after daughter died on couch
Parents re-indicted for murder of daughter found ‘melted’ to couch.
Charges against parents accused of letting daughter die on fetid couch thrown out — for now
Photos expose Lacey Ellen Fletcher’s AGONY, despite parents’ home stocked with cleaning products
Pictured: Parents of neglected daughter found dead and fused to family sofa
Parents to be hit with murder charges after daughter ‘melted into couch’
Grand jury to decide parents’ fate after coroner finds daughter’s body sitting on couch with feces around it
After ‘horrific’ death at home, parents of Louisiana woman may soon face murder charges
‘Worst case of neglect’: Parents face murder charges after neglect of disabled child
‘Something you make HORROR movies about’: Parents face murder charges after disabled daughter’s gruesome death
Autism Memorial: Lacey Fletcher
Woman, 36, with Locked-in Syndrome was found dead FUSED to a living room couch | Daily Mail Online
Neglected woman who died on parents’ sofa starved to death, had not seen doctor in 20 years

Jacob Ardagna

Black and white photo of a fair-skinned man with dark hair, wearing a white shirt.Name: Jacob Ardagna.
Died: October 27, 2021.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Multiple blunt force injuries.
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
Jacob’s son had recently moved in with him when the two got into an argument about money. The two were in the back of the building when Jacob’s son began beating him with a wooden stick, then dragged him back into the apartment, where he beat Jacob severely and went to work, leaving Jacob to die.

Jacob loved the rapper Tupac Shakur. He was cremated wearing a Tupac shirt, and his family wore Tupac shirts to his funeral.

Case Status:
Ryan Cannon (Son), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 9 years.

Sources:
Son sentenced to nine years for vicious assault leading to his father’s death
Hamilton man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in beating death of his dad Jacob Ardagna

Eileen Pearce

No PhotoName: Eileen Pearce.
Died: June 5, 2021.
Age at death: 89.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Bexleyheath, London, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Eileen’s son smothered her.

Case Status:
Kevin Pearce (Son), pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

Sources:
Carer admits smothering his dementia-suffering mum, 89, in her own bed
Bexleyheath carer admits to killing his dementia-suffering bedbound mum at home

Margarita Sandoval

Photo of a young woman with olive skin and straight dark hair; she is wearing a white-and-pink tie-dye shirt.Name: Margarita “Maggie” Sandoval.
Died: May 13, 2021 (Body found; reported missing in 2018).
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Norman, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Mental illness, special needs.

Details:
Three years after she was reported missing, police received a tip that led them to Margarita’s body wrapped up in the basement of a home. When questioned, the homeowner said that a friend of his, Margarita’s brother, had asked to store some things in his basement; the homeowner was unaware that one of the items was Margarita’s body. Margarita had stayed with her brother and his wife around the time she vanished in 2018. She had reported that they were abusing her. Margarita’s brother and his wife had also been receiving Social Security money intended for Margarita.

Case Status:
Octavio Julian Sanchez (Brother), charged with first-degree murder and unlawful removal of a dead body; pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Desiree Sanchez (Sister-in-law), convicted of first-degree murder and unlawful removal of a dead body, sentenced to life in prison.

Source:
Man pleads guilty to manslaughter after murder of half-sister
Man Accused Of Killing His Sister Takes Blind Plea Deal To Avoid Trial
Oklahoma woman sentenced for killing disabled sister-in-law for social security checks
Couple who allegedly murdered relative sentenced for collecting her social security
2 suspects expected in court after being accused of leaving body in Norman basement
Norman Police arrest two in connection to 2018 homicide after body found in 2021
Couple arrested, charged with murder in death of Margarita Sandoval
Norman police conducting murder investigation after decomposed body found in basement
‘Everyone Let Her Down’: Relative Speaks Out After Woman’s Body Is Found In Norman Basement
Dead woman’s body wrapped in layers of plastic found in Norman home, court document reveals shocking new detailsO

Janevive Adienge

No PhotoName: Janevive Adienge.
Died: February 25, 2021.
Age at death: Child.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Homa Bay, Kenya.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Janeveve’s uncle told her mother that he was signing Janeveve up for some help from a charity, but then he instead signed Janeveve and her mother up for a life-insurance policy, with himself as the beneficiary. A year later, one of her uncle’s friends distracted her mother with some forms that he said she needed to fill out to get assistance; while her mother was busy, he gave Janeveve poison. Janeveve’s mother called for help, but it arrived too late for the girl, who died. The killer and an associate were both convicted of murder, but the judge found that, although the uncle had been involved in the plot, there was insufficient evidence to charge him.

Case Status:
Lucas Odhiambo Okello (Uncle), not charged.
Kevin Ogot (Killer), convicted of murder.
Moses Omondi Sumba (Accomplice), convicted of murder.

Sources:
Two found guilty of killing disabled child for insurance claim
Two found guilty of killing disabled child for insurance claim

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