Status: Other – Page 2 – Disability Day of Mourning

Steven Earle

No Photo Name: Steven Earle.
Died: April 27, 2022.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: South Bend Township, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Unspecified disability.

Details:
Steven called police, asking for help because his son had a knife and was becoming violent. When police arrived, they found that he had been stabbed multiple times, but was still conscious and able to tell them that his son had stabbed him. He was rushed to the hospital, but died during surgery. The morning before the attack, he had texted a friend, saying that his son was becoming more controlling and was taking his phones away.

Case Status:
Travis R. Earle (Son), charged with second-degree murder; declared incompetent to stand trial, hospitalized (civil commitment). Can be tried if competency is restored.

Sources:
Man charged with murder after fatally stabbing father making 911 call
Mankato Stabbing Victim Died During Surgery in Rochester
UPDATE: Civil commitment ordered for son accused of murdering father

Girija

No Photo Name: Girija.
Died: April 21, 2022.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Melamcode, Kerala, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Girija was found dead by her son; she had been strangled. Police arrested her husband, whom they suspect of killing her before injuring himself non-fatally.

Case Status:
Sadasivan Nair (Husband), hospitalized; will be arrested when his injuries are treated.

Sources:
Woman’s death turns out to be murder

Bobby Laws

No Photo Name: Bobby Laws.
Died: December 15, 2021.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Pressure ulcers, malnutrition.
Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Bobby was brought to the emergency room emaciated with severe pressure sores and lacerations. He died 10 days later in the hospital. After a coroner’s investigation, police arrested Bobby’s daughter on charges of having neglected him and denied him adequate food and medical care.

Case Status:
Dianna Laws (Daughter), charged with neglect and exploitation.

Sources:
Woman arrested for elder abuse, coroner investigating death of father
Death of disabled Augusta man being investigated by coroner’s office for neglect

Catherine Jones

Name: Catherine Jones.
Died: November 21, 2021.
Age at death: 90.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Buffalo, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Catherine lived with her granddaughter. She was found dead in her home, shot in the chest; unregistered guns were found in the house, and her granddaughter was arrested.

Case Status:
Jamien Harris (Granddaughter), pleaded guilty to having an “unregistered illegal weapon”, sentenced to 5 years probation. Primary suspect in Catherine’s murder, but cannot be charged due to double jeopardy laws.

Sources:
‘It will eat her alive’: Woman dodges murder case in death of 90-year-old grandma with dementia
Buffalo Woman Sentenced on Gun Charges While Homicide of Her Grandmother Remains Under Investigation | Erie County District Attorney’s Office
90-year-old Buffalo woman killed, granddaughter called ‘strong person of interest’ in case
Woman arraigned in investigation of fatal shooting of her grandmother in Buffalo
Buffalo Woman Arraigned on Gun Charges as Investigation Continues into the Fatal Shooting of Her Grandmother

James Lewis

Name: James Rashard Lewis.
Died: September 29, 2021.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Waco, Texas, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
James was found dead at home, with his throat cut. His father, who police say was covered in blood and attempted to evade arrest, was charged with murder.

Neighbors often saw James running back and forth in the hallways and up and down the steps of their apartment complex.

Case Status:
Bronchae Defraunce Lewis (Father), charged with capital murder, found not guilty by reason of insanity; to be evaluated for 100 days at a state mental institution; case to be reviewed yearly.

Sources:
Waco man charged in death of autistic son found not guilty by reason of insanity
Waco man indicted in September death of 10-year-old son
Waco 10-year-old slain Wednesday identified
Affidavit details how Waco man allegedly murdered 10-year-old son
Waco man charged in brutal killing of autistic son regains competency to stand trial
Waco man charged in brutal killing of autistic son regains competency to stand trial

Ekadashi Swain

No Photo Name: Ekadashi Swain.
Died: July 4, 2021.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Khasadi village, Kendrapara, Odisha, India.
Disability: Unspecified; physically challenged.

Details:
Ekadashi was on his way home from the field when his cousin and some accomplices allegedly ambushed him and bludgeoned him to death with a plank. Police say the motive was a property dispute.

Case Status:
Santosh Swain (Cousin), wanted for murder.
Nidhiram Swain (Relative), wanted for murder.
Unnamed woman, wanted for murder.

Source:
Disabled Person Beaten To Death By ‘Cousin’ In Kendrapada | Odisha (Caution: Censored graphic image.)
Differently-abled man stoned to death over land dispute

Manu Savaliya

No Photo Name: Manu Savaliya.
Died: January 27, 2021.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Mauled by a leopard.
Location: Amrutpur, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Blind, intellectual disability.

Details:
Manu’s family allegedly chained him to his bed because he had fallen into a well when unattended, because he had bitten people, and because he “bothered the neighbors”. One night, Manu’s family had gone to a wedding, and the one relative left behind went with their domestic helper to go water their fields in the early morning. Manu, a strong man even at the age of 75, was attacked and killed by a leopard, unable to escape or fight back because of the chain.

Case status:
Police are investigating a complaint of wrongful confinement against Manu’s family.

Source:
Gujarat: Chained at farm for attacking villagers, 75-year-old blind man killed, eaten by leopard
Blind man chained to bed killed by leopard in Gujarat (Caution: graphic image of body)
Leopard mauls to death 75-year-old chained by family in Gujarat’s Amreli

Asma Akter

No Photo Name: Asma Akter.
Died: April 26, 2020.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Burns and/or smoke inhalation.
Location: Gazipur, Bangladesh.
Disability: Developmental disability.

Details:
Asma’s family chained her up, then left her alone at home. An electrical fire destroyed the home, killing Asma.

Case status:
Abdul Kader (Family), unknown status.

Source:
Mentally challenged woman burn to death in Gazipur house fire
Bangladesh: Mentally challenged woman charred to death

Heidi Winchester

Name: Heidi Anne “Annie” Winchester.
Died: January 30, 2019.
Age at death: 50.
Cause of death: Sharp-force trauma.
Location: Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Terminal cancer.

Details:
Annie’s husband killed her with a box cutter.

During her fight with rectal cancer, Annie formed a group called Annie’s Cancer Club, where she and other people with cancer could support each other.

Case status:
Michael Winchester (Husband), found guilty of manslaughter except for insanity.

Source:
Lake Oswego husband who killed ill wife spared prison
Criminal trial postponed for Lake Oswego murder suspect
Police: Lake Oswego man admits to killing wife, who had terminal cancer
Lake Oswego Police Say How They Think Heidi Winchester Was Killed
Husband confesses to killing wife in Lake Oswego
Friends say woman killed in Lake Oswego was battling cancer; husband charged with murder

Patricia Way

Name: Patricia Way.
Died: November 25, 2018.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Waterbury, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; nursing home resident.

Details:
Patricia was allegedly strangled by her boyfriend.

She liked sewing and going to the beach, and was a New York Yankees fan. She was a retired unit clerk.

Case status:
John Jensen (Boyfriend), charged with murder; developed vascular dementia and became incompetent to stand trial.

Source:
81-year-old man charged with murder at Waterbury nursing home ruled incompetent
Man, 81, charged in nursing home death of girlfriend, 76
81-year-old man accused of strangling 76-year-old woman to death at nursing home
Police: 81-year-old man charged with strangling girlfriend, 76, in nursing home
Waterbury nursing home resident strangled to death in domestic attack, warrant shows
Waterbury nursing home homicide suspect said girlfriend ‘had to die because she was evil’
Patricia Way
Lawsuit Against Waterbury Nursing Home After 81-Year-Old Allegedly Kills Girlfriend