Status: Other – Page 2 – Disability Day of Mourning

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

Gabrielle Michaelis

Name: Gabrielle Michaelis-Cifoni.
Died: October 31, 2018.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Stomach cancer.
Location: Sarasota, Florida, USA.
Disability: Stomach cancer.

Details:
When she became disabled, Gabrielle’s daughter allegedly kept Gabrielle sedated with high doses of sedatives and painkillers, which were found in dangerous levels in a blood sample drawn from her body after death.

Gabrielle was an altruistic woman, mother of two children and grandmother to seven. She was a well-loved professor of mathematics, repeatedly named Professor of the Year. She was a devout Catholic with a good sense of humor.

Case status:
Josephine Scheid (Daughter), charged with murder; pleaded guilty to stealing a valuable family Bible and sentenced to a year’s probation. Murder charges dropped; sufficient evidence could not be gathered because the body was immediately cremated without autopsy.

Source:
Woman gets probation after charges she killed her Cape mom are dropped
Murder charges dropped against Florida woman accused of killing her mother in 2018 in Dennis Township
Investigation Reveals Daughter Murdered Her Own Disabled Mother For $9000 Using Painkillers And Sedatives For Financial Gain
A year later, investigators charge daughter with using drug cocktail to kill her mother
A Sarasota Woman Arrested For Killing Her Disabled Mother By Using Combination Of Painkillers And Sedatives
Florida woman accused of using sedatives to kill disabled mother
Gabrielle Michaelis-Cifoni Obituary

Ronald Blankenship

No Photo Name: Ronald Blankenship.
Died: August 20, 2018.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Bronchopneumonia.
Location: Monticello, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; diabetes, mobility impaired.

Details:
Ronald lived with his sister and nephew, who were supposed to care for him. He died of severe, untreated bronchopneumonia and was found in filthy surroundings.

When Ronald was found dead, police also found a young woman with Down syndrome, who had been adopted by one of Ronald’s relatives; she was taken into adult protective services. Three dogs and three cats, also neglected, were taken by animal control; two of the dogs, Cocker Spaniels named Chance and Puddy, were too sick to survive and had to be euthanized.

Case status:
Christie Brown (Sister), convicted of criminal abuse or neglect of a disabled person and aggravated cruelty to a companion animal.
Mason Brown (Nephew), convicted of criminal abuse or neglect of an elderly person, sentenced to 5 years in prison and 1 year on parole.
Justin Tatman (Power of Attorney), charged with criminal neglect, charges dropped.

Source:
Neglect charges on one defendant dropped
Monticello man found guilty of neglect after death of uncle
Bond set for three in neglect case | Piatt County Journal-Republican
3 arrested in connection with death of Monticello man

Muhammad Rabiul

No Photo Name: Muhammad Rabiul, also called Rabiul Alam.
Died: August 12, 2018.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Disability: Mental disability.

Details:
Muhammad lived with his mother in a makeshift house. When she went out to go begging for the day, she shackled him to the house. While she was gone, the house and several others burned down. Everyone but Muhammad escaped; he died in the fire because he could not get out of his chains.

Case status:
Fatema Begum (Mother), status unknown. Possibly no crime.

Source:
Meant for safety, shackles lead to his death
Bound man with mental disability burns to death in Chattogram fire

Joe Pooley

Name: Joe Pooley.
Died: August 7, 2018.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Ipswitch, England, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Joe’s girlfriend encouraged three of her friends while they beat Joe up, threw him into the river, and held his head under until he drowned.

Case status:
Becki West-Davidson (Girlfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 17 years to life.
Lisa-Marie Smith, charged with murder, acquitted.
Sean Palmer, convicted of murder, sentenced to 18 years to life.
Sebastian Smith, convicted of murder, sentenced to 21 years to life.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Joe Pooley
Joe Pooley: Lack of prison recall ‘contributed to’ murder
Murder accused told mother ‘I held his head under water’, court hears
Murder accused ‘bullied and ganged up’ on autistic man found dead in river
Joe Pooley death: Vulnerable man ‘attacked and thrown into river’
Joe Pooley death: Mother ‘frustrated’ by Ipswich murder trial delay
Murder accused ‘bragged about killing’, court hears
Court told pair panicked after alleged attack on Joe Pooley
Murder accused allegedly tried to cover his tracks – court told
Joe Pooley death: Gang ‘attacked vulnerable man and threw him into river’