Status: Sentenced – Disability Day of Mourning

Gary Lew

No Photo Name: Gary Lew.
Died: April 11, 2023.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Beating.
Location: Denton, Nebraska, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida, dementia; wheelchair user.

Details:
Gary was beaten to death by his daughter, son in law, cousin, and a family friend. Two young children witnessed the incident.

Case Status:
Christina Thornley (Daughter), pleaded no contest to six charges including abuse of a vulnerable adult, false imprisonment, being an accessory to murder, and evidence tampering; sentenced to 15 years.
Justin Thornley (Son in law), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, tampering with evidence, vulnerable adult abuse, false imprisonment, and criminal conspiracy; sentenced to 25 to 30 years.
Jacob Thornley (Cousin), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, abuse of a vulnerable adult, false imprisonment, evidence tampering and criminal conspiracy; sentenced to 29 to 30 years.
Braden Bongers, pleaded no contest to attempted assault; sentenced to 9 to 18 years.

Sources:
Final 2 of 4 suspects convicted in Omaha man’s murder sentenced to prison
Three men accept plea deals in beating death of wheelchair-bound Omaha man
Multiple suspects found guilty in Omaha man’s death after pleading ‘no contest’
3 of 4 suspects in Omaha man’s murder plead ‘no contest’

Carol Clark

Name: Carol Clark.
Died: April 9, 2023.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Falls Township, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Stroke, diabetes, mobility impaired (Wheelchair user).

Details:
Carol’s body was found in a shed. Her son had drugged her with Fentanyl and then fatally shot her.

Case Status:
Sean Rivera (Son), agreed to plead guilty to homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and drug possession with intent to deliver; plea deal is for life without parole.

Sources:
Falls man takes plea deal to avoid death penalty in murder of his mother
Man Accused Of Drugging & Shooting His Mother
Son Charged With Murder of Bucks Co. Woman
Falls man drugged mother, took her to Philadelphia and fatally shot her: Police
Bucks County man charged with killing his mother on her 72nd birthday

Sara Bateman

Name: Sara Bateman.
Died: March 30, 2023.
Age at death: 50.
Cause of death: Broken neck; strangled.
Location: Willenhall, England, UK.
Disability: Leg amputee, wheelchair user.

Details:
Sara’s boyfriend strangled her with a dog leash.

Case Status:
Matthew Hyde (Boyfriend), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 16 years to life.

Sources:
Sara Bateman: Man who strangled disabled girlfriend with dog lead jailed for life
Willenhall man jailed for life for murdering disabled partner
Police boss issues statement over murder of disabled Willenhall grandmother as new image released
Killer strangled amputee girlfriend to death with a dog lead
‘Caring’ woman murdered by partner who left body for son to find

Sarah Albone

Name: Sarah Albone.
Died: February 25, 2023.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Head injury, airway obstruction.
Location: Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England, UK.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Details:
Sarah’s partner violently killed her and dumped her body in a trash bin; then he convinced her family she was still alive by claiming she was in a hospital for treatment and faking text messages. Even before the murder, he was known to be an abusive and controlling partner.

Case Status:
Matthew Waddell (Partner), convicted of murder, sentenced to a minimum of 32 years.

Sources:
Biggleswade murder trial hears man hid partner’s body in suitcase
Biggleswade: Matthew Waddell guilty of body-in-suitcase murder
Judge calls for Bedfordshire Police to review handling of domestic homicide case

Teruko Fujiwara

Concrete bridge and white railing above water. A bunch of yellow flowers has been left at the curb. — Flowers left for Teruko Fujiwara at the scene of her death.

Name: Teruko Fujiwara.
Died: November 2, 2022.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Ms. Fujiwara’s husband had been her caregiver for 40 years since she was injured and started using a wheelchair. The two were planning to enter an assisted-living facility, and Ms. Fujiwara was looking forward to it. But her husband did not want to accept help; he took her to the pier and pushed her out of her wheelchair and into the ocean, where she drowned. Police say he admitted to the murder, saying he was “worn out” from looking after her.

Ms. Fujiwara leaves behind two grown sons.

Case Status:
Hiroshi Fujiwara (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to 3 years.

Sources:
Obsession to care for disabled wife by himself led man to kill her
Husband, 82, gets 3 years in drowning death of paralyzed wife
81-year-old Japanese man arrested for murder after pushing wife’s wheelchair into sea
81-yr-old man in Japan arrested for allegedly killing wife he took care of for 40 yrs
Man accused of pushing wife in wheelchair into sea, killing her
Man, 81, pushes wheelchair-bound wife, 79, into the sea as he was ‘too tired of taking care of her’

Eda Karr

No Photo Name: Eda Lyn Karr.
Died: October 18, 2022.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Stevensville, Montana, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease.

Details:
Eda’s son took his mother out of her nursing home, neglected her until she died, and then hid her body while he continued to collect her retirement checks.

Case Status:
Ronan Sterling-Shanahan, aka Justin Whitfield (Son), convicted of negligent homicide and tampering with evidence, sentenced to 30 years.

Sources:
>Stevi man sentenced to 30 years in mother’s death

Michael Bruno

No Photo Name: Michael John Bruno.
Died: September 17, 2022.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Boardman, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Depression, PTSD, frail elder.

Details:
Michael’s son fatally shot him as he lay in bed; he was angry that Michael had decided to sell his home.

He was a Vietnam veteran who had served in the Air Force.

Case Status:
Michael N. Bruno (Son), convicted of murder, sentenced to 18 years to life.

Sources:
Man who killed his father gets 18 to life
Man sentenced in shooting death of father in Boardman
Obituary for Michael John Bruno | Funeral Services by Gary Silvat
Former Sheriff’s Deputy sentenced to 18 years to life in shooting death of father

Louise Nash

Somewhat blurred photo of a teenage girl with a round face, tan skin, and frizzy black hair tied back in a ponytail. She is wearing a dark zip-up sweater and a seat belt stretches across her chest. Her expression is neutral and relaxed, eyes half-closed. Name: Louise Nash.
Died: September 8, 2022.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Great Waldingfield, Suffolk, England, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Louise and her mother Jillu lived in Suffolk, where Louise attended a special-needs school. Louise’s parents lived in India, and the mother and daughter sometimes went to visit them. They were well-known to neighbors, who remember them always waving from their car when they drove past.

Someone called the authorities, worried about Louise and Jillu, and police went to check on them. They found Louise and Jillu dead, a gas leak in the home, and Louise’s father, badly injured and immediately taken to the hospital, who they suspect is responsible for the killings. The neighborhood had to be evacuated while the gas leak was repaired, but no one else was hurt.

Case Status:
Peter Nash (Father), convicted of murder; sentenced to 40 years to life.

Sources:
Man handed life prison sentence for murders of wife and daughter, 12
Suffolk double murder: Man called wife ‘validated cheater’
Ipswich Crown Court shown footage of Great Waldingfield family murder accused, Peter Nash, referring to 12-year-old daughter as his ‘property’ in video recorded by wife before her death
After Neely homicide, mental health workers explain what to do if someone is in crisis on the subway
Murder trial set to enter closing stages
Husband who murdered wife and daughter thought they were his ‘property’
Man faces mandatory life sentence for murder of wife and daughter
Autism Memorial: Louise Nash
Tributes paid to ‘devoted’ mum and her daughter, 12, found at home dead
Council chair speaks of shock after suspected double murder
Injured man arrested over deaths of a mother and her 12-year-old daughter
Family of ‘murdered’ mother and daughter, 12, tell of ‘utter despair’
Dad ‘stabbed severely disabled daughter, 12, to death and strangled wife’
Father in court after being charged with murder of wife and kid
Man ‘killed wife and autistic daughter’
Husband ‘stabbed autistic daughter & strangled his wife who was leaving him’
Man accused of double murder ‘confessed to psychiatrist’, court told

Patricia Bitters

No Photo Name: Patricia Bitters.
Died: September 3, 2022.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Forres, Scotland, UK.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Patricia lived with her grandson for the last five years of her life because she had trouble getting around and needed help. One night, her grandson came home drunk and beat her severely. She was taken to the hospital, but lived only six days before dying from her injuries.

Patricia had 13 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

Case Status:
Scott McCulloch (Grandson), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.

Sources:
Killer beat his own gran to death when he was supposed to be looking after her
‘Please stay with me while I die’: Granny’s plea to nurse after killer grandson ‘lost it’

Man pleads guilty to murder of his 84-year-old grandmother

Man sentenced to life in prison for murdering grandmother

Sick brute jailed for life after brutally murdering frail grandmother

Miss Hsieh

No Photo Name: Hsieh (Family name; given name unknown).
Died: August 4, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Disability: Developmental delay, poor balance.

Details:
When three-year-old miss Hsieh refused to take her bath, her father beat her and then forced her to stand on a stool, from which she fell. She died of a brain injury; her body showed signs of regular beatings.

Case Status:
Mr. Hsieh (Father), convicted of child abuse resulting in death, sentenced to 9 years.

Sources:
Court sentences man for abuse, death of daughter
Supreme Court upholds man’s 9-year sentence for causing daughter’s death