Status: Sentenced – Page 3 – Disability Day of Mourning

Stephen Kershaw

Name: Stephen Kershaw.
Died: September 16, 2022.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Bradford, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Stephen lived with his stepson and his stepson’s girlfriend. The two regularly abused and harassed him for money. Stephen’s stepson eventually smothered him, and the pair tried to hide his body for a few days before they were found out.

Case Status:
Ian Mitchell (Stepson), pleaded guilty to murder and fraud, sentenced to 22 years to life.
Sarah Pearson (Stepson’s girlfriend), pleaded guilty to murder and fraud, sentenced to 19 years to life.

Sources:
Woman handed prison sentence after making confession to stranger on one night stand
Woman and her fiance who murdered his vulnerable stepfather, 65…

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

Timothy Ferguson

Name: Timothy Ferguson.
Died: July 6, 2022.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, hypothermia.
Location: Norton Shores, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism with speech and motor impairment.

Details:
Timothy died from a combination of starvation and hypothermia. His mother had been feeding him very little, often just bread soaked in hot sauce, and had been forcing him to take ice baths. His mother insisted that he was “faking” his disability.

Case Status:
Shanda Vander Ark (Mother), convicted of murder and first-degree child abuse; sentenced to 50-100 years for child abuse and life without parole for murder.
Paul Ferguson (Brother), pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse, sentenced to 30-100 years.

Sources:
Man who helped mum torture disabled brother to death begs mercy at sentencing
Killer jailed for disabled younger brother’s death after tearful ‘mercy’ plea
Michigan man faces up to 100 years in jail for torturing and starving autistic brother to death
Muskegon Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Starvation Death of Disabled Brother in Michigan
3 things to know before mom is sentenced for torturing son to death
Michigan law clerk is jailed for life for torturing her disabled son
Mum who tortured and starved disabled son expressionless as jailed for life
Michigan woman sentenced to life in prison in starvation death of 15-year-old son – CBS Detroit
‘We know who you are’: Judge and victim’s siblings call out mom who fatally tortured son
MI v. Shanda Vander Ark: Tortured Son Murder Trial
Tortured Son Murder Trial: Shanda Vander Ark Cross-Examination
Testimony begins in trial of Norton Shores mom accused of killing her teen with special needs
Hot sauce, ice baths, motion sensors | What prosecutors accuse a Norton Shores mom of doing to slain son
Michigan mom found guilty of starving her disabled son to death
Michigan woman found guilty of murder and child abuse in starvation death of son
Michigan mother found guilty of murder in starvation death of her disabled 15-year-old son – CBS News
Norton Shores mother heads to trial for murder, child abuse of teenage son
Norton Shores mom accused of torturing, killing son faced ‘similar allegations’ in custody case
Woman charged with homicide, child abuse of teenage son in Norton Shores
43-year-old woman arrested for open murder of teen in Norton Shores
Woman charged with murder, abuse in death of underfed teen
MI Woman Charged After Son Dies, Tortured With Ice Baths and More
A mother charged with the death of her child
Autism Memorial: Timothy Ferguson
‘Sadistic’: Mother charged with abuse, murder of teen

Katherine Sokolich

No Photo Name: Katherine Sokolich.
Died: July 3, 2022.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Ballwin, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Katherine’s brother, who was her court-appointed guardian and responsible for taking care of her, beat her because he was frustrated with taking care of her. After he called 911 and reported that she was injured, Katherine was hospitalized, but later died of a brain bleed due to head trauma.

Case Status:
Anthony Sokolich (Brother, guardian), pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to probation.

Sources:
Police say 70-year-old Missouri man killed disabled sister
Man accused of beating disabled sister to death
70-Year-Old Missouri Man Beat His Disabled Sister to Death: Authorities
Disabled woman dies after attack by ‘frustrated’ caretaker brother near Ballwin, police say

King Dewey

Name: King Dewey.
Died: May 31, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Port Arthur, Texas, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, suspected autism.

Details:
King was found dead in his home, weighing only 19 pounds. Police say he had been locked in a closet for some time.

Case Status:
Tina Louis (Mother), charged with injury to a child.
Kristen Louis (Sister), pleaded guilty to two counts of injury to a child, sentenced to 30 years.
Jaylin Jevon Lewis, found guilty on two counts of injury to a child.

Sources:
Third suspect arrested in connection with death of 4-year-old boy found in Port Arthur home
Mom and Aunt Charged in Death of Disabled Toddler Boy Found Emaciated
Mother, daughter charged in handicapped child’s death
Police release new details about death of 3-year-old emaciated special needs child
Police: Emaciated 3-year-old special needs child weighed 19 pounds at time of death
Third suspect sought in ’emaciated’ toddler’s death

Joan Ffolkes

No Photo Name: Joan Patricia Ffolkes.
Died: May 30, 2022.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Joan was allegedly stabbed by her daughter. She died after three days in the hospital. Police say that Joan’s daughter told them that she found it difficult to care for Joan and had been planning her murder for several months.

Joan was a legal secretary. After retirement, she grew a rose garden.

Case Status:
Brigette Ffolkes (Daughter), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to life.

Sources:
Tallahassee woman gets life sentence for killing mother with dementia
Tallahassee woman indicted for murder in death of her elderly mother
Woman stabbed by daughter dies from injuries on Memorial Day, charges upgraded to 1st degree murder
Joan Patricia Ffolkes Obituary (2022)
Correction: Mother of administrative law judge stabbed in her home, daughter arrested
Mother of Administrative Judge Killed by Daughter

Eli Hart

Name: Eli Hart.
Died: May 20, 2022.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Mound, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Townes-Brock syndrome.

Details:
Eli was found dead in the trunk of his mother’s car after she shot him dead with a shotgun.

Eli liked to play with matchbox cars and wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. He had recently learned how to fish, and had such a talent for it that he caught more fish on his first day than his father, who owns a bait shop and had been fishing all his life.

Case Status:
Julissa Thaler (Mother), convicted of first- and second-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Sources:
Julissa Thaler sentenced to life in prison for murdering 6-year-old son, Eli Hart
Father of slain 6-year-old takes stand in mom’s trial: ‘He was everything to me’
Mental health records sought by lawyer representing woman accused of killing 6-year-old son
Woman charged with shooting 6-year-old son whose body was found in trunk during traffic stop
Father was trying to reclaim custody of boy found slain in trunk in Mound
Family of boy killed in Mound says state didn’t do enough to protect him ‘They ignored us’
Funeral and Headstone, organized by Nikita K
Family remember the boy found dead in Mound, ‘Eli was the sweetest kid’
2 Arrested After Boy’s Body Found In Trunk; Victim Identified As Eli Hart
Mother, 28, is arrested after son, 6, is found in car trunk

Jamie Ward

No Photo Name: Jamie Ward.
Died: May 18, 2022.
Age at death: 50.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Greenfield, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Chronic pain; degenerative disk disease.

Details:
Jamie’s body was found in her home, with her husband. He reportedly told police that he had killed Jamie because she asked him to kill her; but news articles make no mention of a suicide note or any indication that she had wanted to die. Police describe the incident as a “domestic violence homicide”.

Case Status:
Braeden Ward (Husband), pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide, sentenced to 12 years in prison and eight years on extended supervision.

Sources:
The medical examiner said Jamie Ward was dead for two weeks before her decomposing body was found.
A Greenfield man pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in the stabbing death of his wife
Greenfield Man Pleads Guilty To New Charge After Wife’s Stabbing Death
Husband says he killed wife to end suffering, drained blood from body
Milwaukee Co. man stabbed wife to death because she wanted to die, complaint states
A Greenfield man has been charged in the stabbing death of his wife. He says she lived with chronic pain and asked him to help her die.
Greenfield Man Charged With Homicide After Wife Found Stabbed To Death
Greenfield homicide: Braeden Ward accused of fatally stabbing wife
Husband ‘stabbed wife & left body to rot – but WASHED corpse to hide smell’
Woman dead 2 weeks found in home, husband to face homicide charge
Police ID woman killed in Greenfield homicide