Category: Status: Sentenced

Suspect convicted and sentenced.

Michael Guzman

Slightly blurred photo of Michael Guzman, a Caucasian toddler with wispy brown hair, wearing a brown sweater and holding his hand out to the camera.Name: Michael Guzman.
Died: January 22, 2017.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Phenobarbital overdose.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Michael was found unresponsive in his 9-year-old sister’s bed; at the time, he had been dead for about twelve hours and his mother had not checked on him for longer than that.
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Medical examiners determined that Michael had died of a phenobarbital overdose. Considered suspicious from the beginning, his death was ruled a homicide after six months, but his mother evaded capture for another half a year before she was tracked down and charged.

Case status:
Phyllis Reinoso (Mother), pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, sentenced to 1-3 years.

Source:
Mother sentenced in Guzman’s death
Child welfare workers made 13 visits before death of Queens boy
Source: ACS opened 13 cases with family before death of son, 5
Child found dead had history of epilepsy; Parents questioned
Police Investigate Death of 5-Year-Old Queens Boy
City launches probe into death of 5-year-old Queens boy
ACS couldn’t save tot after missing every red flag
Queens boy subject to ACS probe may have died from health issue
How ACS failed to save this 5-year-old boy from a house of horrors
Death of 5-year-old Queens boy deemed a homicide
Death of 5-year-old Queens boy ruled a homicide
Mom charged in death of 5-year-old found dead in Queens

Rahima Khatun and Amirul

No PhotoName: Rahima Khatun.
Age at death: Young adult.

Name: Amirul.
Age at death: Child.

Died: January 21, 2017.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Angiadi, Bangladesh.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Rahima Katun and her son Amirul were both killed by her husband.

Case Status:
Najrul Islam (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to death.

Source:
Man sentenced to death for killing disabled wife, son
Man sentenced to death for killing disabled wife and son

Peter Abrahams

Photo of Peter Abrahams, an elderly African man with medium-brown skin and white hair and mustache.Name: Peter Abrahams.
Died: January 18, 2017.
Age at death: 97.
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma.
Location: Red Hills, St. Andrew, Jamaica.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
After Peter objected to the way his aide’s husband had used his credit card, the man became angry, threw him out of his wheelchair, and bashed his head against the floor until he died.

Peter was a novelist, journalist, and political commentator who was born in South Africa, lived in the UK, and finally moved to Jamaica. His work focused on political and social issues, especially racism.

Case status:
Norman Tomlinson (Husband of Peter’s aide; lover?), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 7 years.

Source:
Wikipedia: Peter Abrahams
Murder accused alleges gay affair with Peter Abrahams — sources
Investigators Give Details On Murder Of Peter Abrahams
Suspect reportedly admits to killing Peter Abrahams
Sleep on Sir Abrahams
Peter Abrahams

Alex Santiago

Photo of a young man with tan skin and curly hair, smiling for the camera, wearing a sweater.Name: Alex Santiago.
Died: January 17, 2017.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Berryville, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Alex had already survived one murder attempt by his brother, who had locked him in a gasoline-drenched bedroom and lit a match. Alex was airlifted to a hospital, where he spent three days before going home. Eight months later, his brother finally succeeded in killing him by bludgeoning him with a baseball bat and stabbing him with a sword.

Case status:
Joseph Santiago (Brother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Alex Santiago
17-year-old arrested after killing autistic brother with baseball bat, sword
17-Year-Old Accused Of Killing Autistic Brother With Bat And Sword
Carroll County murder victim was suspect’s autistic brother; Bat, sword were weapons
House Fire Victims by Taylor Santiago
Arkansas teen pleads innocent in brother’s death
Juvenile, for now, pleads not guilty in death of autistic brother
Murder suspect identified: Enters ‘not guilty’ plea in brother’s slaying
Carroll County teen pleads not guilty to capital murder, other charges
Mental evaluation Judge orders exam for Santiago, accused of slaying brother
Carroll Co. Murder Suspect to Undergo Mental ExamCarroll Co. Murder Suspect to Undergo Mental Exam
Arkansas Teen Sentenced to Life for Killing Brother

Victoria Cherry

Photo of Vicky Cherry, a middle-aged woman with pale skin and straight brown chin-length hair.Name: Victoria Cherry.
Died: January 15, 2017 (Body Found); missing October 2015.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Likely strangulation.
Location: Bolton, Manchester, England, UK.
Disability: Epilepsy, depression, drug abuse.

Details:
Vicky’s boyfriend claimed she had moved away and stole her benefits for some time. Her body was found fifteen months later, stuffed into a cupboard. It was impossible to tell exactly how she had died, but damage to her neck implied Vicky had probably been strangled.

Case status:
Andrew Reade (Boyfriend), pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and preventing a lawful burial, sentenced to 4 years, 4 months.

Source:
Man jailed for hiding girlfriend’s body in cupboard for more than a year
Victoria Cherry: Man arrested on suspicion of murder after police find body
Tributes to mum found dead at flat
Tributes paid to Preston woman Victoria Cherry
Police searching for missing woman Victoria Cherry for over a year find body in Bolton house
Man hid body of dead girlfriend in airing cupboard for 15 months
Man, 43, hid his dead girlfriend’s body in his airing cupboard for 15 months
Vicky Cherry death: Boyfriend jailed over airing cupboard body

Scott McCallum

Photo of Scott McCallum, a white man with black hair and a receding hairline; he has a salt-and-pepper beard and mustache.Name: Scott McCallum.
Died: January 6, 2017.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Fatal neglect.
Location: Howard City, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Details:
Scott’s caregiver left him alone and didn’t care for him. He died of neglect, with severe bedsores. She left his body in place for two days before finally calling a funeral home.

Case Status:
Rebecca Ann Deters (Son’s girlfriend), pleaded no contest to second-degree abuse, sentenced to 12 months in jail; serving 24 months in prison due to probation violation.

Source:
Woman sent to prison for abuse of bedridden man
Woman pleads to abusing bedridden man who died in her care
Woman accused of neglecting bedridden man, not reporting his death

Perleen Bode

Photo of Perleen Bode. She is a young woman with fair skin and dark curly hair; she is wearing an old-fashioned navy blue dress with white trim.Name: Perleen June Bode.
Died: January 4, 2017.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Broken neck.
Location: Bremerton, Washington, USA.
Disability: Chronic lung disease, congestive heart failure.

Details:
Perleen was an extrovert who liked cars and spending time with her friends. She was retired from a government job, and had two sons and four grandchildren.

After Perleen’s husband died, she found a new boyfriend who became her caretaker. Her boyfriend abused her for a long time until finally killing her; she died of a broken neck from manual strangulation.

Case status:
Richard Raul Heller (Boyfriend), charged with second-degree murder; pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, sentenced to 70 months.

Source:
Bremerton man gets prison time for death of girlfriend
Caretaker, boyfriend charged in woman’s death from January
Perleen June Bode, 66
Bremerton police arrest man in death of 67-year-old woman
As murder trial started, man accused of killing girlfriend pleaded guilty to manslaughter

96-year-old woman

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: Unknown; charges brought in 2017.
Age at death: 96.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Anderson County, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; frail elder, wheelchair user.

Details:
This 96-year-old woman’s great-grandson and a woman had moved in to care for her; but instead of doing so, they used meth and neglected her. She died from sepsis, from an infected bedsore.

Case status:
Jesse Long (Great-grandson), pleaded guilty to abuse of a vulnerable adult resulting in serious bodily injury, sentenced to 15 years in prison and 5 years probation, as well as 15 years for drug charges.
Veronica Bryant (Housemate), pleaded guilty to abuse of a vulnerable adult resulting in death, sentenced to 3 years in prison and 5 years probation.

Source:
Great-grandson, woman plead guilty in 96-year-old’s death
Great-grandson, woman let 96-year-old die from maggot-covered sores

Sonia Riang

Photo of Sonia Riang, an African-American woman with medium-brown skin and curly black hair. She is wearing a flannel jacket and smiling.Name: Sonia Riang.
Died: December 25, 2016.
Age at death: 45.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Clinton Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired due to car accident; used wheelchair and cane.

Details:
Sonia was stabbed to death by her daughter on Christmas day.

She was a fan of Korean soap operas.

Case status:
Delilah Evans (Daughter), convicted of first-degree murder, guilty but mentally ill; sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Teen Arrested Monday in Connection With Christmas Day Murder
Daughter arrested in fatal stabbing of disabled mother in Clinton Township
Clinton Township teen may be arraigned in mother’s death
Daughter Arrested in Christmas Day Murder of Disabled Mother
17-year-old charged in murder of disabled mother
17-year-old daughter arraigned in mother’s stabbing death on Christmas
17-Year-Old Girl Charged With Murder In Mother’s Fatal Stabbing Christmas Day
Clinton Township Girl Arraigned In Mother’s Death
Teen arraigned in disabled mother’s stabbing death
Teen charged with murder in stabbing death of mother
17-Year-Old Girl Murders Mom On Christmas Day, But Family Upset About Murder Charges
Clinton Township teen seeking insanity verdict for stabbing mother to death
Teen gets life for stabbing disabled mom 120 times on Christmas Day
Teen who killed disabled mom on Christmas gets life in prison
Metro Detroit teen gets life without parole for stabbing her disabled mom 120 times, killing her
Clinton Township teen who killed mother gets life without parole
Daughter sentenced to life in prison for mother’s fatal stabbing on Christmas
Teen girl stabs disabled mother 120 times, killing her, on Christmas Day

Kathryn Breen

No PhotoName: Kathryn Breen.
Died: December 23, 2016.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; elder disabled.

Details:
Kathryn Breen suffered burn injuries in a fire set in her bedroom by her caretaker. She was taken to the hospital with third-degree burns over 25% of her body and died a month later.

Case status:
Celia Schwab (Live-in caretaker), charged with murder, arson, and assault, died of natural causes before conviction.
Maria Meisner (Neighbor), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Caretaker accused of setting elderly woman on fire found unfit to stand trial for now
Beaverton woman gets life in prison for setting elderly neighbor on fire, killing her