Status: Sentenced – Page 5 – Disability Day of Mourning

Ashton and Ethan Yap

Flowers left at a green railing in front of a shallow canal. There are three bouquets of yellow flowers and a line of white roses. Name: Ashton Yap Kai Shern.
Name: Ethan Yap E Chern.

Died: January 21, 2022.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Singapore.
Disability: ADHD, autism.

Details:
Ashton and Ethan were twin brothers whose bodies were found in a canal near a playground. Their father was arrested on suspicion of having killed them.

Case Status:
Xavier Yap Jung Houn (Father), convicted of 2 counts of culpable homicide, sentenced to 14 years.

Sources:
Father gets 14 years in jail for killing autistic twin sons
Greenridge Cres killings: Father of twin boys to plead guilty to culpable homicide not amounting to murder
Man, 49, to plead guilty to culpable homicide for strangling twin sons, 11, in Upper Bukit Timah
Death of Upper Bukit Timah twins: Father to plead guilty to culpable homicide
Dad Accused of Killing His 2 Sons at Greenridge Playground Has Murder Charges Reduced to Culpable Homicide
Dad accused of strangling Singapore twin sons no longer facing the death penalty | Coconuts
Man who allegedly strangled twin sons gets murder charges reduced to culpable homicide » Borneo Bulletin Online
Twins found dead in Upper Bukit Timah canal: Father handed second murder charge
Autism Memorial: Ashton and Ethan Yap
Twins found dead in Upper Bukit Timah canal: Father accused of murder hires new lawyers
More Details Have Emerged About the Murder of the 2 Greenridge Crescent Boys
Greenridge Crescent boys’ deaths: 48-year-old father faces second murder charge
Twins found dead: SG Enable urges stressed caregivers of children with special needs to seek help | The Straits Times
Bodies of 11-year-old twins found in canal near Upper Bukit Timah playground | The Straits Times
Caregivers of children with special needs ‘may face burnout or feel emotionally burdened’: SG Enable
Father arrested after twin boys found dead in Upper Bukit Timah canal, to be charged with murder | The Straits Times
Twin Boys With Special Needs Found Dead In Canal, Father Charged With Murder
9 New Facts About the Twin Boys Murder Found in Upper Bukit Timah Canal

Name: Lacey Fletcher.
Died: January 3, 2022.
Age at death: 36.
Cause of death: Medical neglect; pressure sores.
Location: Slaughter, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Autism; catatonia or locked-in syndrome.

Details:
Lacey’s body was found sitting on a filthy couch at home. She had multiple pressure sores and infections, and was underweight. According to the coroner who ruled her death a homicide, she had suffered “at least a decade of neglect”.

Case Status:
Sheila Fletcher (Mother), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, sentenced to 40 years with 20 years suspended.
Clay Fletcher (Father), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, sentenced to 40 years with 20 years suspended.

Sources:
Parents of Woman With Autism Found Dead and ‘Melted’ Into Sofa Sentenced
Parents of autistic woman found dead in own waste, sentenced to 20 years
Louisiana parents accused of letting autistic daughter die plead no contest to manslaughter
Parents expected to plea to manslaughter after daughter died on couch
Parents re-indicted for murder of daughter found ‘melted’ to couch.
Charges against parents accused of letting daughter die on fetid couch thrown out — for now
Photos expose Lacey Ellen Fletcher’s AGONY, despite parents’ home stocked with cleaning products
Pictured: Parents of neglected daughter found dead and fused to family sofa
Parents to be hit with murder charges after daughter ‘melted into couch’
Grand jury to decide parents’ fate after coroner finds daughter’s body sitting on couch with feces around it
After ‘horrific’ death at home, parents of Louisiana woman may soon face murder charges
‘Worst case of neglect’: Parents face murder charges after neglect of disabled child
‘Something you make HORROR movies about’: Parents face murder charges after disabled daughter’s gruesome death
Autism Memorial: Lacey Fletcher
Woman, 36, with Locked-in Syndrome was found dead FUSED to a living room couch | Daily Mail Online
Neglected woman who died on parents’ sofa starved to death, had not seen doctor in 20 years

Natalie Ryan-Fraser

Name: Natalie Ryan-Fraser.
Died: December 30, 2021.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Caledonia, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Natalie’s husband fatally shot her.

Natalie was a senior instructor in English and Modern Languages at Angelo State University.

Case Status:
Wayne Fraser (Husband), found guilty of culpable negligent manslaughter, sentenced to 20 years.

Sources:
Scots killer who shot dead wheelchair-bound wife ‘appeals conviction’ in US
Exclusive: US court begins murder trial of Mintlaw man accused of shooting disabled wife dead
Scot goes on trial accused of murdering wheelchair bound wife in US
Wayne Fraser trial: Scottish man accused of murdering wife in the US
Bryan Rutherford: We’ll have no women left if men keep getting away with murder
Brother of disabled uni prof killed by ex-pat Scot reveals his anguish
Scot who moved to US for new life ‘murders disabled wife in horror shooting’
Scot ‘shoots wife dead’ in Mississippi after moving to US to start new life
Scots man accused of shooting wife dead in USA faces life in Mississippi jail

Terrance Adams

Photo of a young boy with pale skin and fine blond hair, wearing blue-rimmed glasses. His face is somewhat asymmetrical and his mouth pulls to one side; his ears stick out below the earpieces of his glasses. Name: Terrance “Terry” Adams.
Died: December 28, 2021.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Clinton township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Charge syndrome.

Details:
Left alone to babysit, Terry’s mother’s boyfriend filled the bathtub with water and drowned him in it.

Case Status:
Hunter Locke-Huges (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of first-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter; sentenced to 90 months to 30 years.

Sources:
Mich. man sentenced in bathtub drowning death of girlfriend’s disabled son
Man charged with drowning 6-year-old disabled child he was babysitting
Man accused of holding child underwater in Clinton Township death investigation
Terrance Adams “Terry” Obituary – Warren, MI
Fraser man convicted in 2021 drowning death of 6-year-old special needs boy
Mich. man convicted of drowning girlfriend’s special-needs 6-year-old son in bathtub
Mich. Man Convicted of Manslaughter in Drowning Death of Girlfriend’s 6-Year-Old Son with Special Needs

Janice Hunter

Name: Janice Hunter.
Died: December 18, 2021.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Paphos, Cyprus.
Disability: Leukemia.

Details:
Janice’s husband allegedly suffocated her. He claimed he had been assisting suicide, but as there was no evidence that Janet had wanted to die other than his assertion that she did, the court rejected that charge and charged him with murder, though he was convicted only of manslaughter after the court could not prove premeditation.

Case Status:
David Hunter (Husband), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years and released on time served.

Sources:
British man convicted of killing his ailing wife “out of love” is freed from prison in Cyprus
Expat whose wife ‘begged him’ to kill her found guilty of manslaughter in Cyprus
Birthday cards sent to Northumberland miner facing murder trial in Cyprus
Friend of man accused of killing terminally ill wife visits him in Cyprus prison
Former Northumberland miner denies murdering wife in Cyprus
Janice Hunter case: Cyprus murder-accused ‘was devoted husband’
Retired coal miner accused of killing wife is not a murderer, says ex-cellmate

Elizabeth Vamplew

Name: Elizabeth Vamplew.
Died: December 15, 2021.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Burns, smoke inhalation.
Location: Newark, Nottinghamshire, England, UK.
Disability: Mobility impaired, deaf.

Details:
Elizabeth’s daughter-in-law, who had already drained her bank account and stood to gain half the estate when Elizabeth died, set Elizabeth’s bed on fire. She died from burns and smoke inhalation.

Elizabeth received an award for Best Kept Garden. She went on cruises twice a year, traveled with her family in her caravan, and was extremely proud of her three granddaughters.

Case Status:
Karen Vamplew (Daughter-in-law), convicted of murder, sentenced to 32 years to life.

Sources:
Killer set fire to her disabled mother-in-law’s bed to collect inheritance money
‘Greedy’ woman murdered deaf mother-in-law by setting fire to her bed
‘Wicked’ woman who set fire to mother-in-law’s bed as she slept jailed for life
Woman jailed for murdering mother-in-law in fire for inheritance

Dawn Walker

Photo of a woman with light skin and long, dark-brown hair, wearing a pink blouse; she is sitting at a table at a sidewalk cafe. Name: Dawn Walker.
Died: October 31, 2021.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Asphyxia, head injury.
Location: Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England, UK.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Dawn was newly married when she told her husband that she had bipolar disorder, and that she wanted a divorce. He strangled her to death.

Case Status:
Thomas Nutt (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to at least 21 years.

Sources:
Thomas Nutt, who murdered wife on wedding night and put body in suitcase jailed for at least 21 years
Husband admits killing new bride ‘after she asked him for a divorce’
Man accused of murdering his new bride, stuffing her body in a suitcase and dumping it in a field

Summer Tatum

Name: Summer Knight Tatum.
Died: October 18, 2021.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Prattville, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Summer’s husband shot her twice in the head. Prosecutors say he was angry because she had discovered he was having an affair. Rushed to the hospital in critical condition, Summer–who was five months pregnant–died soon afterwards. Her baby, a boy named Everett, was delivered dangerously premature and lived only a few hours.

Case Status:
Hunter James Tatum (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 198 years.

Sources:
Man Will Serve Nearly 200 Years in Prison After Guilty Plea in Shooting Death of Wife and Unborn Son
Alabama Man Indicted In Fatal Shooting Of Disabled Wife, Unborn Child Over Video Game Console
Prosecutor says text affair led to days of fighting, shooting deaths of pregnant woman, unborn son
Prosecutor: Man shot pregnant wife twice in head after she discovered affair

Richard Wix Jr.

No Photo Name: Richard B. Wix Jr.
Died: September 23, 2021.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Medical neglect.
Location: Glasgow, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Richard’s body was found in his home, where he lived with his father, about a week after his death. The home itself was in such bad shape that it was condemned; Richard’s father was arrested on suspicion of having fatally neglected or abused him. Officials say he “did not seek appropriate medical attention” for Richard.

Case Status:
Richard Len Wix (Father), convicted of abusing/neglecting an adult, sentenced to 5 years.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Richard Wix Jr.
New details released in Glasgow reckless homicide case
Nonverbal, autistic man dies; father charged with reckless homicide
Father charged after death of son with autism
Police: Barren Co. father culpable in death of special needs son | K105

James Westcott

Name: James Westcott.
Died: September 17, 2021.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Taberg, New York, USA.
Disability: OCD, bipolar disorder, ADHD.

Details:
James was shot to death, allegedly by his brother. James’s family testified that James had unmedicated bipolar disorder and had threatened to burn down the house the day before James’s brother decided to “defend” his family by shooting the unarmed man.

Case Status:
Matthew Westcott (Brother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.
Micheal Westcott (Brother), charged with attempted murder, charges dropped; convicted of making a false statement.

Sources:
Taberg man who shot and killed brother in 2021 sentenced to 25 years to life in prison
Parents take the stand in murder trial of brother vs. brother
Westcott trial: accused killer couldn’t remember shooting
Science in the spotlight, focus on forensics during day 4 of Westcott murder trial
Brother of defendant and victim testifies in brother’s murder trial
Parents of defendant, victim, testify in Matthew Westcott murder trial
Man fatally shot in the face by younger brother was also stabbed by older brother, troopers say – syracuse.com
Second brother charged in Annsville homicide accused of stabbing sibling after he was shot
Man shot in face by younger brother was also stabbed by older brother, troopers say
Man Accused of Murdering Brother with a Shotgun in Annsville