Category: Status: Sentenced

Suspect convicted and sentenced.

John Clark

No PhotoName: John Wyatt Clark.
Died: November 29, 2013.
Age at death: 14 months.
Cause of death: Staph infection.
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Unknown; developmental delays.

Details:
Through his entire life, John’s parents never took him to the doctor, even though he was very small for his age and had obvious developmental delays. They also fed him an extreme diet that did not include all the nutrients he needed. When he was 14 months old, he died from malnutrition and a staph infection that overwhelmed his weakened body.

Case status:
Jennifer Clark (Mother), convicted of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life, sentenced to 32 months in prison.
Jeromie Clark (Father), convicted of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life, sentenced to 32 months in prison.

Source:
Religious Vegan Parents Convicted in Starvation Death of Son
Calgary parents found guilty in connection with death of 14-month-old son
Clark trial hears how gravely ill son was when sent to ICU

Stephanie Owen

Photo of Stephanie Owen and her mother Sharon Hayter. Stephanie is a young woman with long brown hair; her head is thrown back and she is laughing. Sharon is a woman with short brown hair and glasses; she is smiling and hugging Stephanie.Name: Stephanie Owen.
Died: November 28, 2013.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Knowsley, Merseyside, England, UK.
Disability: Intellectual disability; mobility impairment; diabetic.

Details:
Stephanie’s father bludgeoned her and her mother, Sharon Hayter, to death with a claw hammer.

Case status:
William Owen (Father), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 29 years, 90 days in prison.

Source:
Life sentence for doting dad who murdered his wife and disabled daughter at the family home
William Owen jailed for life for murdering daughter and partner
Claw hammer killer agreed bizarre ‘death pact’ with late partner before murdering disabled daughter

Dameian Gulley

Photo of Dameian Gulley, an adolescent boy with fair skin and curly brown hair, standing in front of some leafy branches.Name: Dameian “Luke” Gulley.
Died: November 18, 2013.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Visalia, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Luke’s stepfather strangled him.

His obituary says that he often “volunteered his time at a nursing home in Tulare, CA where he would call out Bingo and paint fingernails.”

Case status:
Miguel Angel Villegas Pacheco (Stepfather), convicted of murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Dameian “Luke” Gulley
Tulare County judge sentences Visalia man to 25 years to life for murder of stepson
Dameian Gulley: Obituary
Stepfather arrested in Gulley’s death
‘We knew we had foul play’
Visalia step-father arrested for the murder of 14-year-old Damiean “Luke” Gulley
Stepfather Left Voice Mail Asking for Help
Central California man arrested in stepson’s death

Antonio Brooks

Photo: A young African-American boy wearing a white shirt. He has large brown eyes and a turned-up nose; his hair is very short.Name: Antonio Brooks.
Died: October 28, 2013.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Peritonitis.
Location: Hampton, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Antonio’s father kicked him in the stomach, and then neglected to take him to the doctor. Antonio died two days later from his injuries.

Case status:
Anthony Brooks (Father), pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter. Due to be released Sept. 2026.

Source:
Hampton man pleads in autistic son’s death
Father arrested after son’s death ruled a homicide
Documents: Hampton father did not get medical attention for son
Testimony: Hampton boy’s death could have been prevented
Autism Memorial: Antonio Brooks

Martin Meffert

Photo of a man with fair skin and dark-blond hair, wearing a black and white print baseball cap. He has a stubbly beard and mustache.Name: Martin Meffert.
Died: October 24, 2013 (Body found); Missing February 8, 2005.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Terownie, South Australia, Australia.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
23-year-old Martin, grieving the death of his mother, arranged to stay with an aunt and some cousins. Then he disappeared.

Eight years later, one of his cousins, who had been collecting Martin’s disability payments, pulled out Martin’s skull and showed it to a friend. This was not reported until a firearms raid found Martin’s bones in plain view in the fireplace of his home. His cousin admitted to shooting Martin in the head and stealing his disability pension for ten years.

Martin loved Bruce Springsteen’s music. He was proud uncle to a baby nephew and awaiting a second nephew when he died.

Case status:
Christopher Travis Scott (Cousin), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Teen who shot Martin Meffert dead then claimed his Centrelink payments
Martin Meffert murder: Police conduct doorknocks in Terowie, SA
Bones-in-fireplace murder: Sister of Martin Meffert wants to end her family’s torment and get justice
No one had spoken to Martin for years. Then police made a gruesome discovery.
Case against accused cold case murderer labelled ‘weak’
Cold case murder accused remanded in custody
Accused killer pulled skull out of box ‘like a show-and-tell’, court told
Accused Terowie murderer admits to killing relative whose bones were found in fireplace
Killer’s confession leads police to find remains of SA murder victim
Bones of murdered man found at Terowie property
Property searched to find murdered man’s remains

Amoe Stevens

Photo of Amoe Stevens, an older Asian woman with tan skin and short black curly hair, wearing a teal suit.Name: Amoe Seline Stevens.
Died: October 18, 2013.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Internal injuries.
Location: Neasden, London, UK.
Disability: Mobility/speech impairment after stroke.

Details:
Amoe was raped and murdered by her son-in-law.

Case status:
Mohammed Yassin Yusuf (Son-in-law), convicted of murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Remorseless killer jailed for causing an ‘agonising death’
Neasden stroke victim murdered by son-in-law’s violent sex assault
Man who murdered mother-in-law in sexual assault so violent she bled to death jailed for life
Mohammed Yassin Yusuf jailed for killing mother-in-law Amoe Seline Stevens in sexual assault
Man jailed for ‘horrifying’ murder by sexual assault on mother-in-law

Lucas Mascini

Bulletin board covered with children's drawings with Dutch text, memorializing Lucas and Rosa.
Classmates’ memorial drawings for Lucas and Rosa V.

Name: Lucas Mascini (also called Lucas V).
Died: October 2, 2013.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Apeldoorn, Netherlands.
Disability: “Severely disabled”.

Details:
Lucas and his six-year-old sister Rosa were murdered by their mother. Police say she told them she had been delusional and had been having trouble caring for her children, “especially her disabled son”.

Case status:
Aurélie V. (Mother); convicted of murder, sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Source:
Aurèlie V., de moeder die haar twee kinderen vermoorde stond vandaag voor de rechter
Moeder bracht haar kinderen om tijdens ‘nachtmerrie’
Hof veroordeelt Apeldoornse moeder tot 12 jaar cel voor doden van haar twee kinderen
Mother claims she was delusional when she killed her kids
Moeder doodde haar twee kinderen ‘in een waan’

83-year-old woman

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: October 2013.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Stroke, dementia, mental illness, epilepsy.

Details:
This 83-year-old woman was neglected by her son and daughter-in-law, who were receiving government payments to care for her. She was denied her medication, starved, and left uncared for on a filthy mattress. She was severely malnourished and filthy, and had been fed by mouth even though her stroke had made it difficult for her to swallow. When she cried for help, her son bought everyone earplugs. She died of untreated bronchopneumonia.

Three of her grandchildren testified against their parents for the abuse that ended in their grandmother’s death.

Case status:
Her son, age 52, convicted of reckless conduct endangering life, sentenced to 12-18 months in jail.
Her daughter-in-law, age 46, convicted of reckless conduct endangering life, given a 12-month suspended sentence.

Source:
Son bought family ear plugs so they couldn’t hear grandmother’s cries
Judge considering tougher penalties for neglect couple
Man jailed for letting his mother die over 16 months without medicine
Man jailed for ‘inhumane’ neglect of elderly mum
Grandmother left to die in own filth
Australian man bought earplugs to drown out his elderly mother’s cries of pain
Son and his wife to stand trial on neglect charges after elderly mother’s death
Son and daughter-in-law to stand trial for mother’s horrific death
Dead woman’s grandchildren to give evidence in their parents’ neglect trial

Tamiyah Audain

A poster from Tamiyah Audain's funeral, showing two photos of her, one with a sunflower clenched between her teeth and the other of her in a purple plaid shirt. Tamiyah is a young girl with brown skin and dark brown eyes, her black hair up in a bun. The poster reads, Heaven gained a precious angel. Sunrise, sunset. Miyah.Name: Tamiyah Audain.
Died: September 25, 2013.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, infection.
Location: Lauderhill, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism, tuberous sclerosis.

Details:
Tamiyah was neglected by her aunt; she died of starvation and infection. When she died after nine months with her aunt, Tamiyah weighed only 56 pounds–less than half of the 115 pounds she had weighed when she first came to live there.

Tamiyah always greeted family members with a hug.

Case status:
Latoya Patterson (Cousin), convicted of child neglect, sentenced to 3 years probation.
Jabeth Moye (Child care worker), pleaded no contest to aggravated child abuse, sentenced to five years probation.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Tamiyah Audain
Caregiver charged in autistic girl’s death seeks bond
Supervised Population Information Detail
While agencies bickered, Broward girl died horrible death
Report: Questions Arise For Child Welfare Workers After Death Of 12-Year-Old
State records show pattern of neglect in death of Lauderhill girl
Florida child welfare worker, 3 others charged in girl’s starvation death

Robert Meredith Jr.

Gravestone reading, Meredith, Robert L Sr, SP4 USA, 1935 2012, Mary Ann, 1938 2012, Robert L Jr,1694, 2013, forever in our hearts.Name: Robert Meredith Jr.
Died: September 22, 2013.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Blunt force injury.
Location: Joliet, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Robert’s brother punched him and hit him with a stick. He died of his injuries.

Case status:
Francis Zabala (Brother-in-law), charged with murder, convicted of involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 4-8 years in prison.

Source:
Joliet man gets 8-year sentence for fatal beating
Joliet murder trial testimony: Broken ribs led to man’s death
2013 Joliet murder trial to begin
Joliet murder trial: Wife saw husband beat victim
Update: Murder Victim ID’d, Died from ‘Blunt Force Injuries’: Coroner
Defendant testifies in Joliet murder trial
Joliet man found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in beating of mentally disabled brother-in-law
Joliet man guilty of involuntary manslaughter: jury