Status: Sentenced – Page 65 – Disability Day of Mourning

Michael Jones

Name: Michael Shane Jones.
Died: January 1, 2014.
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Stockton, California, USA.
Disability: Diabetes, chronic pain, mobility impaired.

Details:
Michael’s roommate stabbed him to death. Together with Michael’s girlfriend, he dismembered and tried to burn the body. To police, they claimed that it had been a mercy killing.

Case status:
Bryan Scott Cook (Caregiver, roommate), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years to life
Valentina Paz (Girlfriend), pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact, sentenced to 2 years.

Source:
Suspect in dismemberment homicide to go to trial
Dismemberment called ‘sympathy killing’
Calif. couple accused of murder, dismemberment of roommate
Victim of bizarre Stockton killing identified
Man sentenced for murder, burning body in Groveland
Inmate suspected in stabbing death
Girlfriend of murdered man sentenced to two years in prison
Michael Shane Jones Allegedly Killed And Dismembered By California Roommates

Omaree Varela

Name: Omaree Varela.
Died: December 27, 2013.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma, internal bleeding.
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
Disability: ADHD, PTSD, mild developmental delay.

Details:
Omaree was kicked to death by his mother.

Six months before he died, Omaree called 911 for help; but the investigation came to nothing.

Case Status:
Synthia Varela-Casaus (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 40 years.
Stephen Casaus (Stepfather), convicted of convicted of child abuse resulting in death, sentenced to 30 years; sentence overturned, still in prison in drug charges, but may have his sentence reduced to 10.5 years.

Sources:
Omaree Varela’s parents – All about their troubles with the law
Omaree Varela’s stepfather to be re-sentenced
Omaree death settlement cloaked in secrecy – Albuquerque Journal

Michael Sudkamp

Name: Michael Sudkamp.
Died: December 24, 2013.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Kingman, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Multiple disabilities; “Health issues”.

Details:
Michael was beaten to death by his roommate.

Case status:
Robert John Adkins (Roommate and caregiver), convicted of second-degree murder and vulnerable adult abuse, sentenced to 20 years.

Source:
Kingman man gets 20-year sentence for killing roommate
Kingman caregiver arrested in death of patient

David Herrera Jr.

Photo of David Herrera Jr., a young man in a graduation cap and gown. Name: David Herrera Jr.
Died: December 19, 2013.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
David’s sister and her friend burned down the house with David and his father in it; they wanted the insurance money. David died; his father was seriously injured but recovered.

Case status:
Miranda Herrera (Sister), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 50 years.
Sari Rodriguez, pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 60 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: David Herrera, Jr.
San Antonio woman gets 50 year sentence for fatal house fire
Woman gets 100-year prison term for setting fire that killed brother, injured father

Bertha Anderson and Lisa Nave

Portrait photos of Bertha Anderson and Lisa Nave. They are both light-skinned, light-haired women. Name: Bertha Maxine Anderson.
Age at death: 68.
Disability: “Breast cancer survivor, brain damage, trembling, panic attacks, hot flashes and cataracts”.
Location: Canyon Country, California, USA.

Name: Lisa Florence Nave.
Age at death: 58.
Disability: Heart disease; “Bedridden”; nursing home resident.
Location: North Hills, California, USA.

Died: December 11, 2013.
Cause of death: Gunshot.

Details:
Bertha’s husband shot her because she was sick. Then he drove to his sister Lisa’s nursing home and shot her, too. The police called them “mercy killings”.

Case status:
Lance Hoger Anderson (Husband, brother), found guilty of murder, sentenced to 100 years to life.

Source:
Canyon Country man found guilty of murders
Lance Anderson of Santa Clarita charged in double mercy killing of wife and sister
2nd woman shot in purported mercy killings identified
‘I hope… I can be forgiven’: Man gets 100 years for ‘mercy killings’ of wife, sister
Double-murder conviction holds for traumatic shock disorder vet who killed ailing wife, sister

John Clark

No Photo Name: 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