Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Suspect convicted and sentenced.
Name: Virginia “Jenny” Chumbley.
Died: August 28, 2013.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: London, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Breast cancer.
Details:
Jenny’s husband shot her in the head as she slept. He claimed he had done it to “stop her suffering”.
Case status:
Ernest Christ Chumbley (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 13-15 years.
Source:
Man who says he killed wife to stop suffering given 15 years
Name: Melissa Torres.
Died: August 4, 2013.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic.
Details:
Melissa’s boyfriend strangled or suffocated her.
Melissa had a two-year-old son who was in the apartment at the time. Though he was alone for most of the next day, the little boy was found safe and now lives with his grandmother.
Case status:
Angelo Sanchez (Boyfriend), convicted of and sentenced to 25 years to life.
Source:
Quadriplegic Woman Found Dead In Her Williamsburg Bathroom, Boyfriend Charged
Boy left with murdered mom’s body still thinks she’s just sleeping
NYC man gets 25 years to life for suffocating quadriplegic girlfriend, leaving son with body
Name: Matthew Hafer.
Died: Several days before July 27, 2013.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Prescription drug overdose.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Matthew’s mother poisoned him with an overdose of prescription drugs.
Case status:
Joann Hafer (Mother), pled guilty to second-degree murder; sentenced to 10 years to life.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Matthew Hafer
Woman accused of killing son who had autism set for court
Police: Vegas woman drugged adult son to death
Mom accused of fatally drugging son appears in court
Police: Woman survives suicide attempt, arrested in death of disabled son
Court case
Name: Lola Mae Stout.
Died: July 14, 2013.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Heat stroke.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Stroke, goiter, schizophrenia.
Details:
Instead of getting medical care for their ailing mother, Lola Mae’s sons and husband loaded her in the back of the van where they all lived along with 35 starving animals. As they loaded her in, she collapsed, but they ignored her and went on a two-hour drive to Phoenix. The van had no air conditioning; when they arrived, they found her dead.
Case status:
Alan Stout (Son), sentenced to 2 years probation for vulnerable adult abuse and animal cruelty.
Gregory Stout (Son), sentenced to 2 years probation for vulnerable adult abuse and animal cruelty.
Alva Stout (Husband), sentenced to 2 years probation for vulnerable adult abuse and animal cruelty.
Source:
Men get probation for abuse in mother’s death
AZ woman found dead in van carrying 35 animals
Name: Isaiah A. Buckner.
Died: July 10, 2013.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Peritonitis from untreated internal injury.
Location: Athol, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: Autistic, deaf, visually impaired.
Details:
Isaiah died soon after he was rushed to the hospital with abdominal trauma. His caregiver had kicked him in the stomach, severing his small intestine; then the injury was ignored for several days, killing him.
Isaiah attended Austine School for the Deaf. He was energetic and social and liked to give everyone hugs.
Case status:
Christopher Vinsant (Mother’s boyfriend), pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 8-10 years.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Isaiah Buckner
Athol man pleads guilty in death of 10-year-old Isaiah Buckner
Man pleads guilty to manslaughter for Athol boy’s death in 2013
Man pleads guilty to manslaughter for Athol boy’s 2013 death
Investigative report details 110 child abuse and neglect deaths, with a third happening under eye of Mass. DCF
Isaiah Buckner | Out of the shadows
Name: Terry “JuJu” Smith.
Died: July 5-6, 2013 (Exact day unknown).
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Menifee, California, USA.
Disability: ADHD; possibly autistic.
Details:
Terry was killed by his half-brother.
Terry loved picnics. His favorite color was blue.
Case status:
Skylor Atilano (Half-brother), pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 12 years; spent 5 years in a juvenile detention center before being released.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Terry “JuJu” Smith
Teen Gets 12-Year Sentence for Half Brother’s Murder
Brother imprisoned for Terry Smith’s 2013 death is released
Terry Smith Murder
Terry Smith Jr. – The strange, sad story of a murdered 11 year old boy in Menifee, California
Terry Smith’s Brother: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Name: Robert Guinyard Jr.
Died: July 1, 2013.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Internal bleeding.
Location: Richland County, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Robert was tortured to death by his parents, who beat him so severely and so often that he bled out internally.
Case status:
Robert Guinyard Sr. (Father), sentenced to life without parole.
Courtney Thompson (Mother), sentenced to life without parole.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Robert Guinyard, Jr.
In the Arms Of the Angels: Robert Guinyard Jr.
Doctor: Child Had Multiple Bone Fractures
Richland County parents arrested, charged with homicide in son’s death
DSS Death: “The System Failed Robert”
Prosecutor: DSS ignored many pleas for help as ‘demon’ Richland parents tortured son to death
Parents sentenced to life in prison in 4-year-old son’s death
Name: Joseph Johnson Jr.
Died: June 19, 2013.
Age at death: 14 months.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified severe birth defects.
Details:
Joseph’s father scalded him with hot water. He died of the burns after just over two weeks in the hospital.
Case status:
Joseph Dwayne Johnson (Father), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 40 years.
Source:
LR father takes plea in death of toddler
Bail set at $1 million for father charged with killing toddler
Name: Monica Schemm.
Died: June 12, 2013.
Age at death: 49.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Crescent, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Brain cancer survivor; traumatic brain injury from a fall.
Details:
Monica’s husband tied her to a chair, then tied a plastic bag over her head to suffocate her. He initially tried to disguise it as a home invasion, but when found out, claimed it was a “mercy killing”.
Case status:
Mark Schemm (Husband), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Source:
Husband arrested for robbery claim, murder of wife
Oklahoma court upholds man’s life sentence in wife’s death
Name: Alex Spourdalakis.
Died: June 9, 2013.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: River Grove, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Alex’s mother and caregiver tried to kill him with an overdose of painkillers; when that didn’t work, they stabbed him to death.
Case status:
Dorothy Spourdalakis (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years; released immediately on credit for time served.
Jolanta Agatha Skrodzka (Godmother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years; released immediately on credit for time served.
Source:
Autism Memprial: Alex Spourdalakis
Suburban mom admits to stabbing autistic son to death
Mother, godmother plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter of severely autistic teen
Mother, godmother who killed autistic teen released from prison
How Murder Victims With Disabilities Get Blamed For Their Own Deaths
New Report Discovers That the Media Normalizes the Murders of People with Disabilities