Category: Status: Sentenced

Suspect convicted and sentenced.

Gertrudes Alwardt

Photo of the gravestone of Gertrudes Alwardt. It reads, "Alwardt, Theodore R, Gertrudes G.", and gives birth and death dates for both.Name: Gertrudes Marcaida “Gigi” Alwardt.
Died: July 2, 2012.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: East Poultney, Vermont, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness (elderly disabled).

Details:
Gigi was bludgeoned to death by her son, who struck her head against the table and then beat her with a wine bottle. Initially he claimed she had fallen; then he said he had done it because he thought she was possessed. In reducing the charge from murder to manslaughter, the judge noted that the killer was mentally ill and was “stressed” by caring for Gigi, whose health had been failing.

She had worked as a secretary for the Phillippine government, and had traveled the world during her lifetime. She enjoyed reading.

Case status:
Roderick Geronimo (Adoptive son), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 8-15 years in prison.

Source:
Man admits beating his mother to death with wine bottles
Obituary for Gertrudes Marcaida “Gigi” Alwardt
Adoptive son charged with killing mother
Man admits killing mother
Man who thought mom was possessed pleads guilty in her death
Poultney man who beat his mother to death gets eight years

Matthew Graville

Photo of a teenage boy with fair skin and short brown hair, smiling with his lips pressed together.Name: Matthew Graville.
Died: July 1, 2012.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Fatal abuse.
Location: Mazomanie, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Matthew was tortured and beaten to death by his half-brother.

Case status:
Jeffrey Vogelsberg (half-brother); pled no contest to reckless homicide; sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Source:
Jeffrey Vogelsberg gets 15 years for death of autistic half-brother
Autism Memorial: Matthew Graville

Markea Blakely-Berry

Photo of Markea Blakely-Berry, a girl of about eight years old, with her black hair in beaded pigtails. She has brown skin, and is wearing a pink sweater; she is smiling, showing baby teeth.Name: Markea Blakely-Berry.
Died: June 15, 2012.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Markea was starved to death by her mother.

Case status:
Ebony Berry (Mother), pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 30 years.

Source:
Girl, 16, dies weighing just 40lb after being ‘starved by her food-obsessed mother’

James Thompson

No Photo
Name: James Thompson.
Died: June 12, 2012.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Starvation, medical neglect.
Location: The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability.

Details:
James was starved to death by his niece. He died with a fractured arm and leg, weighing less than half of the 142 pounds he had weighed two years earlier.

Case status:
Naisia Norman (Niece), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 2-6 years in prison.

Source:
Inmate Lookup » NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
Prosecutors: Woman let uncle starve
Autism Memorial: James Thompson
Niece Accused of Starving Autistic Uncle Worked as Home Health Aide
Bronx Woman Held in the Death of Her Uncle
AUtism Memorial: James Thompson

Howard Spracher

No PhotoName: Howard E. Spracher.
Died: June 5, 2012.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, trauma.
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Visually impaired, physical/mental ill health.

Details:
Howard’s girlfriend locked him into a bare room, starved him, and beat him. He died of his injuries.

Howard worked for sixteen years for the city of Omaha as a public events worker.

Case status:
Darlene Coulibaly (Girlfriend/Housemate), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, domestic assault, and elder abuse; sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Source:
Caretaker charged after elderly St. Louis man’s death
St. Louis woman pleads guilty in death of housemate

James Moore

Potrait photo of a young man with fair skin and straight light-brown hair.Name: James Moore.
Died: June 1, 2012.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
James’s sister and her husband beat him, starved him, and neglected his injuries until he died.

Case status:
Carlena Pinkerton (Sister), pleaded guilty to murder and abuse, sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Joshua Pinkerton (Brother-in-law), pleaded guilty to murder and abuse, sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Source:
Phoenix couple sentenced in abuse, death of brother
2 caregivers arrested, charged with murder

Ruben Johnson

Photo of Reuben Johnson, a man with light-tan skin. He is wearing sunglasses and a pink and white sweatshirt; his face and head are both clean-shaven. Off to the side of the photo is a young girl with brown hair and light-tan skin.Name: Ruben Johnson.
Died: May 30, 2012.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: San Carlos, California, USA.
Disability: Prostate cancer.

Details:
Soon after his diagnosis of prostate cancer, Ruben Johnson was shot to death by his wife. She also shot their daughter, fourteen-year-old Aaliyah.

Case status:
Regina Renee Johnson (Wife), convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, sentenced to 80 years to life.

Source:
Woman sentenced for murdering her daughter, husband
DA: San Carlos mother ‘ambushed’ and ‘executed’ husband, teenage daughter
Woman Accused of Ambushing Husband and Teen Daughter in Fatal Slayings — Though Defense Says It’s More Complicated
Woman Accused of Fatally Shooting Teen Daughter, Husband, to Stand Trial
Mom: I killed husband after he shot daughter
Woman ordered tried in death of husband, daughter
San Carlos Woman Convicted of Murder for Shooting Daughter, Husband
Mom Convicted of Slaying Daughter, Husband in Double Killing

Perry Jones

Photo of Perry Jones, an adult man in a red sweater; he has brown skin, black hair, and a mustache.Name: Perry Edward Jones.
Died: April 19, 2012.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Matoaca, Chesterfield County, Virginia, USA.
Disability: “Severely disabled”.

Details:
Perry was strangled by his mother, who also killed his father.

Case status:
Estelle Virginia Jones (Mother); sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Source:
Estelle Virginia JONES

Beth Spaulding

Black and white photo of a woman with dark hair and pale skin. Her make-up is neatly done; there are tiny stars painted along her cheek and a piercing in her lower lip. She is smiling.Name: Beth Marie Spaulding.
Died: April 2, 2012.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Methadone poisoning.
Location: Fremont, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, ovarian tumor.

Details:
Beth’s husband poisoned her with methadone.

Beth was talented at photography and make-up, and used these skills to help others develop their confidence. She was a Humane Society volunteer who fostered a dog named Sweetie Pie, a poodle/schnauzer mix rescued from a puppy mill. When Sweetie Pie needed a $1500 cancer surgery from having been forced to have litter after litter for years, Beth raised the money and saved the dog’s life. After Beth was murdered, her mother adopted Sweetie Pie.

Case status:
Jason Risenburg (Husband), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 11 years.

Source:
Husband enters plea to reduced charge
Beth Spaulding Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Beth Spaulding?
Mother of woman killed in her sleep by husband ‘outraged’ at plea deal
Photos of Beth Marie “Beffy” Spaulding
Mother demands justice after daughter’s husband pleads not guilty to murder

Daniel Corby

Photo of Daniel Corby, a small boy with short brown hair and fair skin, smiling and covering his mouth with his hands.Name: Daniel Corby.
Died: March 31, 2012.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: San Diego, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Daniel’s mother drowned him in the bathtub. She said she had killed him because he was autistic, she was sick of taking care of him, and she had gone $70,000 into debt for autism treatment.

Daniel learned all of the letters of the alphabet when he was three.

Case status:
Patricia Corby (mother) pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Daniel Corby
Woman sentenced in tub drowning of autistic son, 4
Murder of Daniel Corby
Mom gets 15 years in autistic son’s tub drowning
Mother admits she drowned autistic son, 4, in bathtub because ‘she was sick of taking care of him’ and was $70,000 in debt after paying for his care
‘She felt like she had no life’: Mother drowns autistic four-year-old
Mother who drowned 4-year-old autistic son sentenced to life term