Status: Sentenced – Page 75 – Disability Day of Mourning

Barbara Rabins

No Photo
Name: Barbara Rabins.
Died: August 18, 2011.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Dehydration, choking.
Location: Ross, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, stroke.

Details:
Barbara’s caregivers neglected her and stole her trust fund money. When she died, she was underweight, dehydrated, and covered in bedsores.

Case status:
John Tedesco and Tina Tedesco, friends of the family, charged with third-degree murder; initially pled guilty, but revoked the plea; convicted of third-degree murder, sentenced to 15 1/4 – 30 1/2 years in prison.

Source:
Defendants in fatal elder neglect case: ‘We did the best we could’
Ross Twp. couple gets state prison time for fatal neglect
Sleeping juror claim doesn’t save man from prison for neglect death of disabled woman

Christina Sneary

Portrait photo of a solemn teenage girl with brown skin and black hair, wearing large hoop earrings and a black-and-white outfit. Name: Christina Sneary.
Died: August 3, 2011.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Ferry Pass, Florida, USA.
Disability: Developmentally disabled.

Details:
Christina’s older foster sister shot her.

Case status:
Elena Rendell (Foster sister, age 17), convicted as a youthful offender of manslaughter, sentenced to 1 year in jail and 5 years probation.

Source:
Former Northview Student Convicted Of Killing Younger Adoptive Sister; Will Serve One Year In Jail

Alejandra Molina

No Photo Name: Alejandra Molina.
Died: August 1, 2011.
Age at death: 7 months.
Cause of death: Heat stroke, dehydration.
Location: Columbus, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Prematurity, special dietary needs.

Details:
Alejandra was neglected by her mother. Born premature and needing extra calories to grow, she was supposed to be fed every few hours, but instead, her mother left her alone for sixteen hours in a hot room. She died of dehydration and heat stroke, five pounds underweight and covered with insect bites.

Case status:
Jessica Shah (Mother), found guilty of first-degree murder, sentenced to life; sentence overturned because of inappropriate jury instructions; granted new trial; found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, sentenced to 7-10 years.

Source:
Mother gets new sentence in infant death case in which bugs fed on chld’s body.
Columbus mom whose dead baby was eaten by bugs gets reduced sentence
A mother was sentenced to life for killing her baby. Then her conviction was thrown out.
S16A1083. SHAH v. THE STATE.
Columbus pediatrician: 7-month-old baby died slowly; 9 lbs. at death

Julie Cirella

Name: Julie Cirella .
Died: July 23, 2011.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Anaphylaxis.
Location: Plainview, Nassau County, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, severe peanut allergy.

Details:
Julie was asphyxiated by her mother. Her mother initially said she had given Julie peanuts, to which Julie had a severe allergy; however, though medics found the girl had died of asphyxiation, they found no peanuts in her system–but they also found no Benadryl or epinephrine, both medications which her mother claimed to have administered. How Julie died may never be known, but she was either actively killed by her mother, or else died because her mother refused to use her EpiPen or antihistamines when she had a deadly allergic reaction.

Julie’s mother made a suicide gesture, which she survived; she was found with a ligature around her neck, and a suicide note nearby that read “her daughter should die”.

8-year-old Julie Cirella died on the day she was supposed to be a flower girl in her uncle’s wedding. Her uncle was the one who found her body.

Case status:
Veronica Cirella (Mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 12 years, released after 6 years.

Source:
Veronica CIRELLA

JaQuinn Brewton

Photo of a small boy with dark skin and short black hair, wearing a blue jacket. He is holding up both forefingers to the camera. Name: JaQuinn Brewton.
Died: July 12, 2011.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Pancreatic laceration from blunt trauma.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
JaQuinn was beaten and burned by his godmother and her boyfriend. His mother had turned him over to their care because she was staying in a homeless shelter. He died from internal injuries after two weeks at the hospital.

Case status:
Nadera Batson (Godmother), convicted of third-degree murder, sentenced to 28 1/2 to 57 years in prison.
Marcus King (Godmother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, sentenced to 10-20 years in prison.

Source:
Godmother Sentenced in Blow Torch, Beating Death of 3-Year-Old Boy
Guilty verdict in torture death of boy, 3
Police: boy died from horrific abuse

Joseph and Nacuma Conant

No Photo Name: Joseph Conant.
Age at death: 11.
Disability: Autism.

Name: Nacuma Conant.
Age at death: 33.
Disability: Mentally disabled.

Died: July 7, 2011.
Cause of death: Multiple murder.
Location: Wheatland, Wyoming, USA.

Details:
Joseph and Nacuma were both killed by Joseph’s father, Nacuma’s brother, in a mass shooting that also claimed the lives of Everett Conant, 18, and Charles Conant, 13, both Joseph’s brothers.

Nacuma was extremely talented in art, and could draw anything anyone asked him to draw. He was working on a post-apocalyptic novel.

Joseph loved animals. As a toddler, he used to ride on his grandmother’s guide dog.

Case status:
Everett E. Conant III; pleaded no contest to murder; sentenced to five consecutive life sentences without parole.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Joseph Conant and family
Pastors recount lives of four slain Wyoming family members
Grieving Town Mourns 4 Wyoming Shooting Victims

Chad Jackson

Name: Chad Jackson.
Died: July 2, 2011.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Grand Junction, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Chad’s mother starved him to death.

Case status:
Yodi Jackson (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 6 months in jail.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Chad Jackson
Mom sentenced in death of autistic son
Autopsy: Adult son with autism starved
Van Buren County man with autism was starved to death by his mother, police say
Mom charged in death of son with autism

Romana Bones

No Photo Name: Romana Bones.
Died: June 30, 2011.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Duval County, Florida, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Romana was starved and neglected by her mother. She died of septic shock.

Case status:
Jessica Rivera (Mother), convicted of child neglect, sentenced to 12-18 years in prison.

Source:
Romana Bones, 13
DCF releases child neglect case documents
Woman Gets 18 Years for Daughter’s Death

Ruth Pyne

Photo of Ruth Pyne, a woman with layered blonde hair, tanned skin, and a teal V-neck shirt. She is smiling. Name: Ruth Pyne.
Died: May 27, 2011.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Ruth’s son bludgeoned her unconscious, then stabbed her to death.

Case status:
Jeffrey Pyne (Son), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 20-60 years.

Source:
“48 Hours”: Does the way Ruth Pyne was killed prove premeditation?
Ruth Pyne Obituary

Hana Williams

Photo of a brown-skinned teenage girl, smiling broadly. Name: Hana Grace-Rose Williams (Born Hana Alemu Befekadu).
Died: May 12, 2011.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Sedro-Woolley, Washington, USA.
Disability: Hepatitis B; special-needs adoptee.

Details:
Hana’s adoptive parents starved, beat, and abused her. She died of hypothermia and chronic starvation when she was left outside in the cold as punishment.

Hana enjoyed knitting and crocheting, reading, drawing and various crafts, playing soccer and riding her bicycle.

Case status:
Larry Williams (Adoptive father), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 28 years.
Carri Williams (Adoptive mother), convicted of homicide by abuse, sentenced to 37 years.

Source:
Death of Hana Grace-Rose Williams
Hana Grace-Rose Williams (Hana Alemu Befekadu) and Immanuel Williams