Status: Sentenced – Page 76 – Disability Day of Mourning

Kairissa Mark

Photo of a young Chinese girl with tan skin and short black hair in a buzz cut; she is smiling, eyes squeezed shut; she is wearing a white T-shirt with black printing on it. Name: Kairissa XingJing Mark.
Died: July 1, 2010.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Abuse.
Location: Mount Juliet, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, physical disability; recovering from malnutrition.

Details:
Kairissa’s parents beat her. She died because her mother threw her at a wall and left her to die.

Case status:
Deborah Mark (Adoptive mother), convicted of murder and child abuse, sentenced to life plus 80 years.
Steven Mark, pleaded guilty to abuse, sentenced to 10-32 years.

Source:
Pound Pup Legacy: Kairissa XingJing Mark
Another adoption tragedy taints Tennessee; woman accused of beating child to death

Diane Stewart

Photo of a middle-aged woman sitting at a desk; she has brown, curly hair and fair skin. Name: Diane Stewart.
Died: June 25, 2010.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Bassingbourn, England, UK.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Diane’s husband killed her and claimed she had died of epilepsy. He was not suspected of murder until he also killed his non-disabled second wife, Helen Bailey, and was convicted of her murder. Diane’s body had been cremated, but luckily she had left her brain to medical research, and when it was examined, it showed signs of suffocation.

Case status:
Ian Stewart (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to 35 years to life.

Source:
Killer who murdered wife and fiancee has sentence reduced
Doctor explains how killer Ian Stewart nearly got away with murder
Ian Stewart: Man who killed author guilty of murdering wife
Diane Stewart: How a donated brain helped convict a double killer
Ian Stewart: Murder accused’s 999 call played to trial jury
Ian Stewart murder trial hears oxygen starvation evidence
Ian Stewart: Helen Bailey’s killer on trial over Diane Stewart’s murder
Boyfriend convicted of murdering Helen Bailey charged with new murder
Boyfriend convicted of murdering Helen Bailey charged with first wife’s murder
Man arrested on suspicion of murder over death of convicted killer’s wife
Killer of author Helen Bailey ‘held over death of first wife’
Police quiz man over death of his wife who died suddenly in 2010
Killer Of Author Helen Bailey ‘Arrested Over Death Of Wife In 2010’
Killer of children’s author Helen Bailey ‘quizzed over death of first wife’
Man who murdered children’s author, Helen Bailey, is charged with killing his wife six years earlier

Deondray Ashe

Photo of a toddler in a baby seat. He has large brown eyes, brown skin, and wispy black hair. He is wearing an orange shirt. Name: Deondray “Dooley” Ashe.
Died: June 14, 2010.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Beating.
Location: Lakeland, Florida, USA.
Disability: Chronic bilateral subdural hematoma, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, tracheotomy.

Details:
Dooley’s stepfather beat him to death during potty training.

Case status:
Marcus Brown (Stepfather), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 12-and-a-half years.
Ina Brown, convicted of aggravated manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years.

Source:
Deondray Ashe Obituary (2010) Tampa Bay Times
Innocents Lost: In prison for manslaughter, a mom deals with regret, denial
Prosecutor Calls 2-Year-Old Deondray Ashe Beating ‘Horrifying’

Charles Poertner

Black and white photo of Charles Poertner, a boy with light skin and medium hair. Name: Charles Poertner.
Died: June 7, 2010.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Dehydration.
Location: Newport News, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, developmental delay, epilepsy.

Details:
Charles’s mother starved him to death.

Case status:
Heather Poertner (mother), convicted of child neglect and murder; sentenced to 50 years.

Source:
Newport News mother pleads guilty in death of disabled son
Mother charged in death of son with cerebral palsy

Leosha Barnett

Photo of Leosha Barnett, a young woman with brown skin and black hair pulled back from her face; she is smiling for the camera. Name: Leosha Barnett.
Died: May 21, 2010.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Forth Worth, Texas, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy, intellectual disability.

Details:
Leosha was starved to death by her mother and sister.

Case status:
Tasca Kuniko Johnson (Mother), injury to a disabled person, 15 years.
Kyreshi Lynn Tara Stevenson (sister), injury to a disabled person, 5 years.

Source:
Fort Worth girl’s starvation death prompts arrests of her sister, mother
Charges in ‘starvation’ of Texas teen

Payton Ettinger

Name: Payton Ettinger.
Died: May 17, 2010.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Greensburg, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Brain injury.

Details:
Payton was starved to death by his mother, who neglected him so badly that he weighed less at four years old than he did at one year old.

Case status:
Courtney Tressler (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent; sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Source:
Ind. mom charged with starving 4-year-old to death
Indiana mom charged with son’s death
Tressler Accused Of Starving Son, 4, To Death
10-year sentence in case involving neglect of dependent

Beryl Webb

No Photo Name: Beryl Webb.
Died: May 14, 2010.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Wadsley, Sheffield, UK.
Disability: Fibromyalgia, arthritis, histrionic personality disorder, cancer survivor.

Details:
Beryl’s husband smothered her.

Case status:
George Webb (Husband), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years; sentenced to 12 months, suspended, on appeal.

Source:
Man killed disabled wife
Pensioner who smothered wife in ‘mercy killing’ is freed from jail by appeal judges | Daily Mail Online

Glen Freaney

Photo of a boy with fair skin and short brown hair, his glasses slipping down his nose. He is smiling, holding a watercolor painting and a small silver trophy. Name: Glen Freaney.
Died: May 13, 2010.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Penarth Vale, Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Glen was strangled by his mother.

Case status:
Yvonne Freaney (Mother); pled guilty to manslaughter and walked free from court with a supervision order.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Glen Freaney
Mother killed autistic son with coat belt, court hears
‘He was laughing when I strangled him. Then I knew he was happy’: Mother ‘killed’ severely autistic son after facing lifetime of care
“Glen Freaney”, Find a Grave
“Despairing mother who strangled autistic son walks free from court”, Daily Mail

Manuel Reyes and Rita Morales

Photo of Manuel Reyes. He has tan skin and gray hair, and is wearing a blue sweater and white shirt. Name: Manuel Reyes.
Age at death: 85.
Disability: Double amputee (Legs).

Photo of Rita Morales. She is an elderly woman with gray hair and light-brown skin, wearing a brown collared shirt. Name: Rita Morales.
Age at death: 87.
Disability: Elderly disabled.

Location: Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Died: April 30, 2010.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.

Details:
Manuel and Rita were both killed by their caregiver, who was Rita’s son and Manuel’s nephew. They were bludgeoned to death with a hammer; Rita was also stabbed.

Case status:
Arthur Reyes Morales (Son, Nephew), pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, sentenced to 30 years to life and must serve at least 17 years.

Source:
Judge finds Canoga Park man was sane when he killed his elderly mother, uncle
Hammer killer sane when he murdered 87-year-old mom, 85-year-old double-amputee uncle
Manuel Reyes, 85
Rita Morales, 87

Gerren Isgrigg

Gerren Isgrigg, a toddler with fair skin and red hair, wearing a yellow shirt, lying on a mat. Name: Gerren Joseph Isgrigg, a.k.a. “Wylie’s Angel”.
Died: April 12-15, 2010.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Exposure.
Location: Wylie, Texas, USA.
Disability: Multiple disabilities; medically fragile.

Details:
Gerren’s grandmother abandoned him in a park where he was unlikely to be found, and he died there. Unidentified when he was found, he was briefly known as “Wylie’s Angel”.

Case status:
Darlene Phillips (Grandmother); pleaded guilty to murder; sentenced to 12-28 years.

Source:
Grandmother gets 28 years in death of Gerren Isgrigg, boy dubbed ‘Wylie’s Angel’