Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Suspect convicted and sentenced.
Name: Naomi Hill.
Died: November 26, 2007.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales, UK.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Naomi’s mother drowned her in the bathtub because she was ashamed of Naomi’s cerebral palsy.
Case status:
Joanne Hill (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.
Source:
Mother jailed for life for killing cerebral palsy daughter
Name: Shellay Ward.
Died: November 13, 2007.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Hawks Nest, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Shellay was locked into a back room, where she died from long-term neglect and starvation.
Case status:
Sharyn Ward (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Blakely Ward (Father), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 12 years.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Shellay Ward
Father who killed ‘mummified’ daughter, 7, loses bid to walk from jail
Shellay Ebony Ward
Ebony: Judge restores some dignity to starved girl
Name: Jared Greenwood.
Died: September 30, 2007 (Body found).
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Bloomfield, New Mexico, USA.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability.
Details:
Jared’s mother neglected him; he died of blood poisoning from infected bedsores.
Case status:
Sandra Greenwood (Mother), convicted of neglect, sentenced to two and a half years in jail.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Jared Greenwood
Updated at 7:40am — Mother Gets 2 1/2 Years for Leaving Son To Die
Name: Criste Reimer .
Died: August 14, 2007.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Fall injury.
Location: Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Hydrocephalus, neurofibromatosis.
Details:
Criste’s husband threw her from a fourth-floor balcony to her death.
Case status:
Stanley Reimer (Husband), pled guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.
Source:
Sisters of woman thrown from balcony wanted to keep her away from husband
Name: Raelynn Tiana Mascal.
Died: May 18, 2007.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma, shaken baby.
Location: Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: Speech and motor skills delays.
Details:
Raelynn was beaten to death by her mother.
Case status:
Michelle Lepowski (Mother), involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 12 years.
Source:
Mom gets 12 years for killing child; Prosecutor sought longer sentence for ‘monster’ who beat 2-year-old
Case goes to jury in woman’s murder trial
Mom gets 12 years for killing child; Prosecutor sought longer sentence for ‘monster’ who beat 2-year-old
Name: Janine Penelope Brockie.
Died: May 10, 2007.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Ringwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Stroke, TBI.
Details:
Janine was likely being physically abused by her partner in the year before her death. After one beating, in which Janine was punched and kicked, and then left in her bed for most of the next day without medical care, Janine died from a severe head injury.
Case Status:
Brian Robert Andrew (Partner), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 7-10 years in prison.
Sources:
R v Andrew [2008] VSC 138 (1 May 2008)
Man faces court over partner’s death
Bash killer gets 10 years
Name: Baden Bond.
Died: May 1-16, 2007 (Approximate; body not found).
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Abandonment.
Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Baden’s father took him to a boat ramp and abandoned him there. His body was never found; it is likely he died of drowning or exposure. Authorities determined that his motive had been that he was “tired of looking after” the boy. Baden’s mother helped cover up the crime.
Case Status:
Shane Arthur Simpson (Father), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 9.6 to 12 years in prison.
Diane Colleen Simpson (Mother), pleaded guilty to accessory to manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years and released after almost 2 years.
Sources:
R v Simpson
Death by Neglect
‘Sorry’: Father says he patted toddler on the head then abandoned him without looking back
Drug-addicted father jailed for abandoning toddler at boat ramp to die
The Uncounted
Name: Janene Devine.
Died: April 16, 2007.
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Infection, starvation.
Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.
Details:
Janene’s husband, a registered nurse, did not want anyone else to help his wife. He refused placement at a care home for her, and even rejected an offer of free installation of a wheelchair ramp so that she could get out of the house, preferring to carry her instead. Then he neglected her so badly that she died from infected bedsores and starvation.
Case status:
Andrew Devine (Husband), pled guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 6 months to 1 year.
Source:
Inquest into the death of Janene Devine
Dead Mother ‘Looked Like A Skeleton’
Andrew Devine jailed over death of wife Janene, who suffered multiple sclerosis and weighed 30kg at her death
“Filthy and infested with vermin”
Man refused help for wife with MS
Name: Samantha Collins.
Died: March 22, 2007.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Epilepsy.
Details:
Samantha’s boyfriend hit her in the head and killed her; then he dismembered and hid her body.
She was the mother of a toddler son.
Case status:
Ian Charles Borbely (Boyfriend), convicted of second-degree murder and indignity to a body; sentenced to 17 years to life.
Source:
MANDEL: Muskoka murderer who cut up spouse’s body loses appeal
Borbely found guilty in Samantha Collins murder
Argument before eviction led to murder: Crown
Name: Brandon Williams.
Died: March 22, 2007.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Pima County, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Brandon died after regular abuse by his mother and two of her housemates. He had been beaten and poisoned with overdoses of Tylenol.
Brandon loved watching the Disney Channel, especially “Lilo & Stitch”.
Case status:
Diane Marsh (Mother), convicted of child abuse and negligent homicide; sentenced to 10 years; paroled after 3.8 years.
Mark Moss (Housemate), failing to report child abuse, charges dropped.
Flower Thompson (Housemate), convicted of murder, sentenced to 10 years.
Source:
People You’ll See in Hell: Diane Marsh, Flower Tompson And Mark Lee Moss
Murderpedia: Diane Marsh
Brandon Williams
Autism memorial: Brandon Williams