Category: Status: Sentenced

Suspect convicted and sentenced.

Calista Springer

Portrait photo of a teenage girl with shoulder-length dark auburn hair and pale skin, smiling, wearing a pink polka-dotted turtleneck.Name: Calista Springer.
Died: February 27, 2008.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Centreville, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Calista’s parents tied her to her bed with zip ties and a dog collar, and when the house caught fire, her entire family left the house; none of them stopped to release her. She died in the fire.

Case status:
Anthony Springer (Father), child abuse and torture, 25-50 years.
Marsha Springer (Stepmother), child abuse and torture, 8-19 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Calista Springer
Calista Springer
Calista Springer: Adoption, abuse, neglect and murder
Calista Springer
Protective services workers can’t be sued in Calista Springer case, U.S. Court of Appeals affirms
Unforgotten Angels: Calista Springer

Courtney Wise

No PhotoName: Courtney Wise.
Died: February 18, 2008.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Courtney’s mother neglected and starved her to death.

Case status:
Astrid Hueller (Mother), pled guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 6 years in jail, minus double time served, for a total of five years.

Source:
Mother pleads guilty to manslaughter –
Mother gets six years for daughter’s death

Xiao Fei

Poor-quality black and white photo of Xiao Fei, a person sitting in a plastic chair with her head hanging to one side.Name: Xiao Fei.
Died: January 2008.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Beijing, China.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Xiao Fei’s mother drugged her with sleeping pills, then smothered her.

Case status:
Li Daohong (Mother), 3-year sentence suspended. No jail time.

Source:
“Mercy Killing” Mother Spared Jail

Maxwell Eyer

Portrait photo of Maxwell Eyer, a toddler sitting in front of a backdrop and holding a large number 1. He has olive skin, black hair, and is wearing a checked shirt and navy pants.Name: Maxwell Eyer.
Died: December 28, 2007.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Alton, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Maxwell’s father slammed his head against the floor repeatedly as a punishment for eating chips in bed; then his mother ignored his obvious brain injury and seizures and let him die.

Case status:
Johnny Garcia (Father), murder, 44 years.
Linsey Eyer (Mother), child endangerment, 5 years.

Source:
2 Year Old Deaf and Disabled Maxwell Eyer, Beaten to Death by his Father for Eating Chips in Bed

Sharon Birchwood

Photo of Sharon Birchwood, a woman with fair skin and straight, shoulder-length gray hair; she is wearing a black dress and smiling for the camera.Name: Sharon Birchwood.
Died: December 7, 2007.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Ashtead, England, UK.
Disability: Myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Details:
Sharon was tied up and strangled by a hit man hired by her husband. He had planned to claim her life insurance, sell her house, and flee the country.

Case status:
Graham Birchwood (husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to 29 years, died in prison.
Paul Cryne (Hitman), convicted of murder, sentenced to 28-and-a-half years, died in prison.

Source:
Man who ordered hitman to kill disabled ex-wife dies in prison
Documentary unravels Sharon Birchwood murder plot
Hunt on for killer of woman
Murder accused ‘calm and relaxed’ at death scene
Sharon Birchwood’s chilling message from the grave predicting her own murder
Sharon Birchwood’s brutal murder led police to Thailand in shocking kill plot

Mara Tani

No Photo
Name: Mara Tani.
Died: December 1, 2007.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Prato, Italy.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Mara’s husband shot her in the head.

Case status:
Vitangelo Bini (Husband), convicted of aggravated murder, sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison, but will not serve any jail time because of his age. Committed suicide 6 months later.

Source:
Woman with Alzheimer’s shot dead in hospital by husband, 77
Pensioner commits suicide

Naomi Hill

Photo of Naomi Hill, a small, curly-haired girl in a red shirt. She has auburn hair, fair skin, and brown eyes; she is smiling. Her hair is a little messy.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

Shellay Ward

Photo of Shellay Ward, a young girl with pale skin and auburn hair cut in a pageboy, wearing a big blue beret, a flower-patterned dress, and a broad smile.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

Jared Greenwood

No PhotoName: 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

Criste Reimer

Photo of Criste Reimer, a middle-aged woman wearing glasses. She has pale skin and curly brown hair, cut short. She is smiling with her lips pressed together.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