Status: Sentenced – Page 92 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jason Dawes

Black and white photo of a smiling boy with light skin and short hair. Name: Jason Dawes.
Died: August 4, 2003.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Suffocated.
Location: New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jason was suffocated by his mother, who believed there was “no hope for her son”.

Jason communicated by using sign boards.

Case status:
Daniela Dawes (Mother). Convicted of manslaughter; served no jail time.

Source:
Deadly Currents Beneath Calm Waters: Persons with Disability and the Right to Life in Australia
Child murder case highlights lack of services for carers of disabled
When Love is Not Enough
R v Daniella Dawes
Autism Memorial: Jason Dawes

Stephanie Ramos

No Photo Name: Stephanie Ramos.
Died: July 9, 2003.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Undetermined.
Location: Queens, New York, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, blindness, cerebral palsy, diabetes.

Details:
Stephanie’s body was found in a garbage truck. Her foster mother had thrown the body in the trash and reported her missing.

Stephanie’s cause of death could not be exactly determined because the garbage truck crushed her body before it could be found. Because of the lack of evidence and Stephanie’s profound disabilities, her death was ruled natural and her mother was only charged with dumping the body. Stephanie’s foster home was filthy, and Stephanie herself weighed only 23 pounds at death. The most likely scenario is that Stephanie died of illness because her foster mother did not want anyone to know how dirty her house was, and so left the illness untreated.

Case status:
Renee Johnson (Foster mother), 60 days in jail for improper disposal of a body.

Source:
Girl Found in Trash Truck Lived in Filth, Officials Say

Christian Ferguson

Name: Christian Ferguson.
Died: June 11, 2003.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Citrullinemia, brain damage.

Details:
In 2003, Christian’s father reported that his car had been stolen with Christian inside. Christian, who was unable to survive without his medication, was declared dead, though his body was never found. Sixteen years later, new information came to light and his father was arrested for murder. How Christian died is unknown, but in the two years leading up to his death, he was allegedly neglected by his father, who did not provide him with proper medication or food. It is known that Christian would not have survived 72 hours without his medication.

Case status:
Dawan Ferguson (Father), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Byers’ Beat: What’s next for Christian Ferguson’s mother
Dawan Ferguson: Life sentence in murder of STL son
St. Louis County man convicted of killing disabled son now found guilty of molesting children
‘This Child’s Life was Punishment’: Dad of Missing Disabled Boy Convicted of Murder, Abuse
Nearly 20 years later, father convicted in death of boy
Closing arguments in Dawan Ferguson murder trial
Sibling of missing boy with special needs testifies during father’s murder trial
Murder trial begins for father of missing 9-year-old Christian Ferguson
Murder trial to begin for father of St. Louis County boy missing since 2003
19 years later, father of missing North County disabled boy heading to trial
Vanishing Act: Six Years After The Fact, The Disappearance Of Nine-Year-Old Christian Ferguson Remains A Mystery
Christian Ferguson case: Father’s murder charge dismissed but later refiled
Child abuse charge added against St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son
St. Louis County prosecutor drops then refiles murder charge in death of 9-year-old boy
Bench trial granted for St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son
Murder trial set for St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son
Father accused of killing 9-year-old son backs down from speedy trial request
Father charged with son’s murder now facing child sex crime charges
St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son in 2003 stays in jail; prosecutors plan more charges
Birthday memorial for missing, murdered Christian Ferguson
Disabled boy went missing 16 years ago, now father is charged with his murder
Missouri father charged with murder 16 years after disabled 9-year-old son disappeared
Disabled boy went missing 16 years ago, now father is charged with his murder
‘Justice for Christian’: 16 years later, police charge father for the murder of disabled little boy [Reports]
Man Charged With Son’s Death From 2003
Missouri father charged with murder of disabled boy who went missing 16 years ago

James Orr

Photo of James Orr. He is an adult man with fair skin and black hair, smiling at the camera. Name: James Orr.
Died: May 14, 2003.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Little Elm, Denton County, Texas, USA.
Disability: Wheelchair user (from childhood injury).

Details:
James’s wife set their house on fire, knowing he would burn to death. She intended to collect his life insurance.

Case status:
Rhonda Orr (Wife), sentenced to 88 years in prison.

Source:
Rhonda Orr

Eric Bland

No Photo Name: Eric Bland.
Died: February 24, 2003.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Rialto, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Eric’s sister and her boyfriend starved him to death.

Case status:
Delores Johnson (Sister); sentenced to 15 years to life.
Willie Brown (Sister’s boyfriend); sentenced to 18 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Eric Bland
Rialto woman sentenced in kin’s death
Varying Degrees of Disgust
Life with Aspergers: Murdering Disabled People

Nadine Richards

Name: Nadine Dolores Richards.
Died: January 9, 2003.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Sonora, California, USA.
Disability: Physical disability, unspecified.

Details:
Nadine’s brother poured a can of gasoline on his sister and set it on fire. Nadine died in the fire; the family dog also died, and the family’s home was destroyed.

Case Status:
Steven Richards (Brother), convicted of first-degree murder and arson, sentenced to 8 years plus 25 years to life in prison. Diagnosed with schizophrenia but found legally sane, having planned to kill his sister while his father was not home.

Sources:
Former Sonora Man Convicted Of Setting Sister On Fire, Denied Parole
Parole denied for former Tuolumne County man who burned sister alive in 2003
Nadine Dolores Richards (1956-2003)

Reece Mushrush

Name: Reece Mushrush.
Died: December 27, 2002.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Blood clot on the brain due to blows to the head.
Location: Painesville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, asthma, epilepsy

Details:
Reece died from blunt-force trauma to the head, inflicted during beatings over the course of several days. According to the sheriff, his mother’s boyfriend said he had “lost his temper” with Reece for not following instructions.

Reece was a football fan, and his favorite shirt was his Browns football jersey.

Case Status:
Emery Martin (Mother’s partner), convicted of involuntary manslaughter and attempted child endangerment, sentenced to 15 years.
Heather Mushrush (Mother), sentenced to 4 years for child endangerment.

Source:
Reece A. Mushrush (1993-2002) – Find A Grave
Boyfriend charged with endangering boy who died
Many abused children die while under government watch
Reece A. Mushrush
Beating kills ‘special’ boy

Christopher Forder

Photo of Christopher Forder, a young boy with olive skin and black hair, smiling. Name: Christopher Forder.
Died: November 22, 2002.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Seabeck, Washington, USA.
Disability: Reactive attachment disorder.

Details:
Christopher died of untreated pneumonia. He had been beaten and starved by his adoptive mother.

Case status:
Kimberly Ann Forder (Adoptive mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Source:
Christopher Forder

Clothilde D’Auteuil

No Photo Name: Clothilde D’Auteuil.
Died: July 21, 2002.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Murder.
Location: Rimouski, Quebec, Canada.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Clothilde lived at a nursing home and her son visited her. When the nursing home told him that he needed to stop visiting her because she became agitated when he visited, he went to the nursing home, strangled her to death, and beat up several aides with a metal bar.

She was the widow of a doctor who had died two years before, and had three sons and three grandsons.

Case status:
Alain Quimper (Son), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 14 years to life.

Source:
History of euthanasia in Canada
Supreme Court of Canada Bulletin of Proceedings
Alfred QUIMPER
Condamné pour le meurtre de sa mère malade – Quimper veut un nouveau procès
Un homme de 46 ans est accusé du meurtre de sa mère

Cassandra Killpack

Photo of Cassandra Kilpatrick. She is a young black toddler, outdoors, stooping down and examining some dry grass. Name: Cassandra Taine Killpack.
Died: June 10, 2002.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Water intoxication.
Location: Springville, Utah, USA.
Disability: Reactive attachment disorder.

Details:
Cassandra’s adoptive parents forced her to drink so much water that she died of water poisoning.

Case status:
Jennete Killpack (Adoptive mother), child abuse, 1 to 15 years in prison (served 6 years).
Richard Killpack, acquitted.

Source:
Cassandra Taine Killpack