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MURDERING DISABLED PEOPLE IS UNACCEPTABLE

19.05.2016 1 comment Article ABLEISM
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A black and white image of a small child' hand and a part of a head of black hair, laying on the floor, half hidden under a drapery of some kind.

WHEN A MURDERER RECEIVES SYMPATHY

I have no words to begin this post. And so I begin by admitting that I have no words. This article is what prompted me to write this post:

“Probation understandable for woman who killed disabled daughter”

I had read about the murder of innocent 28-year-old Courtney by her adoptive mother a couple of days before but had not followed up. Because these cases sadden me too much and because they always spark a firework of sympathy. For the murderer.

The same thing happened with this case. People started talking about how they could emphasize with the murderer. How they could understand why she did it. And now there was the very real possibility of a murderer getting away with parole for killing an innocent person. It would not be the first time either.

This woman poured a fatal dose of medication into her adoptive daughters feeding tube. She planned this. It was premeditated and she executed it exactly as she had planned. These are the facts.
It was murder. And even more so it was premeditated. This was not a tragic accident. And it most certainly was not involuntary manslaughter as the murderer has pleaded guilty to.

Liltz tried to commit suicide after killing her adoptive daughter – yet she survived.
She is critically ill with cancer and believed she would die soon – yet she still lives.
Courtney does not. Courtney is dead. Courtney was murdered. Yet I read over and over again how people feel sorry for the mother. Over and over the mother’s struggle is highlighted.

Image depicts Courtney Liltz - a young Caucasian woman with short brown hair looking over at a Christmas tree in the background.

WHAT ABOUT COURTNEY?

Does Bonnie Liltz deserve sympathy? Yes, she does.

She deserves sympathy for suffering from cancer. She deserves sympathy for struggling with the fear and desperation that came with not knowing what would happen to Courtney if she as her caretaker passed away. She deserves sympathy for caring for her disabled adoptive child while being so very sick herself. She deserves sympathy for struggling with a lack of services, help, and ability to access both.

She does not deserve any sympathy whatsoever for murdering Courtney.

I am going to repeat this.

Bonnie Liltz does not deserve any sympathy whatsoever for murdering Courtney.

Courtney was alive. She was known to be happy. She deserved to live. She had no choice in this matter. And the person who made the choice for her had no right to that choice. Bonnie Liltz decided to become a murderer. She used her full mental capacity to decide to kill. I am sickened by that to the very core of my soul. And I am sickened by every single person sympathizing with this murderer specifically and with any other murderer like this one.

For every murder of an innocent disabled person you comment on with “I can understand.” there will be at least one caretaker of another disabled person reading and thinking “Yes. It would be okay to kill them.”

You don’t need to be a parent or caregiver of a disabled child to know that murdering children is wrong.
Your humanity should tell you that.

HOW DO WE STOP THESE HORRORS?

We as a society need to decide that murdering disabled people is never okay. It’s not acceptable, not understandable, not excusable, not justified. Murderers of disabled people do not deserve sympathy, empathy, or compassion for murdering a disabled person. Only if murdering us is known to be unacceptable will people stop seeing it as an acceptable “way out”.

We as a society need to make it clear that there is no such thing as “no other way out”. Often caregivers of disabled people refuse offers of services and help before murdering a disabled person in their care. But even if there is absolutely no support available that would enable a caregiver to continue caring for a disabled person, there are always other “last resort” options besides harming or murdering them.

Parents and caregivers of disabled people can always:

– give them up for adoption
– leave them with social services
– check themselves into a hospital or psych ward
– leave them at a hospital
– leave them at a police station
– leave them at a fire station
– leave them at a church
– leave them with a neighbor
– leave them at school/daycare etc.
– leave them outside their home
– leave them at a doctor’s
– leave them at a store
– leave them on the street if nothing else
– leave them with a family member in another home
– leave them with a family member in their home and leave
– yes, even with a minor sibling if that‘s the only option
– lock them in a room safe from them until it’s safe to come out again
– lock yourself in a room away from them until it’s safe to come out again
– leave them alone at home, leave, let someone know they are there

We as a society need to destigmatize disability. There can be no more disability tragedy narratives. Disabled people’s lives aren’t unworthy of living. We can’t see disabled people as “better off dead”. We can’t paint disabled people as burdens on their families, or society. Only if we see disabled people as fully human, their lives of equal worth to abled people, will our murder become as unacceptable as the murder of abled people.

Society needs to decide that murdering disabled people is unacceptable.
Every single one of us needs to decide that.

The most vulnerable people need and deserve the most protection.

MURDERERS OF DISABLED PEOPLE DON’T DESERVE SYMPATHY.

THEIR VICTIMS DO.

It saddens me to say that Courtney was not the first disabled person to be killed by a family member and it saddens me even more to say that she will not be the last.

March 1st is Disability Day of Mourning – each year the disabled community remembers those of us murdered by their family members. Here is the DISABILITY DAY OF MOURNING MEMORIAL SITE.

I have debated whether or not to link to some of the horrible cases in this post and have finally decided to do so. These innocent human beings deserve their names and stories to be known. They deserve for their murderers to be publically named.

All of the following are children who had their lives cut short before they even turned 18 years old. I have tried my best to find photographs of the children but could not find one for all of them. Please let me know if you can find any. They should not be invisible.

This is by no means a complete list. There are more. There will be more. But let this list be a reminder that disabled people are killed by those they depend on and who are supposed to care for and protect them.

Image depicts Lexie Agyepong-Glover - a young African American girl with close cropped black hair looking into the camera with a serious look.

Alexis “Lexie” Agyepong-Glover, killed at the age of 13.
Her mother left her to die in a creek.


Zain Akhter, killed at the age of 5, Faryaal Akhter, killed at the age of 2.
Their mother strangled them.


Image depicts Zahra Baker - a young Caucasian girl with shoulder long brown hair with blonde highlights looking towards the left, smiling brightly.
Zahra Baker, killed at the age of 10.
Her stepmother and perhaps her father murdered and dismembered her.


Image depicts Leosha Barnett - an African American teenager with close cropped black hair facing the camera with a wide, bright smile.
Leosha Barnett, killed at the age of 17.
Her sister and mother starved her to death.


Image depicts Benjamin Barnhard - a Caucasian teenage boy with short curly brown hair facing the camera with a concentrated expression and half a smile.
Benjamin Barnhard, killed at the age of 13.
His mother shot him.


Charles-Antoine Blais, killed at the age of 6.
His mother drowned him.


Image depicts Markea Blakely-Berry - a young African American girl with black hair in four chin long twisted braids decorated with colorful hairbands facing the camera smiling.
Markea Blakely-Berry, killed at the age of 16.
Her mother starved her to death.


Image depicts Jeremy Bostick - a young Caucasian boy with short blonde hair sitting with his side towards the camera, focusing intensely on something in front of him.
Jeremy Bostick, killed at the age of 11.
His father gassed him.


Image depicts Timothy Boss - a young African American boy with close cropped black hair looking intensely the camera with big bright eyes.
Timothy Boss, killed at the age of 10.
His adoptive parents beat him to death.


Image depicts Gabriel Britt - a young boy with close cropped black hair facing the camera with his eyes intensely focused and his mouth slightly open.
Gabriel Britt, killed at the age of 6.
His father suffocated him.


Image depicts Scarlett Chen - a young Asian American girl with short black hair facing the camera with a huge smile.
Scarlett Chen, killed at the age of 4.
Her mother drowned her.


Johnny Churchi, killed at the age of 13.
His mother strangled him.


Image depicts Julie Cirella - a young African American girl with her black hair pulled back into a high puffy ponytail facing the camera with a big warm smile.
Julie Cirella, killed at the age of 8.
Her mother strangled her with a cord.


Image depicts Ben and Max Clarence - two young Caucasian boys with short blonde hair facing the camera laughing whole heartedly.
Olivia Clarence, killed at the age of 4, Ben and Max Clarence, killed at the age of 3.
Their mother suffocated all three of them.


Image depicts Daniel Corby - a young Caucasian boy with short blonde hair. He has both hands in front of his mouth and seems to be happily sucking on his fingers.
Daniel Corby, killed at the age of 4.
His mother drowned him in a bathtub.


Chelsea Capra Craig, killed at the age of 14.
Her mother poisoned her with a mix of medications.


Ryan Davies, killed at the age of 12.
His mother pushed him off a bridge.


Image depicts Kyle Dutter - a young Caucasian boy with short blonde hair facing the camera smiling widely.
Kyle Dutter, killed at the age of 12.
His father shot him.


Peter Eitzen, killed at the age of 16.
His mother stabbed him to death.


Payton Ettinger, killed at age 4.
His mother starved him to death.


Image depicts Maxwell Eyer - a young boy with short black hair and lively eyes, smiling happily into the camera.
Maxwell Eyer, killed at the age of 2.
His father beat him to death.


Image depicts Marcus Fiesel - a young Caucasian boy with short brown hair squinting against the sun, smiling gently.
Marcus Fiesel, killed at the age of 4.
His foster parents wrapped him in heavy blankets and left him in a closet to suffocate.


Image depicts Glen Freaney - a young Caucasian boy with short brown hair and glasses looking into the camera with a big open smile.
Glen Freaney, killed at age 11.
His mother strangled him.


Image depicts Naomi Hill - a young Caucasian girl with shoulder long slightly curly ginger hair facing the camera smiling.
Naomi Hill, killed at the age of 4.
Her mother drowned her.


Image depicts Kenneth Holmes - a young African American boy with close cropped black hair turned away from the camera, appearing intensely thoughtful.
Kenneth Holmes, killed at age 12.
His mother shot him.


Image depicts Gerren Isgrigg - a young Caucasian boy with short blonde hair looking intensely at something next to the camera.
Gerren Isgrigg, killed at the age of 6.
His grandmother left him out in the woods to die.


Image depicts Christian Clay Jenkins - a Caucasian teenage boy with short brown hair smiling lightly into the camera.
Christian Clay Jenkins, killed at the age of 14.
His father murdered him with an overdose of oxycodone.


Image depicts Danieal Kelly - a young African American girl with her black hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Danieal Kelly, killed at the age of 14.
Her parents left her with rotting, maggot infested bedsores, and starved her to death.


Image depicts Tony Khor - a young Asian American boy with short black hair looking into the camera with stern focus.
Tony Khor, killed at age 15.
His mother strangled him.


Image depicts Ethan Scott Kirby - a young Caucasian boy with medium long brown hair, his head slightly tilted, smiling into the camera.
Ethan Scott Kirby, killed at the age of 3.
His mother’s boyfriend beat him to death.


Image depicts Tausha Lee Lanham - a young Caucasian girl with short blonde hair glancing at the camera with a cheeky smile.
Tausha Lee Lanham, killed at the age of 7.
Her mother starved her to death.


William Lash III, killed at the age of 12.
His father shot him.


Black and white image depicts Tracy Latimer - a young Caucasian girl with short hair sitting in her wheelchair.
Tracy Latimer, killed at the age of 12.
Her father gassed her.


Image depicts Daniel Leubner - a teenage boy with short brown hair, lightly biting his lower lip with the hint of a smile.
Daniel Leubner, killed at the age of 13.
His mother burned him alive.


Image depicts Jori Lirette - a young Caucasian boy with short blonde hair, looking to the right with his mouth lightly open and a slight frown.
Jori Lirette, killed at the age of 7.
His father decapitated him and dismembered his body.


Katie Lynn, killed at the age of 10.
Her mother starved her to death.


Image depicts Katie McCarron - a young Caucasian girl with medium long brown hair, squinting against the sun and biting her lower lip, holding back a cheeky smile.
Katie McCarron, killed at the age of 3.
Her mother suffocated her.


Image depicts Noe Medina Jr. - a Hispanic baby boy wearing a blue and yellow helmet looking intensely into the camera.
Noe Medina Jr., killed at the age of 7 months.
His mother threw him from the roof of a parking building.


Image depicts Jude Mirra - a young Caucasian boy with short dark hair. He is laughing exitedly into the camera.
Jude Mirra, killed at the age of 8.
His mother forced him to overdose on prescription medications.


Pierre Pasquiou, killed at the age of 10.
His mother pushed him into the sea.


Image depicts Rylan Rochester - a Caucasian baby boy with short blonde hair.
Rylan Rochester, killed at the age of 6 months.
His mother suffocated him.


Image depicts Ajit Singh-Mahal - a young Indian boy with short black hair standing in front of a chain link fence.
Ajit Singh-Mahal, killed at the age of 12.
His mother murdered him by forcing him to drink bleach.


Image depicts Alex Spourdalakis - a teenage boy with shaved dark hair, running towards the camera smiling, with both arms raised into the air.
Alex Spourdalakis, killed at the age of 14.
His mother and godmother tried to murder him with sleeping pills, then stabbed him repeatedly in the chest and finally slit his wrists.


Image depicts Calista Springer - a Caucasian teenage girl with shoulder long dark hair, smiling cheekily, sitting in front of a wooden panel background.
Calista Springer, killed at the age of 16.
Her entire family chained her to a bed and abandoned her in a fire.


Ulysses Stable, killed at the age of 12.
His father slit his throat.


Image depicts Melissa Stoddard - a young girl with shoulder long curly black hair looking directly at the camera with a huge smile.
Melissa Stoddard, killed at the age of 11.
She suffocated in restraints put in place by her father and step-mother.


Image depicts Daniel Thomas - a young Caucasian boy with short dark hair and big dark eyes.
Daniel Thomas, killed at the age of 2.
His babysitter killed him while his mother did nothing to help him.


Image depicts Shylea Myza Thomas - a young African American girl with her black hair in many tiny braids, laying in bed holding her stuffed teddy bear.
Shylea Myza Thomas, killed at the age of 9.
Her adoptive mother starved her to death.


Image depicts Lakesha Victor - a young African American girl with her black hair pulled back into a ponytail held together with a large blue bow, looking intensely at the camera with big eyes and her mouth wide open.
Lakesha Victor, killed at the age of 10.
Her mother and her mother’s boyfriend starved her to death.


Image depicts Shellay Ward - a young Caucasian girl with fair skin and shoulder long ginger hair. She is looking into the camera with the hint of a smile on her lips.
Shellay Ward, killed at the age of 7.
Her parents starved her to death.


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Tags: ABLEISM, ABLISM, ABUSE, ADVOCACY, AUTISM, AUTISTIC, AWARENESS, CONTROVERSY, DISABLISM, EXPERIENCE, FILICIDE, INJUSTICE, JUSTICE, MURDER, NEWS, TORTURE

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