Memorial Wall
Lisa Isham
died on May 30th, 2015
52yo Lisa Isham from Minnesota, USA, was stabbed to death by her on-and-off boyfriend. She was a "bubbly" person who generally kept to herself (according to her friends), and he had a history of domestic violence, including several felony assaults. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Azan Majid Janjua
died on May 31st, 2017
11yo Azan spent the first eight years of his life with his mom in Russia, and then moved to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to live with his dad, as they agreed when he was born. The dad, originally from Pakistan, graduated a medical school in Russia and was living in Abu Dhabi with his father, second wife, and two young children. "We had a nice time since Azan joined us," he said. "He liked his younger siblings." On May 31st the family was celebrating Ramadan. Azan was fasting with his parents, said his morning prayers with him, went to a mosque for the afternoon prayer and Quran recitation, and headed home. A man dressed in burka, like a woman, lured Azan into the elevator in his apartment building, took him to the rooftop, and raped and murdered him. He knew the boy wouldn't go with a man without his parents' permission. Azan's body was found the next morning by AC technicians, half naked, with his copy of Quran next to him.
Pleasant Ervin Shorty Robinson
died on May 31st, 2010
57yo Mr Robinson, a welder from Texas, USA, was a father of three and a member of The Moose Lodge, a fraternal and service organization popular in North America. He was killed by his wife, who buried him in their front yard and told everyone he left her with another woman. His body wasn't discovered for three years, but eventually she pleaded guilty to murder.
Maria Sadaqat
died on June 1st, 2016
19yo Maria from Pakistan worked as an elementary school teacher, and didn't want to marry the son of the school's owner. "They sent in the proposal six months ago but the guy had already been married and had a daughter," explained Maria's aunt. "They wanted her to run the school after marrying the son of the owner of the school. Her father refused the proposal and they took the revenge by doing this." Maria was beaten, covered in petrol, and set on fire; she died of her injuries the next day.
Funmilayo Ajibola
died on June 1st, 2012
30yo Funmilayo Ajibola died in Badagry, Lagos State after being allegedly beaten by her husband, she was pregnant at the time. Her husband had a known history of spousal abuse.
Elaina Steinfurth
died on June 2nd, 2013
Elaina was an 18-month-old baby from Ohio, USA, killed by her mom and mom's boyfriend. Elaina was crying, and mom threw her against the wall and then called her boyfriend, who suffocated the baby and hid the body in his garage. Here's a quote from Elaina's father statement to court:
I would like to start by telling the court what kind of sweet baby Elaina was. She was a playful little girl who was full of energy. She loved to swing and would chase her older sister Kylie around for hours. She was also a very loving baby who loved to be held and cuddled. She would lay and nap with me for hours during the day while I slept for work on third shift.
I have many memories I will always keep of Elaina; memories of her playing in the sprinkler in the backyard, memories of her running around at Chuck E. Cheese and playing games. But what I remember most about Elaina is she was a fighter. Due to being born with problems with her feet, doctors said it would take her longer than normal to be able to learn to walk. But Elaina went through months of physical therapy and was walking by her first birthday. Elaina was strong and very determined and that I will never forget about my little girl.
Omega Leach
died on June 2nd, 2007
In May, 17-year-old Omega Leach arrived at the Chad Youth Enhancement Center outside Nashville, a mental-health facility for troubled teenagers approved by the city's Department of Human Services. His stay was brief. Omega died after a physical confrontation with staff on June 3. He tried to choke one counselor, and another staffer pushed Leach facedown to the floor and pulled his arms behind his back, police said. His mother, Paulette Dolby, cried when asked about her son. She referred reporters to a lawyer, Edith Pearce, Pearce described Leach as an ordinary teenager who loved basketball and video games and doted on his younger sister. He carried a grade point average of 2.7 at Daniel Boone disciplinary school. "My career goal is to be a lawyer," he wrote recently, in words quoted in his funeral program. "I like helping people, so I plan to be an affordable lawyer, and in that case I will have to go to college."
Wadeema Al Shirawi
died on June 3rd, 2012
8yo Wadeema and 7yo Mira from United Arab Emirates used to live in a studio apartment with their dad and dad's girlfriend. "It smelled really bad and was dirty," the police testified in court. "There was only one bed and the furniture was turned upside down. The girls' clothes stank and there was mess everywhere. The fridge was full of food which was out of date. No one could live in it." The girls' father believed that they were possessed by evil spirits, and, along with his girlfriend, has been attempting to exorcise them for months. Here's how 7yo Mira described this process: "They used wire, bars and a stun gun to torture us. They used to throw boiling water on us and even used a heated iron on my skin for no reason. They used to lock us in the bathroom, tie our hands up and make us eat our own feces." Wadeema died sometime between June 1st and June 5th. Mira was rescued by her uncle, but sustained permanent disability; she's now in custody of her mother, and receiving therapy. The father was executed; his girlfriend was sentenced to life without parole.
Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, visited Mira in hospital in 2012, offered to pay her expenses, and ordered the drafting of a federal child protection law to ensure a secure and stable future for children. In 2016 Federal Law No-3 on children’s rights was issued, and became known as Wadeema Law. It's a 12 page document that lays out the legal rights of minors, establishes punishments for those who violate those rights and allows childcare specialists to remove children from their homes against parents’ wishes and without judicial permission in cases of imminent danger.
Devin Parsons
died on June 3rd, 2011
12yo Devin from Indiana, USA lived with his little brother and sister, his mom, and his mom's boyfriend. He was an outdoorsy kind of boy, loved basketball, football, fishing, and hunting. Almost every Sunday, he got his little sister and brother ready for church, and they waited for the church bus to pick them up. Devin's little sister called him "the Protector." Their home life wasn't safe; family members, the police, and Devin's school sent a total of 19 reports to Child Protective Services about drugs, violence, and neglect, majority of them being in the last school year. On the first day of school summer break, Devin's mom and her boyfriend beat the boy to death because some of their drugs were missing and they suspected he hid them. Here's a poem that Devin wrote:
Peace is friendship and being healthy
Peace is like the fresh yellow sun
Peace sounds like dogs howling
Peace tastes like candy
Shaun Corey
died on June 4th, 2011
Shaun, 42, lived in Rochdale before leaving to make a new future for himself in London. He met his killer Karen Otmani through an internet dating site. Their relationship, was tempestuous. Despite repeated pleas from his relatives to return home, Shaun stayed because he was worried about what she might do and not wanting to leave his child. On June 4 last year Karen drugged and suffocated him. Shaun's mum Joyce Townsend felt Otmani's minimum 17-year sentence should have been much longer. "I feel angry," said Joyce. "All he wanted was to be loved. He just wanted a family but he got in a relationship with the wrong person. He was a lovely lad. "If your child dies because he was ill maybe it is easier to come to terms with, but this was premeditated murder. His sister Dawn said the warning signs were there, but Shaun always saw the good in people.
Suvarna Naik
died on June 4th, 2011
26yo Suvarna from India was a victim of dowry death. She had a 6 months old daughter, but her husband and in-laws were harassing and abusing her, claiming that the dowry they received for her from her family wasn't sufficient. Suvarna hung herself in her bedroom. The police charged her husband and in-laws with abetment to suicide, harassment for dowry, and dowry death.
Travis Alexander
died on June 4th, 2008
Travis was a 30yo man from Arizona, USA, who worked as a salesman and motivational speaker for a legal services company. He was trying to break up with his girlfriend of two years, complained to his friends that she was stalking him and slashed his tires, and was about to leave to Mexico with another woman. The ex girlfriend drove nearly two thousand miles to his home, they had some private time that they took pictures of, then he took shower, which she took pictures of as well, and the next pictures on the camera, taken within minutes, are of his dead body in the bathtub full of blood, with 27 stab wounds, a slit throat, and a gunshot wound to the head.
It was a capital murder trial, i.e. the woman was risking a death sentence, so she told three separate versions of what happened. First, that she hasn't seen Travis in two months and doesn't know what happened to him. Then, that someone broke into his home, murdering him and attacking her. Her final version, which she first mentioned two years into the case, was that he was abusive to her and that she killed him in self-defense. She even wore a t-shirt that said "survivor" to trial, causing much controversy among Domestic Violence activists, some of whom view her as a victim, while others view her as a perpetrator. In the end she was convicted and sentenced to life without parole. Here's a quote from Travis' obituary:
Travis lived each day as if it were his last, with many accomplishments, dreams, travels, and successes. He was an amazing individual who sought out to save the world with his positive influence, his motivational speaking and his writing. He was well on his way to making all his dreams a reality. Travis has touched so many lives and will continue in our hearts forever and always. We can never express the unbearable pain from this tragedy.
Joylynne Giebel
died on June 5th, 2015
2yo Joylynne from Arizona, USA, lived with her two older brothers, mom, and stepfather. Their mom felt that he was "loving, caring," and said, "Our relationship was awesome. His relationship with the kids was awesome. (...) He never hit me, he never hurt the kids. We never hurt the kids, we love the kids." However, there were at least 5 reports to the Department of Child Safety alleging the adults were dealing drugs and the kids were physically abused and drugged. A caseworker visited the house, but no one was home; she left a business card on their door and didn't follow up.
Joylynne died after her stepfather was "rough housing" with her and "smacked her on the head" to "discipline" her. Joylynne's 4yo brother said 'daddy had hit [her] in the face real hard'. Her head was covered in bruises. Both parents were arrested, the stepfather for manslaughter and the mother for failure to protect her child from abuse and to call for an ambulance while Joylynne was dying. "I sit in my room and cry," said the mother. "I get my bible out, and I pray to God that some light will shine, so that people who know me come forth and tell everybody what a mom I am."
Kalief Browder
died on June 6th, 2015
Kalief was a 22yo man from Bronx, NY, who survived abuse but committed suicide because of its aftermath. He was arrested at 16 andheld at the Riker's Island jail for three years, not convicted of any crime. He was abused by both inmates and staff at Rikers, but refused to plead guilty and be sentenced to time served; he said he wasn't guilty and wanted to go to trial. Once released, Kalief tried to rebuild his life: got a job, went to college, but he couldn't cope with the emotional aftermath of his jail experience, the flashbacks, the anxiety, the hypervigilance, and eventually paranoia and psychosis.
Being home is way better than being in jail, but in my mind right now I feel like I'm still in jail, because I'm still feeling the side effects from what happened in there. I'm trying to break out of my shell, but I guess there is no shell. I guess this is just how I am - I'm just quiet and distant. I don't like being this way, but it's just natural to me now. (...) I might be attacked; I might be robbed, because, believe me, in jail you know there's all type of criminal stuff that goes on. Before I went to jail, I didn't know about a lot of stuff, and, now that I'm aware, I'm paranoid. (...) People tell me because I have this case against the city I'm all right. But I'm not all right. I'm messed up. I know that I might see some money from this case, but that's not going to help me mentally. I'm mentally scarred right now. That's how I feel. Because there are certain things that changed about me and they might not go back.
Kalief killed himself on June 6th, 2015. The day before, he told his mother, "Ma, I can't take it anymore."
Samuel G Porter
died on June 6th, 2004
7yo Sam from Missouri loved being with people, the outdoors, playing basketball, and collecting Yu-Gi-Oh cards. His 8yo sister Lindsey enjoyed being the center of attention, dancing, singing, and sports, especially golf. Both kids loved playing with Bossie, the family bulldog, that used to walk them to school with their dad. On June 6th, 2004, the dad picked them up for a weekend visit, took them to the woods saying he had a surprise for them, blindfolded them, and shot them in the backs of their heads. "People may think I'm strong, but I'm not," Sam's and Lindsey's mom said. "There are good days and bad days. Some days, I just don't want to get out of bed ... when your children are taken from you, there is no normal anymore. Other people hear about bad things happening to someone else, but then they can forget about it. I have to battle this every day."
Rania Alayed
died on June 7th, 2013
Rania was killed by her husband after trying to escape an abusive marriage. The couple was originally from Syria, but moved to Stockton-on-Tees, UK in 2004, and to Manchester five years later. Rania was 21, a mother of three, and her husband abused her physically, sexually, and financially. Once in Manchester, she started reaching out for help, and even hired a lawyer. She started college, made friends of both genders, and confided in them that she was living in a domestic violence situation. In May of 2013 Rania moved out with the kids, filed for divorce, and began dating another man.
Her husband seemed to agree to grant her divorce, but on June 7th he asked to meet her at a neutral territory, so that she could drop off the kids to visit with him for the weekend. Once there, he murdered her, while their kids were in another room, dressed in her clothing and left the building like that (to make it look like she left, on security cameras), and was telling everyone they have divorced and Rania is alive and in Turkey.
Zeenat Rafiq
died on June 8th, 2016
16yo Zeenat from Pakistan was in love with a boy she met in school. Her family didn't approve and rejected several marriage proposals, so the young couple eloped (i.e. ran away from home and got married without family consent). Zeenat's mom said it was OK, invited Zeenat for a visit to celebrate her marriage, and assured her that she would not be harmed. When Zeenat came to her mom's house, mom beat her, strangled her, and then burnt her alive, for "dishonoring" her family. "I don't have any regrets," she said.
