Murder of Alex Spourdalakis
 | This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
 | The neutrality of this article is disputed. (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
Over the weekend of June 8-9, 2013, Alex Spourdalakis, a then-14-year-old severely autistic boy from River Grove, Illinois, was found dead in his apartment. Suspicions quickly fell on his mother, Dorothy Spourdalakis, age 50, as well as his caregiver, Jolanta Agata Skrodzka, age 44, because, authorities said, they had been frustrated with dealing with his autism.[1] Additional motives proposed by the plaintiffs include that Dorothy and Jolanta may have felt that Alex was not getting sufficient care for his autism and wanted to put him out of his misery.[2] On the following Tuesday, Dorothy was ordered held without bond on charges of first-degree murder. The plaintiffs also stated that, though Alex was stabbed to death, that Dorothy and Jolanta had originally plotted to kill him with sleeping pills.[3] The allegations state that Dorothy stabbed Alex four times in the chest, before handing the knife to Jolanta, who then, investigators say, used the same knife to kill the family cat. The two then tried to commit suicide by taking a large quantity of sleeping pills; they did not succeed.[4] On June 9, River Grove police found Spourdalakis and Skrodzka unconscious and locked in Alex's bedroom with his body.[5] Dorothy Spourdalakis's attorney, Michael Botti, has said he is considering an insanity defense, saying, "Every door closed, she had nowhere to go. She had nowhere to take her son, there's no help for him."[6]
Background[edit]
Alex, who weighed about 225 pounds, was sent to the hospital the previous year after developing uncontrollable fits of violence. While there, Dorothy has said he was left in four-point restraints for 12 days.[6] Prior to his death the police in River Grove were already very familiar with him, since they had frequently been called to his apartment to help restrain him.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ Sobol, Rosemary Regina (12 June 2013). "Mother, caregiver charged with murder in fatal stabbing of River Grove teen with autism". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Prosecutors: Mother, Caregiver Killed Autistic Teen To End His Suffering". CBS Chicago. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ↑ "Alex Spourdalakis Killed: Autistic Teen's Mother, Caregiver Charged In Boy's Stabbing Death". Huffington Post. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ↑ Zennie, Michael (30 August 2013). "'Alex will not suffer under the system': How mother killed her autistic teenage son after he was restrained in a hospital bed for 12 DAYS by doctors who couldn't understand he had a serious stomach illness". Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ↑ "Mother, godmother charged with murder of autistic teenager". UPI. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Film provides glimpse into life of autistic teen killed by his mother". CBS This Morning. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
This article "Murder of Alex Spourdalakis" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
