Death of Staten Island developmentally disabled man ruled a homicide

(Source: Staten Island Advance)

A developmentally -disabled man who died in April after he and his roommate fought over McNuggets inside their community residence has been ruled a homicide victim, according to a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office.  John Parisi, 45, died of cardiac arrest following blunt impact to his face and torso, with hypertensive cardiovascular disease listed as a contributing factor to his death, according to the medical examiner's office.

Tara's Law to provide protections for the developmentally disabled moves forward

(Source: NJToday.Net)

Legislation to create more stringent oversight of community care facilities servicing the developmentally disabled and provide a clear methodology for investigating potential instances of abuse continues advancing. The measure (A-2573) is named "Tara's Law," in memory of 28-year-old Tara O' Leary, a developmentally disabled woman who had been residing in a licensed community care residence in the state. Over a 2.5 year period, she lost a dangerous amount of weight, failed to attend the majority of programs and was finally admitted to a local hospital, weighing only 48 pounds and suffering from dehydration, malnutrition and bedsores. When despite efforts of the hospital staff, O' Leary's condition did not improve, she was disconnected from life support and died.