American Sign Language Interpreter Poser

Unqualified ASL poser with criminal past dupes police at Seminole Heights killer news conference in Tampa, Florida.

TAMPA, Florida -- Tampa police spokesman Steve Hegarty says a lack of due diligence allowed a career criminal to take center stage as an American Sign Language interpreter last week during a hastily-called news conference where the police chief and mayor announced they had captured a suspect in the Seminole Heights murders.

Even worse, Hegarty says, is the sign language poser Derlyn Roberts blew the assignment with a gibberish-filled interpretation broadcast on live television.

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“My major concern is that she was representing our department and didn’t do a good job,” Hegarty said.

Hegarty says Roberts presented herself as an interpreter for the Deaf just before the news conference. In that hectic moment, he says he failed to ask the right questions to determine whether she was from Purple Communications which the city typically hires for sign language duties.

Rachelle Settambrino, who teaches sign language at the University of South Florida, says interpreter Roberts signed the following: “Fifty-one hours ago, zero 12 22 (indecipherable) murder three minutes in 14 weeks ago in old (indecipherable) murder four five 55,000 plea 10 arrest murder bush (indecipherable) three age 24.”

Another USF professor says it made her stomach turn.

“I was sick at the idea of all the other interpreters that could have been standing there and been signing the information clearly. What in the world was this person doing out there, waving her hands,” said Betti Bonni.

Roberts got out of state prison last year after serving years for organized fraud.

Efforts to reach her by 8 On Your Side were unsuccessful on Monday. Neighbors say she claims to have sign language skills, but it’s not clear that she has any ASL credentials.

SOURCE - WFLA

TAMPA, FL -- SNN: Fake interpreter fools Tampa cops. Tampa police say a career criminal posed as an American Sign Language interpreter last week during a hastily-called news conference announcing an arrest in the Seminole Heights serial shooting case, leaving many Deaf viewers confused by her “gibberish.”

Tampa police spokesman Steve Hegarty says a lack of due diligence allowed sign language poser Derlyn Roberts to be a part of the news conference.

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Hegarty says Roberts presented herself as an interpreter for the Deaf just before the news conference. In that hectic moment, he says he failed to ask the right questions to determine whether she was from Purple Communications, which the city typically hires for sign language duties.

Rachelle Settambrino, who teaches sign language at the University of South Florida, says interpreter Roberts signed the following: “Fifty-one hours ago, zero 12 22 (indecipherable) murder three minutes in 14 weeks ago in old (indecipherable) murder four five 55,000 plea 10 arrest murder bush (indecipherable) three age 24.”

Roberts got out of state prison last year after serving years for organized fraud.

SOURCE - SNN

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Deaf Sister Locked In Closet For Seven Years

Woman kept Deaf sister locked in closet for seven years while stealing benefits.

CORUNNA, Michigan -- Candy Lawson, 46, was gave her adoptive sister Diana Churchill little food, water or clothing during her seven-year ordeal in the tiny 4ft by 8ft space. She was freed in 2015 when she was discovered at the house in Corunna, by construction worker, Robert Lamar, while he carried out works on the house.

Lawson was meant to be caring for her sister following their mother’s death 10 years ago, but instead subjected her to years of abuse. The prosecutor said: ‘I think the easy answer for us is we think the motive was the benefits she was getting, the social security money that she was getting.

‘It’s too bad that somebody can be on the radar with the SOS Administration that there is no protocol in place for actual face-to-face follow up, to figure out whether or not this person is alive and well, and actually getting the benefit of their funds.

‘In this case, obviously the system let this woman down.’

Diana’s brother, who had the same cognitive and physical impairments as her, died at the age of 33 weighing just 60lbs.

Police are now investigating whether she was also responsible for his death but no charges have been brought.

Lawson claimed that the closet was a room and the reason she locked her in was to prevent her from walking off in the night.

She also said that she hadn’t deprived her of food and was free to walk around the house.

However she was malnourished and so dirty that her skin reacted badly when nurses used soap to try and clean her.

Diana is now being cared for by the state and is doing much better according to Wnem.

Speaking about the case, Mr Lamar who found her said: ‘Horrible really. It was disgusting how she left her sister. Someone that doesn’t care about another human’s life.’ She will be sentenced on October 27.

SOURCE - Metro

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Illinois Teen Shot Deaf Mom, Burned House

Teen allegedly shoots her Deaf mom in the head and later posts to her Facebook: ‘You were my best friend’, Police say.

MORRISON, Illinois -- Authorities investigating the homicide of a 53-year-old woman whose body was found Saturday inside her burning house in Morrison, Illinois, have arrested her 15-year-old daughter, whom they suspect is the killer, PEOPLE confirms.

A spokesman for the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois confirms that law enforcement has arrested the teenage daughter of Peggy Schroeder, who was Deaf.

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The girl is charged as a juvenile with two counts of first-degree murder, concealment of homicidal death and arson. Though authorities reportedly said Schroeder was shot in the head, her cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

PEOPLE does not identify juveniles accused of crimes unless they are tried as adults.

The girl did not enter a plea during a court hearing Tuesday in juvenile court. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether they plan to try her as an adult. If she is tried and convicted as a minor, she would be imprisoned until she turns 21.

Her lawyer, Jim Mertes, declined to discuss the allegations against his client.

The sheriff’s spokesman would only discuss the girl’s arrest and not the allegations against her, which were reportedly outlined by investigators during Tuesday’s hearing.

According to SaukValley.com, citing that testimony, authorities believe the teen was waiting for her mother to return from work last Thursday.

When Schroeder walked into the house around 5:30 p.m., the girl allegedly met her in the living room and had her place a towel over her face and then fired a single shot from a .38-caliber revolver into her forehead, authorities said, SaukValley.com reports.

According to court testimony, authorities claim the teen then texted a photo of Schroeder’s body to a friend to prove she had been killed. The other girl, also 15, then allegedly came over to help try to clean blood from the carpeting.

The next morning, the juveniles awoke and moved Peggy’s body from the living room to her bedroom, a sheriff’s detective claimed in court, the site reports.

The girls allegedly then spent the next two days trying to cover up the killing, according to local TV station KWQC.

SOURCE - PEOPLE

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Deaf Girl, 5, Raped, Left To Struggle For Life

Deaf News: 5-year-old Deaf girl 'brutally' raped, left to struggle for life.

VARANASI, India -- A five-year-old Deaf girl is struggling for life at ICU of SSL hospital of BHU after being raped by a youth. The accused was caught red-handed by the villagers and handed over to Manduadih police after heavy thrashing in the wee hours on Thursday.

According to reports, Sanjay (24), a native of Ghazipur who lives near Phulwaria gate, worked as a labourer. He first struck at Patelbasti of Chandpur area and tried to lift a minor girl, sleeping with her mother outside their residence, but fortunately, the girl woke up and started crying following which other family members also came out of the house. They chased Sanjay, but he managed to escape.

After few minutes, he raided Natbasi in the neighbouring locality where he kidnapped the physically challenged minor girl, who was also sleeping with mother outside their hut. As the Deaf girl could not raise alarm, Sanjay took her to a neighbouring field and raped the minor.

In the meantime, the mother of the hapless girl woke up and raised an alarm. On hearing this, people of the locality came out of their houses and started searching the girl. On seeing the people entering the field, Sanjay tried to escape leaving the girl in a pool of blood. The people of this locality chased him while residents of Patelbasti also reached from the opposite side after which Sanjay was caught and beaten brutally.

After this information, police also reached there and somehow rescued Sanjay from the angry mob. The girl was immediately rushed to SPG divisional hospital where the doctors referred her to SSL hospital of BHU in view of sharp deterioration in the health condition of the girl.

SSP Nitin Tiwari reached the hospital to see the condition of girl and assured to extend financial support to her family for the proper treatment of rape survivor. He said that two cases, including raping the minor after kidnapping and bid to kidnap another minor, had been lodged against Sanjay, who was sent to jail.

SOURCE - The Times of India

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Deaf Couple Pleads For Return of Dog Stolen

Deaf couple pleads for return of dog stolen from in front of store.

INKSTER, Michigan -- A metro Detroit Uber driver is hoping you can help reunite her with her dog.

Megan Nairne says her dog, Bruiser, was taken while on a walk with her significant other. They had stopped at Harrison Liquor Store in Inkster, while she was working on Opening Day at Comerica Park.

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The dognapping was captured on video, which Nairne posted to Facebook.

Nairne says she had just dropped a rider off near Comerica when she got word that Bruiser had been taken.

Narine says she and her significant other, James, adopted the 9-year-old Bruiser after James' mother, Linda, passed away in April 2015. Bruiser was originally Linda's dog.

Nairne says Bruiser is very attached to James and will get depressed if he is not around.

James had stopped at the store during their walk to get Bruiser a snack, and left him outside because the store does not allow pets inside.

Nairne says they have filed a police report, but do not feel their case has been given the appropriate priority.

She says she just wants to get Bruiser home.

SOURCE - WXYZ

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Parents Allegedly Murdered Adopted Deaf Son

Hearing parents accused of killing adopted Deaf son and covering it up: New York police.

GUILFORD, NY -- CBS News: A mother and father are accused of killing their teenage son and setting fire to their home to cover up the crime.

Ernest Franklin II, 35, and Heather Franklin, 33, are charged with second-degree murder, arson and tampering with physical evidence.

According to CBS affiliate WBNG, officials say a fire was reported around 1:15 a.m. March 1 at the family’s home in Guilford. The couple’s son, 16-year-old Jeffrey Franklin, was found dead inside. Sheriff Ernest Cutting says an autopsy determined the fire didn’t cause the teen’s death and that he was dead before the fire started.

Video Source Inside Edition

According to the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office, Jeffrey was adopted about seven years ago. He was Deaf and had special needs.

WBNG reports that when asked his plea by the judge, Ernest Franklin said “guilty,” but his public defender quickly corrected him, and changed the plea. Both Ernest and Heather pleaded “not guilty” and were sent to the Chenango County Jail without bail.

Authorities haven’t said how the boy was killed.

WBNG reports that a GoFundMe page was created shortly after the fire to help the parents with expenses. More than $11,000 was reportedly raised, but the page has been taken down.

In a statement, GoFundMe said:

“It’s important to remember that the platform is backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee, which means that in the rare case that GoFundMe, law enforcement or a user finds campaigns are misused, donors will get their money back. In this case, due to recent information released, GoFundMe will honor refunds to all donors.”

SOURCE - CBS News

Woman Rammed Deaf Child With Shopping Cart

Cops find hearing woman accused of ramming Deaf child with shopping cart at Walmart in New York.

CORTLANDT, New York -- On Friday, New York State Police charged Erica A. Walker of Queens, New York, with 2nd degree Attempted Assault, a felony, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a misdemeanor.

Police allege that Walker intentionally rammed a 10-year-old child with a shopping cart at the Walmart in the Cortlandt Town Center at about 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 25.

They asked the public's help to ID the suspect, captured in a photo at the Walmart that day.

The 23-year-old was arraigned before Town Justice Gerald Klein in the Town of Cortlandt Court. The defendant was remanded to the Westchester County Jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or bond. She is scheduled to return to the Town of Cortlandt Court on March 6, 2017.

The State Police thank the public for their assistance during in this investigation.

SOURCE - Patch

Deaf Man's Experience at FLL Airport Shooting

Deaf elderly man's experience at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport shooting in Florida.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida -- The Daily Moth is a new ASL radio show, delivers news in video using American Sign Language, the Deaf host, Alex Abenchuchan, covers trending news stories into the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting.

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A Deaf man, James Beldon Sr, was at the Fort Lauderdale Airport waiting for a plane at the same time a gunman shot and killed several airport passengers in an adjacent terminal. He was one of the thousands of people stranded on the tarmac.

Abenchuchan likes moths, but can be startled by them, especially if they fly in his face when he’s near a light bulb. He’s currently metamorphosing into a moth, but the process could take years. Watch new video daily, The Daily Moth Channel.

Follow @TheDailyMoth:
Subscribe: https://youtube.com/thedailymoth
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thedailymoth
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Website: https://dailymoth.com

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The Daily Moth - The Deaf Host ASL Radio Show

Deaf Woman Found Burned On The Street

Deaf News: Police: Woman found burned on Dale Street in Rochester.

ROCHESTER, NY -- Rochester Police say that a woman was found burned on Dale Street on Sunday, and the incident is being investigated as a suicide attempt.

News10NBC does not normally report on suicides, but many people in the area had questions about what happened on Sunday in broad daylight.

Officers say they were called to a home on Dale Street around, where they found a woman on fire in a field located on a empty lot of the street.

The woman, reportedly somewhere between 40 and 50 years of age, was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, where she is in guarded condition.

Tony Alonzo Thompson- a neighbor of the woman- was among those who found her. He was walking around the neighborhood when he found her, and immediately called 911.

"I'm trying to tell her, 'ma'am, it's gonna be alright.' I'm telling her it's gonna be alright. It's going to be alright.... but I'm crying because I knew her."

"She's looking right at," he said, "She's Deaf... and she pointed. She's naked, her pants are down to her ankles... and she was smoking."

Holly Mortensen, who lives across from the field where the woman was found, is still in shock over what happened.

"That's a little too close to home, that's my first reaction."

Mortensen was awakened by the police and firefighters that had arrived in the neighborhood, and when she looked outside, she saw one of her neighbors on fire.

"She wasn't moving, she was just laying there at the middle of the field," she recalls, "The EMTs put a respirator on her, or a resuscitator on her."

Fire and police have confirmed the event is now being investigated as a suicide attempt and that there is no danger to the public. Because of the sensitivity of the situation, News10NBC will not be releasing the name of the woman.

SOURCE - News10NBC

Deaf Woman Killed in the DC Hit-and-Run

Deaf Woman killed in the District's Columbia neighborhood hit-and-run.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- District's Columbia police are searching for a black SUV that is believed to be the car driven in a hit and run early Tuesday morning.

Police say the driver hit and killed a Deaf woman early outside her apartment in Northwest, District's Columbia.

Police say the SUV was going north on 14th Street when it hit a woman in a crosswalk, killing a fixture of the neighborhood.

Jacqueline "Jackie" Cole, 54,was Deaf. She couldn’t speak well, but she made a statement.

"Always a happy-go-lucky person as far as I know," said neighbor Dorothy Sharpe.

WATCH VIDEO with CC on WUSA9.

Sharpe lives in Hubbard Place. Cole lived on the fourth floor. Early Tuesday morning, she was waiting at a nearby bus stop.

Mack Ferguson watched Cole get up and cross the street. That’s when he heard a black SUV accelerate before hitting her.

Cole was pronounced dead at the hospital.

"I hate to see anything like that. Right in front of me. Nothing I could do about it," said Furgeson.

Police are still investigating. Those who live there say it was only a matter of time.

"The message here is for people to slow down on 14th Street," said neighbor Mike Jay. "That's the message. And adhere to the crosswalk."

It's a plea friends say cannot fall on deaf ears, like those of Cole.

Neighbors say Cole lived alone. She had two grown children. Property managers say they’re still trying to contact them.

Police have their special Deaf and Hard of Hearing Liaison Unit on this case. You can text tips anonymously to 50411.

SOURCE - WUSA9

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Deaf Barista Brutally Stabbed, Robbed

Thembelihle Quze, who is Deaf and works at the coffee cafe, was robbed at knifepoint and stabbed.

CAPE TOWN -- Cape Argus: A Deaf man from Gugulethu who survived a near-death experience when he was stabbed twice in the chest and arm during an armed robbery said he fears for his life.

Thembelihle Quze, 23, who recently re-integrated in society when he started working at a coffee shop in Claremont, said Saturday’s attack had made him vulnerable again. He was stabbed while walking home after visiting a friend near his home in Gugulethu NY111.

“Two men came walking towards me, I saw them talking but was not able to hear what they were saying. The one guy came up to me and demanded money. I tried to tell them I didn’t have any, but they weren’t even paying attention to me as I signed. The one guy pocketed me and then stabbed me.”

The two men fled the scene and Quze was helped by neighbours who had seen him. “I could not scream for help. I feel they targeted me because I am deaf; right now I am too scared to leave the house, I have no one to chat to,” Quze said, speaking through a sign language interpreter.

For the past seven months, Quze had been working at I Love Coffee in Claremont as a barista.

At the coffee shop, which comprise mostly Deaf employees, he acquired social and life skills training which is said to have helped him interact with others.

Quze had started gym training and was also teaching clients sign language. A part of his job also included travelling to Joburg which his father, Mbuyiselo Mbali, said encouraged Quze to be more social.

“He refuses to leave the house and we, too, fear for his life. In this area, Deaf people are targets. My son right now is in pain, the stitches in his chest are bleeding. This is not right,” said Mbali.

He said the incident changed his son.

Coffee shop owner, Gary Hopkins said the sweat classes at the gym had helped Quze defend himself during the robbery.

He said the coffee shop, which employs mostly Deaf youth as part of its social enterprise work, hired Deaf people to escape violence and to boost the employment rate. Part of the work programme includes life skills training.

“Most Deaf children grow up in homes where they are overprotected. They become easy targets because they don’t have the necessary life skills.

“Thembe (his nickname), because of the gym partnership we have, has become quite an athlete. He was able to protect himself and smart enough not to carry money on him,” said Hopkins.

SOURCE

Elderly Man Rapes 8-Year-Old Deaf Girl

Deaf News: Elderly hearing man, 70, rapes 8-yr-old Deaf girl in Nigeria.

ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA -- Vanguard: Men of Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 70-year-old man, Gabriel Akindele, for allegedly raping an eight-year-old Deaf girl in a toilet.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement, said yesterday that the randy septuagenarian committed the offence at 7, Michael Ayegusi Street, Owode Ijako in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Oyeyemi said the police team found out that the suspect lured the girl to the toilet, where he raped her.

According to Oyeyemi, the suspect was arrested following a complaint from the mother of the girl, who noticed an unusual behaviour from the girl after the incident and used sign language to inquire from her daughter.

He said: “The girl informed her mother of the incident, which prompted the mother to report the matter to police. The DPO of Sango Ota, SP Akinsola Ogunwale, detailed detectives to the scene and the randy old man was subsequently arrested.

“On interrogation, he confessed to committing the crime. It was discovered that he lured the girl to the toilet, where he unlawfully had carnal knowledge of her. The commissioner of police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has directed that the case be transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, CIID, for proper investigation.”

SOURCE

Deaf Teacher Arrested For Raping Toddler

Deaf teacher arrested for defiling 6-month-old baby in Nigeria.

DAMATURU, NIGERIA -- 40-year-old Deaf teacher, Shaaibu Yakubu Abdullahi, has been arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), for allegedly defiling 6-month-old baby in Potiskum, Yobe state.

According to the NSCDC Commandant, Muhammad Gidado Fari, the suspect was arrested after a non-governmental organization, National Council of Women Society (NCWS) reported him to the corps.

He said the Deaf teachers allegedly conspired with his 10-year-old student, (name withheld) who took the 6-year-old baby to him from her neighbor’s house, “He defiled the baby,” he said

The commandant said the suspect denied any knowledge of the case, but the 10-year-old student insisted that it was Shaaibu, pointing at him in a group picture of staff and students taken in the school.

He said that the matter was taken to the state’s Ministry of Justice for prosecution as the case needs a professional in sign language to interpret.

The President, National Council of Women Society, (NCWS) Halima Kyari Joda, said the Baby was taken to University of Maiduguri for treatment,

“She was attended by a consultant, she underwent two separate operations. But, we will continue to pursue her case until justice is served” she added.

SOURCE - DailyTrust

Deaf Victims of Human Trafficking in Israel

Deaf News: Police crack ring that smuggled Deaf Eastern Europeans into Israel to work as beggars.

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Six human smuggling ringleaders arrested on suspicion of trafficking, forced labor, assault and rape. Police arrested six people on Monday suspected of smuggling Deaf people from Eastern Europe into Israel, forcing them to work as beggars and confiscating their earnings.

The six are suspected of serious offenses, including human trafficking, false imprisonment, forced labor, assault, rape, withholding passports and conspiring to commit a crime.

Police said they were detained in a “swift, professional and covert investigation,” based on information from the Population, Immigration and Borders Authority. The trafficking in Deaf people was first revealed by Haaretz almost two years ago.

Three of the suspects are from Rishon Letzion, with the others from Ashkelon, Netanya and Bat Yam. They are believed to have brought Deaf people from Eastern Europe into Israel on tourist visas, forcing them to work as beggars, often treating them violently and extorting and threatening them.

Police say the ring provided the beggars with housing, took away their passports and confiscated a significant portion of the money they earned. One of the victims is believed to have been sexually assaulted, police said.

The beggars come from relatively poor countries, like Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Estonia, population authority officials said. The ring also used Deaf Israelis and Palestinians. Ten beggars who were being held in an apartment in the Netanya area were brought to a shelter for victims of human trafficking.

The beggars carried notes enabling them to interact with bus drivers, taxi drivers and passersby. They also carried receipt books bearing the international symbol of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, along with dolls they would give to anyone giving them a donation. The population authority said the beggars worked places like the Azrieli Mall and Tel Aviv Port, the Gold Mall in Rishon Letzion, the Herzliya Marina and the Malha Mall in Jerusalem. During the summer they were even sent to Eilat.

They were forced to work 14-16 hours daily and each would take in an average of between 1,500 shekels ($397) and 2,000 shekels ($529) a day, of which they were allowed to keep only 200 shekels. The rest went to their handlers, ostensibly to pay for their plane tickets and accommodation.

The population authority said that dozens of beggars had been arrested, questioned and deported to their countries of origin in recent years. The administration’s enforcement division noted that it had given real-time information about the trafficking ring to the police and the Justice Ministry.

The authority said it first heard about this type of human trafficking three years ago, when two Deaf people from Eastern Europe were deported after being caught soliciting funds in Be’er Sheva for a fictitious organization. Their arrest spurred an investigation that revealed they were part of a ring of hundreds of beggars.

Yossi Hadad, who is responsible for the authority’s intelligence office in the south of the country, told Haaretz two years ago that the ringleaders would lure their European prey to Israel through dating websites for the Deaf.

SOURCE - Haaretz

Elderly Deaf Couple Recovering After Brutal Home Invasion

Three Memphis men were arrested and charged with a home invasion in the Wesson Height subdivision in Olive Branch, Mississippi.

OLIVE BRANCH, MS -- WREG: A couple was terrorized, beaten and robbed.The couple said it was God that helped get them through.

Through sign language and translation help from their son, Diann and Jimmy Kelley said they were in their kitchen when three men Charles Gayles, Jeffrey Richardson, and Charlonte Smith broke through a back bedroom window, entered their home, shut the lights off and attacked them.

Diann Kelley, 68, said the men flipped over the kitchen table, tied her up with duct tape over her mouth, wrists, and ankles, and beat her husband over and over with the ends of their rifles.

Related: Elderly Deaf Couple Had Been Dead Inside Home

"He says they just kept beating him with the guns. He can’t count how many times they hit him," the Kelley's son, Kevin, said through translation. "His hands are all swollen they hit his hands because he was trying to cover his head. They broke that finger. They broke his ribs."

When the men left with duffle bags worth of their belongings, Diann was able to rip the tape off her mouth, find a knife to cut the tape from her ankles, and run for help.

Jimmy is now back at home after suffering two broken ribs, an ear that had to be stitched back together, and gashes in his head.

"She has no idea why,” Kevin said. “Maybe because they are Deaf, they are taking advantage of them not being able to hear. They weren't satisfied the first time with what they were able to get out?"

This wasn’t the first time the couple was targeted. Earlier in July, the couple said the same men entered through their garage door, but Jimmy was able to reach for a gun and start shooting, which caused the men to run.

Multiple police agencies searched for the men after Diann got help. One of the men was found in the attic and another was found several houses down. Diann said the man in the attic actually fell through the ceiling, and that is how officers found him.

"She said, ‘why should she let three boys win over her and scare her?’ She's not going to allow it,” Kevin said.

The family said thanks to prayers, they are making it through.

SOURCE - WREG

Related: Elderly Deaf Couple Had Been Dead Inside Home

Protest Demands Justice For Slain Deaf Women

Deaf News: Haiti protest demands justice for three slain Deaf women.

PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI -- Wednesday, March 30 at a press conference several organizations defending the rights of the disabled: the Haitian Society for Aid to the Blind (SHAA), the National Associative Network for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (RANIPH), the National Federation of the Deaf of Haiti (FNSH) and the Association of Deaf of évèque, Haiti (ASLH) came together to denounce the triple murder of three Deaf women, lynched after being taken for "witches", while they sought only a place to sleep in the zone of Haut Damier, area near Cabaret on March 18 in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

These organizations who for a long time struggle to enforce the rights of the disabled, launched an appeal of distress and sadness to the authorities to ensure respect for the rights of disabled people in the country. They require government: justice and compensation for the families of 3 women cowardly murdered (Jésula Germain, mère de six enfants, Vanessa Prévil and Monique Vincent).

Upset, Gérald Oriol Jr., Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities, strongly condemned these crimes "This is unthinkable in our society that such crimes be committed" recalling that one of the three victims was pregnant three months. Gérald Oriol Jr believes that society should say no to violence, no to discrimination.

For Dr. Michel A. Pean, coordinator of the SHAA "it is time to question the customs and outdated traditions of certain elements of Haitian culture..."

In addition, in a statement, the Board of Directors of the Arche Haiti, points out that "these odious crimes, remind that committed on our revered dumb musician Ti-Pierre in the 1990s. They challenge our conscience. It is time that the judicial authorities take into account, as well as all other citizens of the country, the needs of disabled victims. It is worth remembering that any person affected by intellectual disabilities and / or physical is a full persons that deserves the consideration of everyone."

Friday, April 1, to honor the memory of the three victims a march is planned in Port-au-Prince, the gathering and departure will take place at 8:00 am in front of the St. Vincent Center and will end in sit-in front of the Ministry of Justice.

Memorial Fundraiser For 3 Women Brutally Killed in Haiti:

Deaf community of Leveque in Haiti. Three Deaf women were waiting at a bus stop yesterday (because a bridge was out) and were brutally murdered. The whole community is crushed and in mourning. These women need a proper burial and the children who have lost their mother's are in need of food, shelter and a little bit of comfort. Your support is greatly appreciated and will help their families out immensely, HERE.

SOURCE - Haitilibre

Deaf Man Murdered By Caretaker In Texas

Deaf News: Texas ratchet woman fatally shoots Deaf man who knocked on her door and leaves note on his body saying "sorry."

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Texas woman shot and killed a Deaf man who apparently frightened her by knocking at the door and she left an index card next to his body with the word “sorry” written on it.

Michelle Chase called police about 10 a.m. Sunday to report the shooting, and officers found the man’s body along with the cryptic note outside her apartment door.

The 49-year-old Chase initially denied killing 50-year-old William Farr, who police said showed no obvious signs of trauma or foul play.

An autopsy on Monday revealed Farr had been shot in the chest with a small-caliber bullet.

Chase admitted to police that she shot Farr, who was Deaf and communicated with a computer tablet, on Saturday night because he scared her by knocking on her door.

“He was a nice little guy,” said neighbor Florida Paul. “I didn’t know him that well. He couldn’t hear so he really couldn’t talk he just made noises, strange noises.”

The neighbor said Farr did not live at the apartment complex but frequently visited a woman who did.

Paul said the man had showed up at her own door a couple of weeks ago with multiple stab wounds to his forehead, but she refused to open the door and instead called 911.

“All I saw was like 10 holes in his forehead and blood gushing out, you could barely see his face,” the neighbor said. “But I wouldn’t open my door, because I didn’t know if whoever did that was behind him, and I’m on oxygen, I can’t fight.”

Police did not offer any details about that previous incident or say whether it was connected to Farr’s shooting death.

Chase told police she stayed with a family friend after the shooting and went to a store the next morning, before returning home to pick up clothes for church.

She told police that she called 911 after seeing Farr’s body on the sidewalk outside her door. The video report posted online by WOAI-TV.

SOURCE - RAWSTORY

Florida Man Arrested In Shooting Of Deaf Man

Deaf News: A man suspected of shooting and injuring a Deaf man in Parramore last November has been arrested, police said.

ORLANDO, FLA -- Keith James, 20, was wanted for attempted murder in connection with the November 9 shooting.

Police said James has been evading authorities since the shooting but was arrested Thursday after detectives learned he was hiding out at his mother’s apartment. James was found hiding in one of the apartment’s bedrooms, police said.

According to police, James shot David Hayden, 25, who is Deaf and cannot speak. Hayden was found lying next to his porch on Randall Street, bleeding from the gunshot wound.

Investigators said James was riding his bike past Hayden's home when he opened fire, shooting Hayden on the right side of his body. Hayden was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment of his gunshot wound.

SOURCE - WESH-TV

Deaf Woman Choked By Homophobic Attacker

Deaf News: Deaf woman punched in face and strangled with her own tie by homophobic attacker in south London.

LONDON, UK -- A Deaf woman has told how she was punched in the face and strangled with her own tie by a homophobic attacker just a few yards from her home in south London.

Helena Martins, 43, who lost her hearing five years ago to Ménière's disease, was cornered by the man as she walked home through Tooting last night.

Moments before, she had removed her cochlea implant, which she relies on to hear, as she approached her house.

The man hit her in the eye and choked her with her polka dot tie, which she believes marked her out as gay, and her implant dropped on the floor. As she fought to protect herself, the man scratched her across her face and levelled more blows at her head.

Mrs Martins, who is trained in taekwondo, eventually managed to kick him in the crotch, prompting him to run away, before she picked up her implant and rushed into her house, where she lives with her wife of three years.

She was today recovering from a swollen eye, as well as cuts and bruises to her face.

Commenting on her ordeal, Mrs Martins, who moved to London from Portugal just over 12 years ago, told the Standard: "I am very shaken. I have no doubt that I was targeted because I was a woman wearing a tie. He was quite fixated on the tie. I am not butch but I wear masculine attire." ...Read The Full Story.

Deaf Customers Dodged Bullets, Tackled Gunman

WATCH [CC] - Deaf News: Customers who are Deaf dodged bullets, tackled gunman inside Ohio gas station.

PARMA -- Exclusive interview with customers after Parma Police say a 21-year-old man walked into a Sunoco gas station and fatally shot its owner during a robbery, the man turned to two customers who are Deaf.

“And when he pulled out that gun, I grabbed him, I grabbed him,” said Steve, Sr., a Parma resident who spoke through an interpreter. He and his son did want their last name used.

To activate this feature, press the "CC" button.

Steve, Sr. said the gunman, who police identify as Logan Sinclair, pointed his weapon at him.

“I grabbed the shooter, and I knocked him in the head,” he added. “I knocked him in the head with his own gun.”

But Sinclair wrestled the gun back and then made Steve's son the target at point blank range.

“[I was shot at] two times,” said Steve, Jr. “Right in my head, and I just kept ducking, and it went right past me.”

“It was just pop, pop, pop all over the place,” said Steve, Sr. “But you know what, I grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and the gun fell.”

They said that's when the suspect ran out of the Sunoco station on Pearl Road. The owner, Bob Sposit, lay there. His life was quickly slipping away.

“I was trying to feel the carotid artery to see if he was still breathing,” said Steve, Sr. “But I couldn't feel anything. There was nothing left. There was nothing.”

Steve, Sr. said he and Sposit were good friends for the past 15 years. He described Sposit as someone who was nice and funny.

Sinclair is in jail on $3 million bond. His case will go to a Cuyahoga County grand jury. Steve, Jr. and Steve, Sr. are uninjured.

SOURCE - WEWS NewsChannel5