GUILTY IL - Alex Spourdalakis, 14, austistic, killed by mom & caregiver, 9 June 2013

TheDuchess

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http://pioneerlocal.suntimes.com/20...nd-stabbed-in-bed-2-women-semi-conscious.html

"A 14-year-old “severely autistic” River Grove boy was found stabbed to death inside the family’s locked apartment — while the teen’s mother and a female caretaker also were located “semi-conscious” inside the home, police said Monday.

Alex Spourdalakis had suffered “numerous stab wounds” in the chest, River Grove Police Chief Rodger Loni said. The youth was discovered Sunday afternoon lying in his bed in the second-floor apartment located above a business on Grand Avenue.

Neither of the women found inside had been stabbed, but were semi-conscious and unable to communicate with police, he said."

Not sure what to think other than perhaps a murder-double-attempted-suicide? Sounds like perhaps the women couldn't handle the boy any longer and killed him and then tried to kill themselves with some kind of an overdose or something? The stabbing is what really makes me wonder. I could at least sort of "understand" if they would have given the boy and overdose in a "mercy killing" type of situation, but certainly not stabbing him to death.

This story makes no sense to me. I've got some people on the inside of these things, so to speak, so I will try to keep this updated.

RIP Alex
 
How terrible :( The poor boy. I feel so sorry for him.

Does "locked apartment" mean locked from the inside or could it also mean someone locked them in after stabbing the boy and possibly drugging the women?
 
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/2...autistic-son-left-him-to-suffer#ixzz2N0Vba0za

Wow...finding out a lot more about the controversy surround this case. I expect this case to have a major impact on the autism and special needs community as well as the mental health community overall. Why aren't we able to properly care for these children???

From the article:

Claims of neglect and mistreatment by one mother Friday night who says a local hospital restrained her son and left him to suffer, all because he is special needs.

The hospital is Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

The patient is a 14-year-old autistic boy whose mother claims his needs are not being heard.

"They're treating the behaviors with meds, but they don't know what causes the behaviors, they refuse to give him the medical care he needs," says Dorothy Spourdalakis, the boys mother.

Spourdalakis is exhausted and frustrated with how her special needs son Alex has been treated at Loyola University Medical Center.

"He has severe autism and he's non-verbal. They also have him labeled as cognitively impaired," Spourdalakis said.

He's being restrained as his mother says - he acts aggressively during what she says are bouts of vomiting and diarrhea.

"He's been in restraints for so many days that when they take him out of restraints, he actually wants to be put back. Because he's been conditioned to think that it's ok," Spourdalakis said.

In a statement, Loyola says due to HIPAA Privacy Rules, they cannot comment on Alex without written consent from his parent or guardian but said their "highest priorities are providing for the clinical needs of our patients and ensuring the safety of our patients and staff."

His mother says all she wants is for her son to have tests done to find out why he's having gastrointestinal problems. Instead she says he's being provided with medications to only keep him calm.

"I was told and I quote, 'we have to heal the mind first and then the mind is going to heal the body,'" Spourdalakis said. "Nobody will do the necessary tests to find out what's really wrong."


Read more: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/2...autistic-son-left-him-to-suffer#ixzz2VpyoJl9q
 
In this country that young man couldn't even get an organ transplant.
It doesn't surprise me at all that they didn't take the time to find out what was wrong.
Why should they? "The patient doesn't know the difference anyway." :furious:
 
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-942306

This story has a letter from the mom to their supporters. Apparently, Alex was finally going to be getting the care that he desperately needed back in March. I have no idea what happened between then and now. The more I read, the more heartbreaking this story is. When I first learned of the story, I thought-druggie mom and druggie friend killed the child or something to that effect. I had no idea the lengths this mother went through to try and help her son.

What in the world happened inside that apartment? Did the child get violent and he was killed by one of the women in self-defense and they tried to kill themselves afterwards? I just can't comprehend this. Like I said, I can almost see a loving mother euthanizing her son, if she felt that he would be taken away and put back into that hospital again and kept like an animal. But I can't imagine a loving mother choosing stabbing as a choice. I hope that the women regain consciousness or have left some kind of a note.

O/T - Without going into too much detail, this particular hospital killed my 40 year old brother, who coincidentally, left behind a wife, a daughter, and a 7 year old autistic son.

I have absolutely no sympathy for this place whatsoever. It is a house of horrors, in my opinion, and all of my loved ones have been informed to NEVER send me to that place no matter how urgently I need care.
 
How terrible :( The poor boy. I feel so sorry for him.

Does "locked apartment" mean locked from the inside or could it also mean someone locked them in after stabbing the boy and possibly drugging the women?

According to the story, the apartment was locked from the inside. When family members couldn't reach them, they tried getting into the apartment, but it was locked. They then called police who managed to get inside the apartment and found the boy's body and the 2 women unconscious inside.
 
But is it a lock that you COULD lock from the inside and then shut the door and leave?
Or is it like a chain lock that could ONLY be locked from the inside, the person who locked it remaining inside?
 
But is it a lock that you COULD lock from the inside and then shut the door and leave?
Or is it like a chain lock that could ONLY be locked from the inside, the person who locked it remaining inside?

Oohhh....that is an excellent question! Let me see what I can find out...

ETA- The article does state that police is not looking for any suspects at this time. I think they must feel this was an inside job.

A friend of mine is a retired cop and his friend was actually at the murder scene-so let me see what I can find out through the grapevine, if anything.
 
But is it a lock that you COULD lock from the inside and then shut the door and leave?
Or is it like a chain lock that could ONLY be locked from the inside, the person who locked it remaining inside?

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/06/10/body-with-signs-of-trauma-found-in-river-grove/

Police said the doors to the apartment were locked, and there were no signs of forced entry. Police also said in a news release that the stabbing “appears to be domestic in nature.”
 
Could the boy have stabbed himself? I have known autistic children that will beat their head against an object, and I believe that they would have knocked themselves out or damaged themselves enough to die if someone hadn't intervened. And the mother and caretaker so distraught they tried to kill themselves?
 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Alex-Spourdalakis/518171291562082

A better and seemingly even more urgent FB support site for Alex and his mother.

From the FB page:

Save Alex Spourdalakis
about an hour ago via mobile
June 11, 2013 (RIVER GROVE, Ill.) (WLS) -- First degree murder charges have been filed against Dorothy Spourdalakis, the mother of a teen with severe autism found stabbed to death in west suburban River Grove.

Prosecutors also charged Jolanta Agatha Skrodzka with first degree murder. She is described by those who know the family as the teen's godmother and constant caregiver.

Police say the child's mother has given them a statement about her involvement. She and the boy's godmother were found drugged and unconscious near the boy.

more at above link
 
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9135553

Here is a bit more information on the charges of the 2 women and a bit more background. This is a local story for me, so it really hits home.

I am just so torn about what to think. I want to have sympathy for the women on the one hand, but on the other hand, they stabbed the poor boy to death! I am just beside myself at why they chose this particular method??? Why not give him drugs, or poison? Something less violent. Apparently, they did attempt suicide, but failed. I truly do believe these women felt they were going to die-and are likely very disappointed to be still alive and now facing trial and life in prison.

This whole story is just so terribly sad.
 
I can't imagine stabbing him was premeditated? Maybe things have gotten out of hand. If it was premeditated, I would have thought, as others have, that a more 'humane' and less painful method would have been used, like overdose.

I haven't read enough on this case yet, but if he had episodes where he was out of control, maybe the stabbing was in self defense. I know of families where they are living in fear of their autistic children (even though they love them very much) because they seem to have superhuman strength when upset.

So heartbreaking.
 
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9135553

Here is a bit more information on the charges of the 2 women and a bit more background. This is a local story for me, so it really hits home.

I am just so torn about what to think. I want to have sympathy for the women on the one hand, but on the other hand, they stabbed the poor boy to death! I am just beside myself at why they chose this particular method??? Why not give him drugs, or poison? Something less violent. Apparently, they did attempt suicide, but failed. I truly do believe these women felt they were going to die-and are likely very disappointed to be still alive and now facing trial and life in prison.

This whole story is just so terribly sad.
I can only think that since he was autistic and quite possibly still in pain from his gastrointestinal problems, he would not have taken/drank enough of any toxic substance to kill him. (they may have tried and it didn't work). He was a good size young man, so they probably could not hold him down to smother him (I am sorry for the graphics). Stabbing may have been their only recourse. In my mind, both women had fought for so long and were done. Going to commit suicide. Who would take care of Alex?

I cannot condemn people who are at the end of their rope, as I believe at that point, they are no longer completely sane. In my opinion, when it makes sense to kill your child and then yourself, your mind is no longer working correctly.
 
Reading from this article http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-942306
it sounds like this poor child & his family were being denied even the most basic of medical rights & if true that hospital needs to be looked at ASAP, preferably with a SWAT mentality so that records cannot be gotten rid of :maddening:

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-942306

Alex remained in locked restraints to all four of his limbs for in excess of 20 consecutive days, including the days he previously spent at Gottlieb held in an ER bay for approximately 14 of those days, unable to be admitted into a room.

Not one professional that specializes in autism had examined him.

Alex was kept in locked restraints without any written plan to work towards release. Alex was denied medical care and intervention by this facility that he was specifically transferred there to receive.

Alex's mother had been denied a list of physicians in charge of his care.

His mother had been denied a list of medications that are ordered for her child.
 
Sad. Sounds that he was difficult to care for and they couldn't handle it.
 
I can't imagine stabbing him was premeditated? Maybe things have gotten out of hand. If it was premeditated, I would have thought, as others have, that a more 'humane' and less painful method would have been used, like overdose.

I haven't read enough on this case yet, but if he had episodes where he was out of control, maybe the stabbing was in self defense. I know of families where they are living in fear of their autistic children (even though they love them very much) because they seem to have superhuman strength when upset.

So heartbreaking.

I presume premeditated, since they left a long note explaining their actions.
 

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