Great-grandmother charged with attempted murder of disabled teen

A 69-year-old Florida woman has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after trying to kill her disabled great-granddaughter, claiming she was too much of a burden.

Key Takeaways:

• When family found a suicide note in Deborah Collier's home, they called authorities for a welfare check.

• When police located Collier's vehicle, 13-year-old Sophia Abbott — Collier's great-granddaughter — appeared to be asleep In the passenger seat. In reality, she had been drugged by Collier, who planned for them both to die.

• Collier was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, while Abbott was admitted to a hospital ICU.

The Details:

According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, Collier's family called the police after finding a suicide note in her home.

The typed note, according to court records, read simply, "CREAMATION NO URN JUST BOX NO CELEBRATION MY LIFE SUCKED." Police spotted Collier's car and pulled her over, where they found Collier with her 13-year-old great-granddaughter (though court records also say "grandchild"), Sophia Abbott, in the passenger seat.

Abbott reportedly sustained brain damage as a result of her mother's drug use during pregnancy. Collier and her husband had cared for Abbott since birth, as well as Abbott's 17-year-old sister, Nevaeh. Sophia Abbott has cerebral palsy, and Collier claimed Abbott became more difficult to care for as she grew, as the teen wore diapers and could not walk.

When deputies investigated, Collier told deputies the teen was sleeping. However, as they investigated further, they noticed some disturbing indications. Court records state, "Sophia had white pill residue and purge all over her and the surrounding areas of the vehicle, and Sophia also urinated on herself."

According to the report from the Sheriff's Office, the victim was breathing but was otherwise "totally unresponsive to stimulus."

Deputies radioed paramedics and began searching the vehicle to find whatever the teen may have been drugged with. They then found prescription pills and another typed suicide note in Collier's purse, which read:

"SORRY IT HAD TO BE THIS WAY BUT IT HAS TO BE DONE NO WAY CAN SHE GO TO A HOME MY FAMILY HAS GONE TO HELL SO SORRY FOR NEVAEH PLEASE KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB PLEASE GO TO COLLEGE BE ALL U CAN PLEASE FOR ME MIKE TAKE CARE OF HER MAYBE YOUR HEALTH WILL GET BETTER WITHOUT THE STRESS"

"Mike" appears to reference Collier's husband, Michael, who had recently begun having heart problems, which court documents say he blamed on both Collier and the 13-year-old victim.

Both Michael and Abbott's mother wanted her to be placed in an assisted living facility, but Collier refused, saying no one would care for her like family. Court records indicate that Collier told police, "I hope she doesn't ever have to live without me," and "nobody could handle or love her like I do."

They also state that, according to Collier, the teen has had multiple "violent outbursts" and has injured she and her husband, adding that it takes "everyone" to restrain the teen during these times because she is "overweight." Collier also told police that Michael often complained and was mean to her, but that she needed him because he helped her with Abbott and 17-year-old Nevaeh was resistant to helping.

Court records indicate that Collier claimed to not know what she administered to the teen, but believes it was four pills. According to those documents, "Initial reports suggested the presence of Amphetamines and Benzodiazepines, but further testing would be necessary to identify the specific intoxicants."

A Facebook post from the Volusia Sheriff's office stated that the teen is "in stable condition in an area hospital after deputies discovered she ingested pills Collier fed her to end her life." Many of the comments left beneath the post portray the Colliers in a sympathetic light, stating that they experienced a great deal of hardship in caring for the two girls due to their own age and frail health.

Why It Matters:

Collier is far from the only person to attempt a so-called "mercy killing" of a disabled family member; disturbingly, such a thing happens with alarming regularity. Culturally, many people tend to react sympathetically to the attempted killing of disabled persons, who are seen as burdens.

One of the most well-known examples is that of Robert Latimer. In the late 1990s, the Canadian father killed his daughter, Tracy, who had cerebral palsy. Latimer claimed Tracy was suffering, though she was described by her caregivers to be a cheerful, happy girl who loved “sleigh rides, television, games, parties, the circus, and pets.” She dressed up as a princess for Halloween, enjoyed Easter egg hunts, and went to sleepovers with friends. Despite this, Latimer claimed Tracy’s life was so full of misery that it wasn't worth living, even though the professionals who worked with her said otherwise. After killing his daughter, Latimer essentially received a slap on the wrist, and is seen by many as a hero in Canada for ending Tracy’s “suffering.” He is now free from jail and campaigns for the legalization of euthanasia for people like his daughter.

In another example, Robert Knight killed his elderly mother in December of 2018 by throwing her off a balcony, claiming he wanted to end her suffering. She had recently been diagnosed with dementia, and had come down with a viral illness when he killed her. He hoped she would die instantly, positioning her on the railing to land directly on her skull, but this failed; she was still alive for a time even after emergency personnel arrived. The judge refused to sentence Knight to any jail time, saying the premeditated murder was an "act of love and mercy."

There are countless more stories, with murder portrayed as the loving thing to do if the person in question has a disability. Much like the remarks left on the Sheriff's office Facebook post, comments beneath an article about Collier published by PEOPLE are sympathetic and excusatory of Collier's decision to kill her great-granddaughter rather than seek an assisted living arrangement for her (emphases added):

"Poor woman, she did it out of love, she wanted to free the child and herself from a tormenting situation. Hopefully she won't have to go to prison."

"I understand the desperation of this elderly grandmother, who is not in a position to be a 24/7 nurse for a child in that condition. They should seek help for the child, even though the cost of a home nurse is well known. I am so sorry for the family's situation. It's incredibly stressful."

"What a sad situation. At 69 it had to be incredibly difficult to give the child the care she needed. It's a shame that the grandparents had no one to help them. One can almost understand the actions grandma took. I hope the family gets the help they need and that grandma is not severely punished."

"I think grandma was trying to do what she thought would be best for everyone. She couldnt handle the situation at her age, she didnt want her granddaughter to go somewhere she wouldn't be cared for and loved properly and thought this was the best way for both of them. I dont think it was with ill intent to hurt the girl. Such a sad situation all around."

Collier appears to have convinced herself that only she could love Abbott, and no one else could. And to her, this meant that if she couldn't care for the teen, then they were both better off dead rather than in an alternative living arrangement.

The Bottom Line:

The world seems to believe that if a person has a disability and becomes a "burden" to others that it is acceptable to end their lives instead of seeking true, life-affirming help. Would they say the same about able-bodied individuals?