Legal action against Mobile care home after autistic man stomped to death
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Matthew Cox, 21, was allegedly stomped to death by a caregiver at a house run by the New Way Out Corp., a company that offers residential care facilities throughout Mobile. He had the mind of a 4-year-old child, according to family.
Mobile Police Department charged Trent Yates, 27, after Cox was rushed to hospital from a care home facility in West Mobile Saturday. Yates, who was granted a $200,000 bond during a hearing Tuesday morning, was initially charged with first degree assault before the charges were upgraded to murder after an autopsy showed that Cox had died from blunt force trauma.
Prosecutors believe that Cox was verbally and physically abused before his death. During Yates’s bond hearing, the Mobile District Attorney prosecutor said that Cox’s organs had been “severely damaged” in the attack.
A statement from Cox’s family released by Waite thanked the community for “its thoughts and prayers and expressions of love for Matthew.”
AL.com visited the home where Cox was killed, located on Colonial Drive North, according to publicly available court documents. The building stood out among others on the block. Blinds were fully shut, windows were extremely dirty. Tall fences at the side of the house were in disrepair, while household items such as a TV, what appeared to be a DVD player, and a pile of children’s cuddly toys were in the front yard. Several large dogs also roamed in the backyard.
No one responded at the door.
“At this time, we believe that our investigation will show a pattern of abuse leading up to Matthew’s death,” said Waite. “Group home administrators have a responsibility both to thoroughly background check their staff before allowing them to work with residents, and to promptly and thoroughly investigate and address any allegations of abuse, including turning evidence over to police when necessary.”
State business records also indicate that New Way Out allows subcontractors to run some of its group homes, an arrangement allowed by the Alabama Department of Mental Health.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
04 Nov 2018, 2:13 am
