A mother in Philadelphia was arrested and charged with murder in the 2018 death of her 32-year-old quadriplegic daughter.
Yelena Nezhikhovskaya, 63, was charged with false reporting, drug delivery resulting in death, and third-degree murder resulting in the death of her daughter, Yulia, who was almost completely paralyzed and also suffered from cerebral palsy. Yulia died in December of last year, and medical examiners initially reported that her death was the result of a complication with her illness.
This week, however, the ruling was changed to homicide by lethal drug intoxication, said to be a combination of alcohol and medication. Neighbors said that Yulia also suffered from mental disabilities and could often be heard yelling from their Philadelphia home.
“I could hear noise, but the woman was disabled and mentally disabled as well, so she would sometimes yell when she wasn’t happy,” neighbor Lauren Andrews said. “I’ve met that woman a million times,” Andrews said of Nezhikhovskaya. “She was very nice to me, I’m shocked.”
“It is terrible, and you would hope that anybody in those situations would reach out for help,” said Christine Coulter, acting Philadelphia police commissioner. “I know that there’s probably a very great task of caring for someone who’s a quadriplegic, but there is help available.” Nezhikhovskaya is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 4.
