Seven year old Chandler Grafner starved to death at the hands of his guardian, Jon Phillips. In a case described as “horrific,” Phillips locked Chandler in a dark linen closet where he died of starvation and dehydration, surrounded by his own excrement and screaming for something to eat and drink. Phillips, the father of Chandler’s half brother, Dominic, had developed an intense dislike for Chandler and withdrew him from public school to homeschool him after teachers began to suspect that he was being abused.

Date: May 6, 2007
Location: Denver, Colorado