MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Three caregivers are in jail charged in connection to the murder of a Memphis man.
Sharon Fleming, Brandon Carter, and Kanisha Harris were all charged for various crimes relating to the death of John Bulmanski.
Fleming and Carter are charged with first degree murder during the perpetration of aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult. Harris is charged with facilitation of first murder in relation to this incident.
Investigators said they were his caregivers during his time at RHA Health Services in Cordova. They said last June, Bulmanski was critically hurt during a transport, but no one said anything.
Bulmanski was taken to the hospital the next day, where they learned he had a broken neck.
Bulmanski died in April, 10 months later from complications due to those injuries.
Bulmanski’s family has filed a lawsuit. You can read it below.
“Far too often, the abuser is the caregiver,” Amy Weirich, the Shelby County District Attorney, said.
Weirich said this kind of abuse is unfortunately a growing problem. It has become more complicated due to the pandemic. So she said it is even more important for people to speak up if they suspect a vulnerable adult is being abused in anyway.
“Because of the pandemic we have less eyes on our vulnerable adults, and we really have to appeal to the common decency of all of our citizens,” Weirich said.
It is why Shelby County uses a vulnerable adult protective investigation team or vapit to look into all reports of abuse.
“They are some of our most valuable and vulnerable citizens in our community,” Weirich said. “In those cases where it’s too late and a death has occurred, we’ve got to do everything we can to make sure that person never harms another citizen.”
