A New York woman charged with caring for her elderly father has been convicted of starving him nearly to death, according to authorities.
Christine Jackson, 50, was found guilty of endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person or an incompetent or physically disabled person over her treatment of her 73-year-old father, Derek Henix. The Schenectady County District Attorney’s office said police were sent to check on Jackson’s home in Schenectady, New York, on March 25, 2025, and found Henix nearly naked in a bedroom, in what officials described as “deplorable” conditions.
He was rushed to the hospital, where staff discovered he weighed just 73 pounds.
While being treated, Henix told medical workers he was hungry and thirsty and said his daughter had been mistreating him. He said she fed him only fast food or pizza once a day, and that she had locked the refrigerator so he had no way to get food on his own.
Doctors diagnosed him with severe malnutrition and severe peripheral vascular disease, saying his body had been deprived of nutrients to the point it could no longer heal itself. He could not walk when he arrived at the hospital, and according to the DA’s office, medical staff feared he remained at serious risk of further health crises, including death.
Over the following year, Henix developed gangrene in his left foot, which led to the amputation of his leg. He died this past March, roughly a year after he was taken out of Jackson’s care.
The mistreatment wasn’t limited to his physical care. Jackson was also convicted on two counts of grand larceny for misusing money meant to cover her father’s medical needs and daily expenses. A review of her bank records showed she spent his Social Security payments at restaurants, convenience stores, retail shops, nail salons, and through Cash App transfers to herself and others.
Henix had previously lived in a skilled nursing facility in the Bronx before Jackson took over his care in June 2023. Medical staff had laid out a specific care plan, including a prescribed diet, but Henix started losing weight within just two months of moving in with her. After his weight fell from 145 pounds to 129, Jackson brought him to a doctor but, according to prosecutors, made no effort to follow the treatment recommendations he was given.
As his condition worsened and the pounds kept coming off, Jackson kept relatives from visiting him and refused to let Schenectady County Adult Protective Services step in to help.
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When investigators questioned Jackson after searching her home, she claimed the refrigerator lock was necessary because her father was “nasty.” She also told police he had stopped eating because he was “punishing himself.”
Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney called it a disturbing case of elder abuse and neglect, saying Henix was starved by his own daughter to the point where he lost half his body weight.
Jackson is set to be sentenced on Dec. 8.
