8 - Parricide - Summary Homicide SFW PDF

Preview

Summary

Shearer...

Description

Parricide Parricide Defined 

  

  

Parricide – when an offspring kills his/her parent o Technically means the killing of a close relative, but has been used to describe the killing of one or both parents over the past 30 years Patricide – the murder of one’s father; matricide – the murder of one’s mother Multicide – homicides involving multiple victims; familicide – mass murder of family members The media disproportionately focus on the most disturbing cases of parricide (those committed by children and adolescents, those perpetrated by females, and those involving multiple victims) Homicide – the killing of another person which may be justified; murder – the unlawful taking of a human life APO = adolescent parricide offenders Murders of parents are rare in the USA and in other countries o Killings of parents account for 2%-3% of all US homicides in which the victimoffender relationship is known o 2%-3% of all homicides and attempted homicides in France o Less than 4% of homicides in Canada

Age and Parricide 

 

 

Parricide offenders can be young children, adolescents, or adults o 17 and under – juveniles (young children and adolescents) o 18 and older – adults Adolescence – a developmental phase marked by psychological and physiological changes o Typically starts by age 12 and extends to age 19 or 20 Children 6 years of age and under who kill their parents are not prosecuted in any jurisdiction in the USA; in practice, even those up to ages 10 or 11 are rarely held fully accountable for their actions when parents are the victims o More likely to be referred to mental health or social services systems, because (a) young children do not fully understand the concept of death and (b) they usually have significant mental health issues Older juveniles are typically charged when they kill parents, and are likely to be prosecuted in adult court APOS differ from adult offspring who murder their parents in several important ways: o Juveniles who live in unfavourable home conditions have fewer alternatives than adults o Even if they did have realistic alternatives, they are less apt to see them o Adults have more maturity, life experience, resources, and legal freedoms o Adults who kill their parents tend to have more serious pathology than adolescents

Methodological Issues in Research on Parricide 







 

 



Many articles and studies combine cases of matricide and patricide and present findings primarily in terms of parents killed by their children o This risks obscuring differences that may exist between the two victim groups (which do exist according to previous research) Some researchers have combined cases in which both parents were killed and cases in which a single parent was killed – the inclusion of double parricide cases is unwise o The dynamics and motivations differ between these two types of cases (e.g., double parricides are typically perpetrated by sons) Some parricide studies have included cases in which other relatives were killed provided that at least one parent was among the victims killed o Dynamics involved in multicides/familicides are not the same as those involved in single victim murders Some studies include cases of attempted parricide cases along with completed parricide cases in their samples o This is understandable, since the dynamics and motivations would remain the same o Some caution is warranted, because there are some differences Some studies include step-parents in samples of parents slain, which involves some risk since the motivational dynamics may be different Some studies have included adopted and biological children in their samples of parricide offenders, which is questionable o Adoptees who kill their adopted parents tend to have different motivations than those who kill their biological parents Many studies combine both female and male offenders in their analyses – this is usually done to create a larger sample size, but it risks obscuring gender differences Some studies include both juvenile and adult offenders – research that does not control for offender age is problematic o Important differences in weapons used by juveniles and adults o Often different motivations between the two groups Some studies utilize samples of hospitalized parricide offenders – it is unknown how generalizable the findings of these studies are

Juvenile and Adult Parricide Offenders    



The typical matricide victim is in her late 50s, while the typical patricide victim is in his early 50s Parents slain tend to be white (75% of mothers and 68% of fathers) 84% of mothers and 87% of fathers were killed by male offspring The majority of parricide offenders were adult children (juveniles under 18 were the killers in about 25% of patricide cases and about 14% of matricide cases) o When the killer age is upped to 19 years and younger, they account for 36% of patricide cases and 25% of matricide cases o There is no evidence that juvenile involvement in killing parents has increased since the 1970s (although media coverage has risen dramatically) Fathers were significantly more likely to be killed by firearms (63%) than mothers (42%)



Juveniles were more likely than adults to use firearms to kill fathers (80% vs. 57%) and mothers (62% vs. 38%) o This increases the likelihood that they will be able to successfully overpower their parents

A Typology of Parricide 

 

There are three types of parricide offenders (based on the dynamics that propel an individual to kill their parents): o The severely abused child o The severely mentally ill child o The dangerously antisocial child The severely abused child and the dangerously antisocial child are predominant among adolescents The severely mentally ill child and the dangerously antisocial child are predominant among adults

Severely Abused Child        

Most common among adolescent parricide offenders They kill the abusive parent in terror or desperation because they see no other way to protect themselves or others These APOs tend to suffer from PTSD and depression (although these disorders are not diagnosed in all cases) These youths are raised in violent homes where parental brutality and cruelty towards the children and often the spouses are common These youths are not successful in getting help from others or escaping the family situation by running away or attempting suicide Over time, these adolescents experience the home environment as increasingly intolerant and feel more hopeless and trapped; their inability to cope sometimes leads to a loss of control These youths are not criminally sophisticated, guns are typically easily available in their homes, and the victims typically have histories of substance abuse/dependence The APOs and their families often feel initially relieved that their parents were dead, and often, the APO feels no remorse

Severely Mentally Ill Child      

Typically suffer from a long-standing serious mental illness (e.g., psychosis), frequently are on psychotropic medication, and may have spent time in a psychiatric facility The parricide is a direct result of their mental illness May have delusions or hallucinations, sometimes related to God/Satan telling them what to do Often occur when they stop taking medication that controls their psychotic symptoms The likelihood of severe pathology is particularly strong when multiple family members are killed and extreme violence is used Prosecution can be delayed/unpursued because the individual cannot be restored to competency (an ability to understand the nature of his/her charges)

o In these cases, they are committed to mental hospitals Dangerously Antisocial Child      

Found among both adolescent and adult parricide offenders They kill a parent for a selfish reason (i.e., the parent is an obstacle in the course of getting what they want) They typically have a long history of criminal and antisocial behaviour If they are juvenile, they are likely to receive a Conduct Disorder diagnosis; if they are an adult, they are likely to receive an Antisocial Personality Disorder diagnosis Often have established a pattern of violating the rights of others Some would meet the criteria of a psychopath

The Prosecution and Defence of APOs 

 





 

Juvenile parricide offenders aged 12 and older are typically prosecuted in adult court where they face long sentences, and until 2005 in the USA, be sentenced to death o Usually charged with 1st or 2nd degree murder For 1st degree, the State must prove either that the offender premeditated the crime, or that the parent died during the commission of another felony Defence lawyers typically investigate two avenues of defence, both of which will excuse the defendant of criminal liability if successfully litigated (which is rare): o Was the APO legally insane under the existing state statute? o Was the youth acting in self-defence when he or she committed the homicide? The conditions necessary to meet the requirements of self-defence or insanity are often not present o Self-defence requires that the person believed that they faced imminent injury or death if they did not commit the murder Battered Child Syndrome is not widely recognized in case law or state statutes, despite the vulnerability of abused children; this is because: o There is a lack of information available on the most suitable cases o Low incidence of parricide, and an absence of a significant lobby group o The existence of this defence may lead to more parricides Severely abused children who commit parricide often are convicted of a lesser charge (e.g., 2nd degree or manslaughter) Juveniles who commit parricide have been sentenced to life without parole and to death in the past

Need for Further Research 



Studies that control for offender age/gender are necessary to understand parricide even more (particularly in the case of female offenders since very little about them is known) Very little is available in terms of follow-up data on adolescent parricide offenders (we must find out how effective treatment of juveniles is)...