"New stories about parents who kill their children continue to mesmerize shock and terrify the community each time they are reported. Although filicide (child murder) is uncommon, its a leading cause of child death in developed countries. Compared to other developed nations, the United States has the highest rate of child homicide. When a child is murdered, the perpetrators are most likely one of the childs parents."
"In the United States, women commit two crimes as frequently as men. The first is shoplifting. The second is the murder of their children. Women, who commit 13% of all violent crimes, kill their children at the same rate as men. Annually, more than 200 women will take the life of their child or children."
"The Mentally Ill & Altruistic Filicide
Altruistic filicide is the murder of a child committed out of love. It is seen as a rational act by the parent, primarily the mother. Altruistic mothers are invested in being good mothers, but, because of delusional perception, believe that by killing their children, theyre saving them from some awful fate or suffering. These mothers are frequently suicidal, are afraid of what will happen to the child or children after their intended suicide. The fact that they kill out of love is the most important feature that distinguishes this type of filicide from all other homicides.
Twenty-one percent of all filicides are committed by parents during a period of severe mental illness or during a psychotic episode. These mothers are older (late 20s, early 30s) frequently married, and have less psychosocial stressors than mothers who kill in the context of fatal child abuse. They also kill older children. They frequently have had a significant history of mental illness: bipolar disorder, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, melancholia, manic depressive disorders and personality disorders. "
"Parents frequently do not plan on killing the child, and there is a sense of intense passion during the act. Children were more likely to be drowned, shaken, beaten, poisoned, stabbed or suffocated. Women usually kill children in a method that involves close and active physical contact with the child, such as shaking, manual battering, suffocation or drowning."
"Filicide & the Legal Process
Juries are generally more lenient with female filicide offenders than males. The jury may have a hard time placing an accused mother in the common perception of a murderer. Or they may feel that the guilt and shame she has experienced has been punishment enough."
(Grand jury ???)
http://www.lawofficer.com/news-and-articles/columns/Kulbarsh/filicide.html
"In the United States, women commit two crimes as frequently as men. The first is shoplifting. The second is the murder of their children. Women, who commit 13% of all violent crimes, kill their children at the same rate as men. Annually, more than 200 women will take the life of their child or children."
"The Mentally Ill & Altruistic Filicide
Altruistic filicide is the murder of a child committed out of love. It is seen as a rational act by the parent, primarily the mother. Altruistic mothers are invested in being good mothers, but, because of delusional perception, believe that by killing their children, theyre saving them from some awful fate or suffering. These mothers are frequently suicidal, are afraid of what will happen to the child or children after their intended suicide. The fact that they kill out of love is the most important feature that distinguishes this type of filicide from all other homicides.
Twenty-one percent of all filicides are committed by parents during a period of severe mental illness or during a psychotic episode. These mothers are older (late 20s, early 30s) frequently married, and have less psychosocial stressors than mothers who kill in the context of fatal child abuse. They also kill older children. They frequently have had a significant history of mental illness: bipolar disorder, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, melancholia, manic depressive disorders and personality disorders. "
"Parents frequently do not plan on killing the child, and there is a sense of intense passion during the act. Children were more likely to be drowned, shaken, beaten, poisoned, stabbed or suffocated. Women usually kill children in a method that involves close and active physical contact with the child, such as shaking, manual battering, suffocation or drowning."
"Filicide & the Legal Process
Juries are generally more lenient with female filicide offenders than males. The jury may have a hard time placing an accused mother in the common perception of a murderer. Or they may feel that the guilt and shame she has experienced has been punishment enough."
(Grand jury ???)
http://www.lawofficer.com/news-and-articles/columns/Kulbarsh/filicide.html