Wikipedia

Parricide

Parricide is the deliberate killing of one's own father and mother, spouse (husband or wife), children, and/or close relatives. However, the term is sometimes used more generally to refer to the intentional killing of a near relative.[1] It is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to acts of matricide, the deliberate killing of one's own mother[2] and patricide, the deliberate killing of one's own father.[3]

The term parricide is also used to refer to many familicides (i.e., family annihilations wherein at least one parent is murdered along with other family members).

Societies consider parricide a serious crime and parricide offenders are subject to criminal prosecution under the homicide laws which are established in places (i.e., countries, states, etc.) in which parricides occur. In most countries, an adult who is convicted of parricide faces a long-term prison sentence, a life sentence, or even capital punishment. Youthful parricide offenders who are younger than the age of majority (e.g., 18-year-olds in the United States & United Kingdom of Great Britain) may be prosecuted under less stringent laws which are designed to take their special needs and development into account, but these laws are usually waived and as a result, most youthful parricide offenders are transferred into the Adult Judicial System.[4]

Parricide offenders are typically divided into two categories;

  1. youthful parricide offenders (i.e. ages 8–24) and
  2. adult parricide offenders (i.e. ages 25 and older) because the motivations and situations surrounding parricide events change as a child matures.[5]

Prevalence

edit

As per the Parricide Prevention Institute, approximately 2–3% of all U.S. murders were parricides each year since 2010.[6] The more than 300 parricides occurring in just the U.S. each year means there are 6 or more parricide events, on average, each week. This estimate does not include the murders of grandparents or stepparents by a child – only the murders of their natal or legally adoptive parents.[5]

Youthful motives

edit

Youthful parricide is motivated by a variety of factors. Current research conducted by the Parricide Prevention Institute indicates the top five motives causing a child (aged 8–24 years old) to commit parricide are:[6]

  • issues of control – 38% (e.g. put on restriction, phone taken away, etc.);
  • issues of money – 10% (access to life insurance, wants money for a party, etc.);
  • stop abuse of self or family – 8%;
  • fit of anger – 8%;
  • wants a different life – 7% (e.g. wants to live with non-custodial parent, etc.).

Notable modern-day cases

edit

Notable historical cases

edit
edit

In the sixth-century AD collection of earlier juristical sayings, the Digest, a precise enumeration of the victims' possible relations to the parricide is given by the 3rd century AD lawyer Modestinus:

By the lex Pompeia on parricides it is laid down that if anyone kills his father, his mother, his grandfather, his grandmother, his brother, his sister, first cousin on his father's side, first cousin on his mother's side, paternal or maternal uncle, paternal (or maternal) aunt, first cousin (male or female) by mother's sister, wife, husband, father-in-law, son-in-law, mother-in-law, (daughter-in-law), stepfather, stepson, stepdaughter, patron, or patroness, or with malicious intent brings this about, shall be liable to the same penalty as that of the lex Cornelia on murderers. And a mother who kills her son or daughter suffers the penalty of the same statute, as does a grandfather who kills a grandson; and in addition, a person who buys poison to give to his father, even though he is unable to administer it.[12]

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Parricide Law and Legal Definition". USLegal. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  2. ^ "matricide". Dictionary.com.
  3. ^ "patricide". Definition of PATRICIDE. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. 2024-07-25.
  4. ^ "Juvenile Delinquents and Federal Criminal Law: The Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act and Related Matters".
  5. ^ a b Thompson, S. A.; Thompson, B. (2019). "Youthful parricide: child abuse is not the primary motivator (invited paper)". Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice. 5 (4): 253–263. doi:10.1108/JCRPP-12-2018-0048. S2CID 187896024. -- MERGE -- Thompson, S. A.; Thompson, B. (2019). "Youthful parricide: child abuse is not the primary motivator (invited paper)". Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice. 5 (4): 253–263. doi:10.1108/JCRPP-12-2018-0048. S2CID 187896024.
  6. ^ a b "The Youthful Parricide Offender a$$". Parricide Prevention. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  7. ^ Landrigan, Kevin (2020-06-10). "Council rejects bid to commute murderer's sentence". New Hampshire Union Leader.
  8. ^ "Siyanür felaketinin dehşete düşüren ayrıntıları! 'Yeni bir şerbet yaptım, bir tadın' diyerek içirmiş". Hürriyet Daily News (in Turkish). 15 May 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  9. ^ "An inside look at the Chandler Halderson case". CBS News. 2023-08-05.
  10. ^ "Arrested 19-yr-old son admits to fatally stabbing parents in southwest Japan". Mainichi Daily News. 10 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-03-10.
  11. ^ "19-year-old man arrested over murder of parents in Saga". Japan Today. 2023-03-10. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30.
  12. ^ Watson, Alan, ed. (1998). The Digest of Justinian, Volume 4, Book 48. Translated by Robinson, Olivia. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-8122-2036-0.
edit
 
Look up parricide in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Parricide&oldid=1257913889"