Filicide

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Painting by Peter Paul Rubens of Cronus devouring one of his children Rubens saturn.jpg
Painting by Peter Paul Rubens of Cronus devouring one of his children

Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child. The word filicide is derived from the Latin words filius and filia ('son' and 'daughter') and the suffix -cide, from the word caedere meaning 'to kill'. The word can refer to both the crime and perpetrator of the crime.

Contents

Statistics

A 1999 U.S. Department of Justice study concluded that mothers were responsible for a higher share of children killed during infancy between 1976 and 1997 in the United States, while fathers were more likely to have been responsible for the murders of children aged eight or older. [1] Parents were responsible for 61% of child murders under the age of five. [2] Sometimes, there is a combination of murder and suicide in filicide cases. On average, according to FBI statistics, 450 children are murdered by their parents each year in the United States. [3]

An in-depth longitudinal study of 297 cases convicted of filicide and 45 of filicide-suicide in the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2006 showed that 37% of the perpetrators had a recorded mental illness at the time. The most common diagnoses were mood disorders and personality disorders rather than psychosis, but the latter accounted for 15% of cases. However – similar to findings in a large Danish study – the majority had not had contact with mental health services prior to the murders, and few had received treatment. Female perpetrators were more likely to have given birth as teenagers. Fathers were more likely to have been convicted of violent offences and have a history of substance misuse, and were more likely to kill multiple victims. Infants were more likely to be victims than older children, and a link to post-partum depression was suggested. [4]

Types of filicide

Dr. Phillip Resnick published research on filicide in 1969 and stated that there were five main motives for filicide, including "altruistic", "fatal maltreatment", "unwanted child", "acutely psychotic" and "spousal revenge". [5] "Altruistic" killings occur because the parent believes that the world is too cruel for the child, or because the child is enduring suffering (whether this is actually occurring or not). In fatal maltreatment killings, the goal is not always to kill the child, but death may occur anyway, and Munchausen syndrome by proxy is in that category. Spousal revenge killings are killings of children done to indirectly harm a domestic partner; they do not frequently occur. [5] Glen Carruthers, author of "Making sense of spousal revenge filicide", argued that those who engage in spousal revenge killings see their own children as objects. [6]

Children at risk

In 2013, in the United States, homicide was in the top five causes of deaths of children, and in the top three causes of death in children between 1 and 4 years old. [7] A direct correlation has been identified between child abuse rates and child homicide rates. Research suggests that children murdered by their parents were physically abused by them prior to their death. [8]

In South Asia and the Middle East, many homicide cases were due to parents killing their children after being accused of violating the family's reputation; daughters were most likely to be murdered in these killings. [9]

Notable examples

Victim(s)Perpetrator(s)Relation of parent to child(ren)DateLocationNotes
Jephthah's daughter (sometimes Seila or Iphis) Jephthah FatherUnknown Ancient Israel Jephthah is a biblical figure who is described in Judges 11 as inadvertently promising to sacrifice his daughter to Yahweh, which he does with her encouragement. [10]
Titus and Tiberius Junius Brutus Lucius Junius Brutus Father509 BC Roman Republic Lucius Junius Brutus, who is usually credited with overthrowing the final King of Rome Lucius Tarquinius Superbus and establishing the Roman Republic, executed his sons Titus and Tiberius when they were implicated in a plot to restore the monarchy. [11] [12]
Son of Aulus Postumius Tubertus Aulus Postumius TubertusFather431 BCRoman RepublicThere is a story that Aulus Postumius Tubertus, who served as dictator in the year 431 BC, had his son put to death when he abandoned a post assigned to him in order to attack the enemy. The account is doubted by Roman historian Livy, due to similarities to stories about the family of Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus (see below). [13]
Son of Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus Titus Manlius Imperiosus TorquatusFather340 BC Latium, Italian Peninsula, Roman RepublicDuring the Latin War, Roman consul Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus executed his own son after he left his post in order to attack a group of Latins, leading to a reputation in his family for extreme discipline. [14]
Decimus Junius Silanus Manlianus Titus Manlius Torquatus Father140 BCRoman RepublicWhile serving as Praetor in Macedonia, Decimus Junius Silanus Manlianus was accused of corruption by Macedonian envoys. His father Titus Manlius Torquatus, a senior Senator, was granted permission to privately try his son in his home. Despite knowing that the family code of honour would compel his son to commit suicide, Titus sentenced his son to banishment from his sight, causing Manlianus to take his own life. His severity was supposedly inspired by his descendance from the equally severe Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus (see above). [15] [16]
Son of Quintus Fabius Maximus Eburnus Quintus Fabius Maximus EburnusFatherc. 116 BCRoman Republic Quintus Fabius Maximus Eburnus, consul in 116 BC, condemned one of his sons to death for "immorality". [17]
Jin Nong'er Jin Midi Father121-87 BC Western Han Empire Jin Midi killed his own son Nong'er after the latter entered the imperial harem. This cemented the respect Jin Midi, by descent a Xiongnu prince, already had from Emperor Wu of Han; later Jin ascended to the rank of general of chariots and cavalry. [18]
Alexander I and Aristobulus IV Herod the Great Father7 BC Herodian Kingdom of Judea According to Josephus, King Herod of Judea had his sons Alexander and Aristobulus strangled because he feared they would usurp him.
Claudia Livia (Livilla) Antonia Minor Mother31 Roman Empire Livilla, along with her lover Sejanus, was accused of poisoning Drusus Julius Caesar, the son of Emperor Tiberius. According to historian Cassius Dio, Tiberius placed Livilla in the custody of her mother Antonia, who locked her up in a room where she was starved to death. [19]
Aulus Vitellius Petronianus Vitellius Father69Roman Empire Suetonius wrote that Vitellius was widely believed to have murdered his son in order to inherit the fortune of the boy's maternal grandparents. In this account, Vitellius claimed that his son had attempted parricide beforehand and killed himself out of shame. [20]
Children of Liu Chen (Shu Han) Liu Chen (Shu Han)FatherDecember 263 Shu Han, Ancient China It is recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms that Liu Chen killed himself and his family after the surrender of his father led to the fall of the Shu Han empire. [21]
Crispus Constantine the Great Father326 Pula, Istria, Roman EmpireFor unclear reasons, Crispus was sentenced to death by his father Emperor Constantine the Great in 326 AD. [22] [23]
Constantine VI Irene of Athens Motherc. 797 (before 805) Byzantine Empire Irene of Athens organised a conspiracy to have her son Constantine VI eliminated so she could become sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire. On 19 August 797, her supporters gouged out his eyes and had him imprisoned. He died sometime before 805, possibly as a result of his injuries. [24]
Savcı Bey Murad I Fatherc. 1373 Ottoman Empire Convinced by Andronikos IV Palaiologos, son of John V Palaiologos, Savcı Bey rebelled against his father Murad I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, in an attempt to seize power. He was unsuccessful and his father had him executed. [25] [26]
CristobalAcxotécatlFather1527 Tlaxcala, New Spain After Cristobal converted from the indigenous religion of his family to Catholicism, he started to destroy religious icons in his family home. This provoked his father Acxotécatl to viciously beat him – in an attempt to make him renounce his new faith – before he burnt his son to death over a fire. He is one of the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala. [27] [28]
Şehzade Mustafa Suleiman the Magnificent Father6 October 1553 Ereğli, Ottoman EmpireSuleiman I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, ordered the death of his son Şehzade Mustafa after mistakenly believing that he was conspiring against him. The responsibility for this is usually placed on Rüstem Pasha. [29] [30]
Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich Ivan the Terrible Father19 November 1581 Alexandrov Kremlin, Tsardom of Russia Although exact details are unconfirmed, it is believed that Ivan Ivanovich confronted his father Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich (Ivan the Terrible) after his pregnant wife Yelena Sheremeteva was physically assaulted by him, which possibly caused her to subsequently miscarry. The confrontation led to an argument, during which Tsar Ivan became enraged and hit his son over the head with a sceptre, an injury which he died from a few days later. [31] [32] [33] Tsar Ivan felt great regret following the act, and his grief is famously depicted in Ilya Repin's painting, Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan .
Mohammad Baqer Mirza Abbas the Great Father1615 Rasht, Safavid Iran After starting to believe that his son Mohammad Baqer Mirza was planning to overthrow him, Abbas the Great ordered Behbud Khan Cherkes to murder him in a hammam in the city of Resht. He immediately regretted the decision and was plunged into despair. [34] [35]
Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia Peter the Great Father26 June 1718 Petropavlovskaya fortress, Empire of Russia Alexei was suspected of being involved in a plot to overthrow his father, Tsar Peter I of Russia, who had him tortured into making a confession – possibly taking part personally. Alexei was convicted and sentenced to death, but died of his injuries before the execution could be carried out, most likely due to him having received over forty lashes with a knout. [36] [37]

See also

Related Research Articles

Infanticide is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose being the prevention of resources being spent on weak or disabled offspring. Unwanted infants were usually abandoned to die of exposure, but in some societies they were deliberately killed. Infanticide is generally illegal, but in some places the practice is tolerated, or the prohibition is not strictly enforced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serial killer</span> Murderer of multiple people

A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separate events. Their psychological gratification is the motivation for the killings, and many serial murders involve sexual contact with the victims at different points during the murder process. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) states that the motives of serial killers can include anger, thrill-seeking, financial gain, and attention seeking, and killings may be executed as such. The victims tend to have things in common, such as demographic profile, appearance, gender, or race. As a group, serial killers suffer from a variety of personality disorders. Most are often not adjudicated as insane under the law. Although a serial killer is a distinct classification that differs from that of a mass murderer, spree killer, or contract killer, there are overlaps between them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mother</span> Female parent

A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestational surrogacy.

<i>Aktion T4</i> Nazi German euthanasia programme

Aktion T4 was a campaign of mass murder by involuntary euthanasia in Nazi Germany. The term was first used in post-war trials against doctors who had been involved in the killings. The name T4 is an abbreviation of Tiergartenstraße 4, a street address of the Chancellery department set up in early 1940, in the Berlin borough of Tiergarten, which recruited and paid personnel associated with Aktion T4. Certain German physicians were authorised to select patients "deemed incurably sick, after most critical medical examination" and then administer to them a "mercy death". In October 1939, Adolf Hitler signed a "euthanasia note", backdated to 1 September 1939, which authorised his physician Karl Brandt and Reichsleiter Philipp Bouhler to begin the killing.

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Parricide refers to the deliberate killing of one's own father and mother, spouse, children, and/or close relative. However, the term is sometimes used more generally to refer to the intentional killing of a near relative. It is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to acts of matricide and patricide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricide</span> Act of killing ones father

Patricide is the act of killing one's own father. The word patricide derives from the Latin word pater (father) and the suffix -cida. Patricide is a sub-form of parricide, which is defined as an act of killing a close relative. In many cultures and religions, patricide was considered one of the worst sins. For example, according to Marcus Tullius Cicero, in the Roman Republic it was the only crime for which the civilian could be sentenced to death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matricide</span> Act of killing ones own mother

Matricide is the act of killing one's own mother.

Uxoricide is the killing of one's own wife. It can refer to the act itself or the person who carries it out. It can also be used in the context of the killing of one's own girlfriend. Conversely, the killing of a husband or boyfriend is called mariticide.

Sororicide is the act of killing one's own sister.

Mariticide literally means the killing of one's own husband. It can refer to the act itself or the person who carries it out. It can also be used in the context of the killing of one's own boyfriend. In current common law terminology, it is used as a gender-neutral term for killing one's own spouse or significant other of either sex. Conversely, the killing of a wife or girlfriend is called uxoricide.

A familicide is a type of murder or murder-suicide in which an individual kills multiple close family members in quick succession, most often children, spouses, siblings, or parents. In half the cases, the killer lastly kills themselves in a murder-suicide. If only the parents are killed, the case may also be referred to as a parricide. Where all members of a family are killed, the crime may be referred to as family annihilation.

Neonaticide is the deliberate act of a parent murdering their own child during the first 24 hours of life. As a noun, the word "neonaticide" may also refer to anyone who practices or who has practiced this.

Davina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker were murdered by their mother who stabbed them to death at their home in Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England, while they slept on 13 June 2007. Rekha Kumari-Baker was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 33 years. In 2010 the BBC stated that the punishment was "one of the longest jail terms given to a woman in the UK in modern times."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titus Andronicus (character)</span> Fictional character

Titus Andronicus is the main character in William Shakespeare's revenge tragedy of the same name, Titus Andronicus. Titus is introduced as a Roman nobleman and revered general. Prior to the events of the play, he dedicated ten years of service in the war against the Goths, losing 21 sons in the conflict. In the opening act, Titus orders that the eldest son of Tamora, Queen of the Goths, be sacrificed according to Roman tradition in order to avenge his dead kin. He is also offered the emperorship, but he declines the honor and bestows it upon the late emperor's son, Saturninus. When Saturninus is denied the ability to pick his first choice of empress, Lavinia, he chooses to wed Tamora. Throughout the rest of the play, Titus and Tamora remain locked in a battle of brutal revenge. The play thus descends into moral chaos as characters perpetrate or find themselves victims of various egregious offenses, including rape, mutilation, and murder.

Mohammad Baqer Mirza better known in the West as Safi Mirza (صفی‌میرزا) was the oldest son of Shah Abbas the Great, and the crown prince of the Safavid dynasty during Abbas' reign and his own short life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Battaglia</span> American murderer

John David Battaglia Jr. was an American convicted murderer who was executed by the state of Texas for killing his two young daughters in May 2001 in an act of "ultimate revenge" against his estranged ex-wife, Mary Jeane Pearle, who had separated from him after his numerous instances of assault and violence. Battaglia was executed for the murders on February 1, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Campione</span> Canadian murderer

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The Disability Day of Mourning is observed annually on 1 March to commemorate disabled people who were murdered by their caregivers, especially their parents. First observed in 2012 and propagated by disability rights organizations such as Not Dead Yet and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the day aims to bring attention to the issue of filicide of disabled children and adults and the degree to which such murders are treated as different from or more socially acceptable than similar murders of abled people.

References

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  2. ↑ Friedman, S. H.; Horwitz, S. M.; Resnick, P. J. (2005). "Child murder by mothers: A critical analysis of the current state of knowledge and a research agenda". Am J Psychiatry . 162 (9): 1578–1587. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.9.1578. PMID   16135615.
  3. ↑ Hoyer, Marisol Bello, and Meghan. "Parents who do the unthinkable -- kill their children". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  5. 1 2 "Spousal revenge rare motive for killing kids, experts say". CTV News. 2010-11-16. Archived from the original on 2021-08-21. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  6. ↑ Carruthers, Glen (July–August 2016). "Making sense of spousal revenge filicide". Aggression and Violent Behavior . 29: 30–35. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2016.05.007.
  7. ↑ Jiaquan Xu; et al. (February 16, 2016). "Deaths: Final Data for 2013" (PDF). cdc.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  8. ↑ Holmes, Ronald M.; Holmes, Stephen T. (2001). Murder in America. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc. p. 116.
  9. ↑ Holt, Gerry (2014-05-29). "Why do families kill their daughters?". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  10. ↑ Stone, Lawson (2016). Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Tyndale House. p. 358. ISBN   9781414398792. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2018. But did Jephthah actually offer his daughter as a burnt offering? The majority view for centuries has been that he did.
  11. ↑ Drummond 2012, p. 765.
  12. ↑ "LacusCurtius • Dionysius' Roman Antiquities — Book V Chapters 1‑20". penelope.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Livy, iv. 29.
  14. ↑ John Rich, Graham Shipley (1993). War and Society in the Roman World. Routledge. ISBN   0-415-12167-1.
  15. ↑ Alexander, Trials in the Late Roman Republic, p. 6.
  16. ↑ Mitchell, "The Torquati", p. 25.
  17. ↑ Valerius Maximus 6.1.5–6; Pseudo-Quintilian, Decl. 3.17; Orosius 5.16.8; Broughton, MRR1, p. 549.
  18. ↑ Theobald, Ulrich. "Jin Midi 金日磾". ChinaKnowledge.de. Ulrich Theobald. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  19. ↑ Dio Cassius, 58.11.7
  20. ↑ Suetonius, Vitellius, 6
  21. ↑ Sanguozhi vol. 33.
  22. ↑ Guthrie 1966, p. 325.
  23. ↑ Pohlsander 1984, p. 101.
  24. ↑ Cutler & Hollingsworth (1991), pp. 501–502
  25. ↑ Gibbon, Edward, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Modern Library, v. iii, p. 651
  26. ↑ Lord Kinross: The Ottoman Centuries, (Trans. by Nilifer Epçeli) Altın Kitaplar, İstanbul, 2008, ISBN   978-975-21-0955-1 p. 49
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  32. ↑ Klyuchevsky, Vasily. Курс русской истории[A History of Russia] (in Russian). Saint Petersburg.
  33. ↑ Sebag Montefiore, Simon (2016). The Romanovs 1613–1918. Vintage. p. 17. ISBN   978-0-307-28051-0.
  34. ↑ Bomati & Nahavandi 1998 , pp. 235–236
  35. ↑ Bomati & Nahavandi 1998 , pp. 236–237
  36. ↑ Sebag Montefiore, Simon (2016). The Romanovs. United Kingdom: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 123. ISBN   978-0-307-28051-0.
  37. ↑ Massie, Robert K. (1980). Peter the Great: His Life and World. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 76, 377, 707. ISBN   978-0-307-29145-5.

Works cited

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