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Filicide

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For animals, seeInfanticide (zoology).
Painting byPeter Paul Rubensof Cronus devouring one of his children
Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan,byIlya Yefimovich Repin.
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Filicideis the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child. The wordfilicideis derived from theLatinwordsfiliusandfilia('son' and 'daughter') and the suffix-cide,from the wordcaederemeaning 'to kill'. The word can refer to both the crime and perpetrator of the crime.

Statistics

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A 1999 U.S. Department of Justice study concluded that mothers were responsible for a higher share of children killedduring infancybetween 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-depthlongitudinal studyof 297 cases convicted of filicide and 45 of filicide-suicide in theUnited Kingdombetween 1997 and 2006 showed that 37% of the perpetrators had a recorded mental illness at the time. The most common diagnoses weremood disordersandpersonality disordersrather thanpsychosis,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 topost-partum depressionwas suggested.[4]

Types of filicide

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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, andMunchausen syndrome by proxyis 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

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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, most homicide cases were due to parents killing their children after being accused ofviolating the family's reputation;daughters were more likely to be murdered in these killings.[9]

Notable examples

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Postumiuskills his sonfor betraying his ordersbyDomenico Beccafumi.
Constantine the Great,who executed his son for unknown reasons.
Cristobal (centre) was murdered by his father and is one of theChild Martyrs of Tlaxcala,who werecanonizationassaintsbyPope Francisin 2017.
Suleiman the Magnificenthad his son executed.
Mary Cowan,who murdered her children.
BritishMusic hallstarHarry Fragson,who was fatally shot by his father in Paris in 1913.
JosephandMagda Goebbelswith theirchildren.They would murder them at the end ofWorld War II,with the exception ofHarald Quandt(in the uniform), who was Magda's son from a previous marriage.
Diane Downs,who shot her three children, killing one of them.
Marvin Gaye,shot andkilled by his fatherduring an argument in 1984.
Chris Benoit,whomurdered his wife and childrenbefore killing himself.
Victim(s) Perpetrator(s) Relation of parent to child(ren) Date Location Notes
Jephthah's daughter (sometimes Seila or Iphis) Jephthah Father Unknown Ancient Israel Jephthah is abiblicalfigure who is described inJudges 11as inadvertently promising tosacrificehis daughter toYahweh,which he does with her encouragement.[10]
Titus and Tiberius Junius Brutus Lucius Junius Brutus Father 509 BC Roman Republic Lucius Junius Brutus, who is usually credited with overthrowing the finalKing of RomeLucius Tarquinius Superbusand establishing the Roman Republic, executed his sons Titus and Tiberius when they were implicated in a plot to restore themonarchy.[11][12]
Son ofAulus Postumius Tubertus Aulus Postumius Tubertus Father 431 BC Roman Republic There is a story that Aulus Postumius Tubertus, who served asdictatorin 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 RomanhistorianLivy,due to similarities to stories about the family of Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus (see below).[13]
Son ofTitus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus Father 340 BC Latium,Italian Peninsula,Roman Republic During theLatin War,Roman consulTitus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus executed his own son after he left his post in order to attack a group ofLatins,leading to a reputation in his family for extreme discipline.[14]
Decimus Junius Silanus Manlianus Titus Manlius Torquatus Father 140 BC Roman Republic While serving asPraetorinMacedonia,Decimus Junius Silanus Manlianus was accused of corruption by Macedonian envoys. His fatherTitus Manlius Torquatus,a seniorSenator,was granted permission to privately try his son in his home. Despite knowing that the family code of honour would compel his son to commitsuicide,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 ofQuintus Fabius Maximus Eburnus Quintus Fabius Maximus Eburnus Father c. 116 BC Roman Republic Quintus Fabius Maximus Eburnus,consul in 116 BC, condemned one of his sons to death for "immorality".[17]
Jin Nong'er Jin Midi Father 121-87 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 fromEmperor Wu of Han;later Jin ascended to the rank of general of chariots and cavalry.[18]
Alexander IandAristobulus IV Herod the Great Father 7 BC Herodian Kingdom of Judea According toJosephus,King Herod ofJudeahad his sons Alexander and Aristobulus strangled because he feared they would usurp him.
Claudia Livia(Livilla) Antonia Minor Mother 31 Roman Empire Livilla, along with her loverSejanus,was accused of poisoningDrusus Julius Caesar,the son ofEmperorTiberius.According to historianCassius Dio,Tiberius placed Livilla in the custody of her mother Antonia, who locked her up in a room where she wasstarvedto death.[19]
Aulus Vitellius Petronianus Vitellius Father 69 Roman Empire Suetoniuswrote 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 attemptedparricidebeforehand and killed himself out of shame.[20]
Children ofLiu Chen (Shu Han) Liu Chen (Shu Han) Father December 263 Shu Han,Ancient China It is recorded in theRecords of the Three Kingdomsthat 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 Father 326 Pula,Istria,Roman Empire For unclear reasons, Crispus was sentenced to death by his father Emperor Constantine the Great in 326 AD.[22][23]
Constantine VI Irene of Athens Mother c. 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 supportersgouged out his eyesand had him imprisoned. He died sometime before 805, possibly as a result of his injuries.[24]
Savcı Bey Murad I Father c. 1373 Ottoman Empire Convinced byAndronikos IV Palaiologos,son ofJohn V Palaiologos,Savcı Beyrebelled against his father Murad I,Sultanof the Ottoman Empire, in an attempt to seize power. He was unsuccessful and his father had him executed.[25][26]
Cristobal Acxotécatl Father 1527 Tlaxcala,New Spain After Cristobalconvertedfrom theindigenous religionof his family toCatholicism,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 theChild Martyrs of Tlaxcala.[27][28]
Şehzade Mustafa Suleiman the Magnificent Father 6 October 1553 Ereğli,Ottoman Empire Suleiman I,Sultanof 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 onRüstem Pasha.[29][30]
TsarevichIvan Ivanovich Ivan the Terrible Father 19 November 1581 Alexandrov Kremlin,Tsardom of Russia Although exact details are unconfirmed, it is believed that Ivan Ivanovich confronted his fatherTsarIvan IV Vasilyevich (Ivan the Terrible) after his pregnant wifeYelena Sheremetevawas physically assaulted by him, which possibly caused her to subsequentlymiscarry.The confrontation led to an argument, during which Tsar Ivan became enraged and hit his son over the head with asceptre,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 inIlya Repin's painting,Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan.
Mohammad Baqer Mirza Abbas the Great Father 1615 Rasht,Safavid Iran After starting to believe that his son Mohammad Baqer Mirza was planning to overthrow him, Abbas the Great orderedBehbud Khan Cherkesto murder him in ahammamin the city of Resht. He immediately regretted the decision and was plunged into despair.[34][35]
TsarevichAlexei Petrovichof Russia Peter the Great Father 26 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 himtorturedinto 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 aknout.[36][37]

See also

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Honor killing,murder of a person for violating the strict reputation of the family.

References

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  1. ^Greenfeld, Lawrence A.; Snell, Tracy L. (2000-03-10)."Women Offenders"(PDF).NCJ 175688.U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2010-06-03.Retrieved2018-05-29.
  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.PMID16135615.
  3. ^Hoyer, Marisol Bello, and Meghan."Parents who do the unthinkable -- kill their children".USA TODAY.Archivedfrom the original on 15 February 2020.Retrieved1 May2023.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^"Findings from most in-depth study into UK parents who kill their children".University of Manchester.5 April 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 16 May 2020.Retrieved26 February2020.
  5. ^ab"Spousal revenge rare motive for killing kids, experts say".CTV News. 2010-11-16.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-08-21.Retrieved2017-01-25.
  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.Retrieved1 May2023.
  8. ^Holmes, Ronald M.; Holmes, Stephen T. (2001).Murder in America.Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc. p. 116.
  9. ^"Why do families kill their daughters?".BBC News.2014-05-29.Retrieved2024-07-04.
  10. ^Stone, Lawson (2016).Joshua, Judges, Ruth.Tyndale House.p. 358.ISBN9781414398792.Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2024.Retrieved29 July2018.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.Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2024.Retrieved1 May2023.
  13. ^Livy, iv. 29.
  14. ^John Rich, Graham Shipley (1993).War and Society in the Roman World.Routledge.ISBN0-415-12167-1.
  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;Orosius5.16.8; Broughton,MRR1,p. 549.
  18. ^Theobald, Ulrich."Jin Midi kim ngày đê".ChinaKnowledge.de.Ulrich Theobald.Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 2,2024.
  19. ^Dio Cassius, 58.11.7
  20. ^Suetonius,Vitellius, 6
  21. ^Sanguozhivol. 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,ISBN978-975-21-0955-1p. 49
  27. ^"Three Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala".Saints SQPN.Archivedfrom the original on 23 February 2022.Retrieved1 November2016.
  28. ^"Tlaxcala, Martyrs of, Bb".Encyclopedia. 2003.Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2020.Retrieved1 November2016.
  29. ^"Table of Contents".mateo.uni-mannheim.de.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-08-09.Retrieved2022-11-14.
  30. ^"A General History of the Near East, Chapter 13".xenohistorian.faithweb.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-05-06.Retrieved2022-11-14.
  31. ^Karamzin, Nikolay."9".Продолжение царстования Иоанна Грозного. Г. 1577–1582[Continuation of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. 1577–1582].History of the Russian State(in Russian). Vol. 9.
  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.ISBN978-0-307-28051-0.
  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.ISBN978-0-307-28051-0.
  37. ^Massie, Robert K. (1980).Peter the Great: His Life and World.New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 76, 377, 707.ISBN978-0-307-29145-5.

Works cited

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Further reading

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  • Douglas, John; Olshaker, Mark (1996).Journey Into Darkness.United Kingdom: Arrow Books.ISBN978-0-749-32394-3.
  • Meyer, Cheryl; Oberman, Michelle; White, Kelly (2001).Mothers who Kill Their Children.New York University Press.ISBN0-814-75643-3
  • Rascovsky, Arnaldo (1995).Filicide: The Murder, Humiliation, Mutilation, Denigration, and Abandonment of Children by Parents.Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson Incorporated.ISBN978-1-568-21456-6.
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