NCJ Number
147634
Journal
Trial Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1994) Pages: 24-29
Date Published
1994
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article argues that parricide (the killing of a parent by a child) is usually the act of a severely abused child, and this should be taken into account when determining the criminal liability of the child.
Abstract
Only about 2 percent of all homicides in the United States are patricide and matricide cases. Sons commit about 90 percent of all parricides. Most are 17- to 18-year-old white middle to upper-class youths with no history of antisocial or violent behavior. They do not have long histories of aggressive behavior in school, and they rarely have arrest records. They tend to be mediocre to above- average students. Most are loners, anxious to please their peers, and overly polite to adults. Their facades, however, hide lives of chaos and persecution. Not only have they typically been physically, mentally, and often sexually abused since they were young, but many have also witnessed repeated abuse of other family members. The parents who perpetrate the abuse are typically successful in their careers and have a reputation for perfectionism. Statutes in many States now expressly permit expert testimony on behalf of battered women who have killed their mates. The same type of law should extend to children who kill their parents. 12 notes