Scott - True Crime Stories, Hollywood Deaths and Bullycide Box Set: A about Celebrities, Youth Suicide & True Murders (A Book about Celebrities, Youth Suicide & True Murders)

At one time, long ago, infanticide was a regularly practiced custom by earlier cultures. Infants might be disposed of due to sickness, lack of resources or other perceived weaknesses. Times though, certainly in the developed world, have changed. Our cultures idea of mothers is one of a maternal figure: Women who would walk through fire to save their children and always put their offsprings needs before their own. As we have learned, though, this doesnt always happen. Mothers who do the unimaginable and kill their children seem to make headlines every week and its a story most of us are never truly able to wrap our heads around. So whats going on and what would drive a mother to kill the one thing shes biologically meant to protect?

Maternal filicide is the technical term for the act of a mother killing her child. In some cases, the deaths are deemed to be murders, sometimes premeditated, although the charges are often reduced to manslaughter or child endangerment, depending upon the circumstances. Often, the mother is found to be mentally incompetent and unable to stand trial, or is found not guilty by reason of insanity. It is usually children under the age of eight who are killed by their mothers; those over the age of eight are more likely to be killed by their fathers, according to a 1997 study carried out by the United States Department of Justice.

So what can lead to such an atrocious act of violence? In many instances, the mother has suffered from a history of mental illness, most frequently bipolar disorder, and/or depression. However, schizophrenia, paranoid delusions, and anxiety have also been seen to historically play their part. In some cases, such as the example of Megan Huntsman, drug abuse has been blamed for the resulting acts of violence.

While mental illness is the most common defense for their actions, other motivations are often sought by the prosecution. In the case of Susan Smith, for instance, although she did suffer from a history of mental health problems, the prosecution also blamed her relationship with a man who claimed he didnt want children as one of her primary motivations for killing hers. In one of the most famous maternal filicide cases, Diane Downs was also accused of murder and attempted murder, the motivation being that her paramour (a married man) didnt want children.

A psychiatry professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Philipp Resnick, suggests a variety of filicide types exist including: Altruistic filicide, spouse or partner revenge filicide, accidental filicide, unwanted child filicide, or that which occurs in the middle of a psychotic break. (Dumalaon, 2014) In an altruistic occurrence, the mother might kill the child because they think its in the childs best interest. Although it sounds absurd, this does happen on occasion.

For instance, in 2005 Lashaun Harris killed her children by tossing them into the San Francisco Bay. While the act was violent, her psychiatrist later revealed that Lashaun had visions of the afterlife that included, basketball courts, buses, you name it. (Gafni, 2014) As someone who was homeless at the time, and suffering from mental illness, she claimed that she thought death offered a better life for her children than the one in which they were currently living.

Although women only commit 14% of the violent crimes in the country, filicide still remains prevalent, even in our Western culture. Many people believe that, regardless of the motivations of these women, mental health issues must be at play. Its hard to imagine that a mother who killed her children couldnt possibly be mentally competent. Dr. Lanny Berman of the American Association of Suicidology in Washington D.C. claims that mothers do not kill their kids unless they are seriously disturbed. (Gafni, 2014) He also thinks that the incidents themselves are rare but that they get a lot of media attention because theyre unfathomable and sensational. (Gafni, 2014)

In the following book well look at ten of the most astounding cases involving maternal filicide in the United States, including Susan Smith, Andrea Yates, Diane Downs, and some lesser known, but equally tragic, instances of filicide. In addition to looking at the mothers histories, well also take a peek at the murders and the aftermath of their horrible, inconceivable actions.