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Oftentimes, this may have worked as some type of “release” for them
emotionally and, while some were able to feel remorse for their actions later,
others certainly never expressed that.
In the following book, we’ll look at a number of cases in which fathers killed
one of more of their children. Although there will never be a justifiable reason
for the murders, we’ll take a look not only at what drove them to such crimes,
but at the aftermath as well.
Daryl Holton
filicide arrests and discovered that, on average, there are around 3,000 cases of
filicide per year in the United States. (Gafni, 2014)
Understanding the motivations behind filicide can be valuable in preventing such
tragedies from happening in the future, especially considering that many of the
mothers had histories of mental illnesses. Timothy Mariano who conducted a
study at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Rhode Island, states
that it’s important to, “Improve our screening for prevention” and to know
“more about the types of individuals who are filicide victims or offenders” since
this can help identify those who may be at-risk. (Dumalaon, 2014)
In the case of Andrea Yates, who suffered from postpartum depression and
psychosis, her actions have actually brought to light more information on the
effects of the types of mental illnesses she suffered from. While it’s true that not
every woman who suffers from postpartum depression or psychosis has violent
tendencies or delusions, it does help stimulate create debate regarding these
issues.
Jeffrey Smalldon, a forensic psychologist, also notes that those individuals who
are “extremely depressed” do sometimes have trouble differentiating their
identity from other people’s and may believe that death is the only way to give
the individual a “better life”. (Eisner, 2014) Or, they may experience “magical
thinking” in which their reality is distorted and they see carrying out a violent act
as the only way to relieve the pressure they’re experiencing. (Eisner, 2014)
Teresa Caffese, the former San Francisco public defender who represented
Lashaun Harris, claims that in the cases of those women who had previous
mental health problems, "The system sometimes does not sufficiently help the
mentally ill”. (Gafni 2014) Unfortunately, the women often only receive the care
they need once they’ve committed the atrocious acts and are sent to mental
institutions.
Dads Who Killed Their Kids
True Stories About Dads Who Became Killers And
Murdered Their Loved Ones
Introduction
For most of us, it’s hard to comprehend the idea of a parent killing their own
child, regardless of the reason. Unfortunately, this does happen and each time
the tragedy is horrific. Filicide is the murder of a child by at least one of their
parents. When a father, who is meant to protect and love his family, kills any of
his children it seems unfathomable.
So what would drive a father to kill his own children? Motives aren’t always
clear-cut. Sometimes they rely on mental health issues. Indeed, many men who
are driven to filicide are plagued by depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental
health problems or personality disorders. In some cases, the husband and wife
have separated and the father is driven to murder by anger, resentment, or
jealousy. Occasionally the motive might involve money. A father, for instance,
might consider himself a failure for not providing for his family after
experiencing financial hardship. Rather than see them “suffer” as a result of his
own misfortune, he may lose track of reality and, for any number of reasons,
believe they’d be better off dead.
When studied and analyzed, the most common reasons found amongst those men
who murdered their children were that they felt ashamed, guilty, overwhelmed,
angry, or frustrated. The only way they could see themselves getting free of
these emotions or situations was through the death of their child or children
Daryl Holton, born in 1961, was convicted of murdering his four children in
Tennessee in 1997. He was later executed in the electric chair in 2007.
The Murders
A 36-year-old Gulf War Veteran, Daryl Holton found himself divorced from his
ex-wife and mother of his children. His wife had been awarded full custody. On
November 30, 1997, Holton picked up his children from their mother. He had a
full day planned for them – a trip to an amusement center, dinner at McDonald’s
and, after that, their murders.
After spending the day out with them, he took them back to his house. In his
garage, he gave his 6-year-old son Eric and 4-year-old daughter Kayla tools to
play with and entertain themselves. He then took his 10-year-old son Brent and
12-year-old son Stephen outside to the back where he lined them up, had them
close their eyes, told them not to look, and then shot them both with an SKS
semiautomatic rifle. After that, he covered up their bodies and took his two
younger children to the back where he killed them in the same manner. Once
dead, Holton stacked their bodies on a tarp (Alligood, 2007).
An hour after the murders, Holton smoked some marijuana and then turned
himself into the police. He told them he needed to report a “homicide times
four” (Alligood, 2007). He later informed the investigators that he killed his
children because “families should stay together.” He said his ex-wife hadn’t let
him see his children since September but that he’d finally talked her into letting
him have them for the day. When he picked them up at home in Murfreesboro, a
central Tennessee town outside of Nashville, two of his kids had handed him a
drawing that said, "From Brent and Kayla. I love you Daddy” (Alligood, 2007).
He also stated that he’d planned on murdering his ex-wife and then killing
himself, but had changed his mind. Indeed, authorities found pipe bombs he’d
apparently made and left in the garage.
The autopsies showed that their deaths were instantaneous. Holton told
investigators that the children “didn't suffer” and that “There was no enjoyment
to it at all” (Alligood, 2007).
The Aftermath
Holton’s trial was held in June 1999. His attorney tried to convince the jury that
he was legally insane at the time of the murders. He decided not to testify on his
own behalf and the jury eventually found him guilty and sentenced him to death.
While on Death Row, Holton eschewed the automatic and voluntary appeals
process that all condemned individuals are afforded under state and federal law.
In addition, he ignored the state-or federally-appointed capital defenders who
offered him legal assistance. Because of these decisions he’s frequently
described as a Death Row “volunteer.”
When given the option between lethal injection and the electric chair, Holton
chose the chair. This made him the first person to be executed by electrocution
in Tennessee in almost fifty years (Allen, 2007). His final words were: “Two
words: I do.” According to Tennessee Department of Corrections spokeswoman