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 culture’s idea of mothers is one of a maternal figure: Women who
would walk through fire to save their children and always put their offspring’s
needs before their own. As we have learned, though, this doesn’t always happen.
Mothers who do the unimaginable and kill their children seem to make headlines
every week and it’s a story most of us are never truly able to wrap our heads
around. So what’s going on and what would drive a mother to kill the one thing
she’s 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 didn’t 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)
didn’t 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 it’s in the child’s 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. It’s hard to imagine that a mother who killed her children couldn’t 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 they’re
“unfathomable and… sensational”. (Gafni, 2014)
In the following book we’ll 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, we’ll also take a peek at the
murders and the aftermath of their horrible, inconceivable actions.
Andrea Yates
Andrea Yates might possibly be one of the most famous murderers in the United
States, at least in recent collective memory. The drowning of all five of her
children, coupled with her insanity pleas, rocked the nation and it’s a case that
still frequently comes up as a hot topic on television shows, true crime specials,
and in pop culture media. Not only did her crime make headlines, but the
ensuing defense of postpartum depression and psychosis helped bring awareness
to these types of mental health issues that hadn’t previously been seen.
Who was Andrea?
Andrea and her husband appeared to have a fairly middle class life, at least on
the outside. Andrea was born into a Catholic household and brought up in a
religious home. She would later tell authorities she killed her children to save
them from Satan. An intelligent young woman, she graduated high school at the
top of her class and later graduated from the University of Houston with a degree
in nursing. She and Russell "Rusty" Yates were married on April 17, 1993. They
informed friends and family that they would, "Seek to have as many babies as
nature allowed."
Andrea began having symptoms of depression after the birth of their fourth son,
Luke. During her murder trial, it would be speculated that her depression was
exacerbated by the extremist sermons of Michael Peter Woroniecki. Her family
expressed concerns at her fascination with him and his sermons.
Andrea’s history of mental illness is well-documented. In June 1999, Andrea
attempted to commit suicide by overdosing. She was prescribed antidepressants.
Sadly her condition showed signs of worsening since, not long after that, she
held a knife to her throat and begged Rusty to let her die. This time she was
administered an anti-psychotic drug and hospitalized; happily she seemed to get
better and showed signs of improvement.
Still, by that July she would have two more hospitalizations due to her again
making attempts at suicide. Her prognosis was that of postpartum psychosis,
which is different from postpartum depression. Only half of the women
diagnosed with postpartum depression will develop this psychosis. Andrea’s
doctors were concerned for her wellbeing. At the trial, Dr. Eileen Starbranch,
Andrea’s former psychiatrist, testified that she advised the couple not to have
any more children, because it would "guarantee future psychotic depression."
Still, the couple would go on to have one more child. Andrea later told her
psychiatrist that Rusty had encouraged her to have another child by using
religion and her duty to procreate as a way to cajole her.
Once again, Andrea appeared to stabilize until her father passed away on March
12, 2001. At this point she stopped feeding her infant, quit taking her
medication, and mutilated herself, all the while reading the Bible at an intense
pace. She was hospitalized again.
The Murders
In June 2001, Andrea drowned her children in the family bathtub in their home
in Houston, Texas: Noah, 7; John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke 2; and Mary, 6 months.
Andrea later confessed that she’d tried to kill them earlier, on May 3, but didn’t
follow through with it. Although her actions were shocking to the nation, her
family had been warned to take care with her mental state. In fact, her
psychiatrist at the time, Dr. Saeed, had advised Rusty not to leave Andrea alone
with the children. He’d been leaving her alone a little every day, trying to make
her more independent with them. Later he claimed that he never thought she’d
hurt the children although he was concerned that she might hurt herself.
Speculation arose as to how seriously Rusty took Andrea’s mental health and if
he unwittingly played a part in the killings. During a broadcast on CNN’s Larry
King Live show, Brian Kennedy, Andrea’s brother, told Larry that in 2001 Rusty
told him that all depressed people needed was a, "Swift kick in the pants”. (Larry
King transcript, 2005) Rusty left for work on June 20
th
, thinking his mother
would arrive within the hour to help out, but it was to be the hour within which
Andrea killed the children.
After drowning each child, she placed them on her bed. When she was finished,
she called the police and then Rusty, simply telling him, “It’s time.”
Once arrested and in jail, Andrea did continue to show signs of psychosis, a fact
to which the psychiatrist at the jail, Dr. Ferguson, testified to at her trial. Andrea
was convinced that Satan was there in the jail with her and even placed her food
tray at a certain angle to “calm the beast”. (Christian, 2002) Dr. Ferguson
claimed that Andrea had no idea how sick she truly was and that she had even
stated that she couldn’t be suffering from depression because she “didn’t cry”.
(Christian, 2002)
The Aftermath
Andrea confessed to killing her children, admitting that she even waited for her
husband to leave because she knew he’d stop her. Texas law required that in
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 culture’s idea of mothers is one of a maternal figure: Women who
would walk through fire to save their children and always put their offspring’s
needs before their own. As we have learned, though, this doesn’t always happen.
Mothers who do the unimaginable and kill their children seem to make headlines
every week and it’s a story most of us are never truly able to wrap our heads
around. So what’s going on and what would drive a mother to kill the one thing
she’s 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 didn’t 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)
didn’t 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 it’s in the child’s 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. It’s hard to imagine that a mother who killed her children couldn’t 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 they’re
“unfathomable and… sensational”. (Gafni, 2014)
In the following book we’ll 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, we’ll also take a peek at the
murders and the aftermath of their horrible, inconceivable actions.
Andrea Yates
Andrea Yates might possibly be one of the most famous murderers in the United
States, at least in recent collective memory. The drowning of all five of her
children, coupled with her insanity pleas, rocked the nation and it’s a case that
still frequently comes up as a hot topic on television shows, true crime specials,
and in pop culture media. Not only did her crime make headlines, but the
ensuing defense of postpartum depression and psychosis helped bring awareness
to these types of mental health issues that hadn’t previously been seen.
Who was Andrea?
Andrea and her husband appeared to have a fairly middle class life, at least on
the outside. Andrea was born into a Catholic household and brought up in a
religious home. She would later tell authorities she killed her children to save
them from Satan. An intelligent young woman, she graduated high school at the
top of her class and later graduated from the University of Houston with a degree
in nursing. She and Russell "Rusty" Yates were married on April 17, 1993. They
informed friends and family that they would, "Seek to have as many babies as
nature allowed."
Andrea began having symptoms of depression after the birth of their fourth son,
Luke. During her murder trial, it would be speculated that her depression was
exacerbated by the extremist sermons of Michael Peter Woroniecki. Her family
expressed concerns at her fascination with him and his sermons.
Andrea’s history of mental illness is well-documented. In June 1999, Andrea
attempted to commit suicide by overdosing. She was prescribed antidepressants.
Sadly her condition showed signs of worsening since, not long after that, she
held a knife to her throat and begged Rusty to let her die. This time she was
administered an anti-psychotic drug and hospitalized; happily she seemed to get
better and showed signs of improvement.
Still, by that July she would have two more hospitalizations due to her again
making attempts at suicide. Her prognosis was that of postpartum psychosis,
which is different from postpartum depression. Only half of the women
diagnosed with postpartum depression will develop this psychosis. Andrea’s
doctors were concerned for her wellbeing. At the trial, Dr. Eileen Starbranch,
Andrea’s former psychiatrist, testified that she advised the couple not to have
any more children, because it would "guarantee future psychotic depression."
Still, the couple would go on to have one more child. Andrea later told her
psychiatrist that Rusty had encouraged her to have another child by using
religion and her duty to procreate as a way to cajole her.
Once again, Andrea appeared to stabilize until her father passed away on March
12, 2001. At this point she stopped feeding her infant, quit taking her
medication, and mutilated herself, all the while reading the Bible at an intense
pace. She was hospitalized again.
The Murders
In June 2001, Andrea drowned her children in the family bathtub in their home
in Houston, Texas: Noah, 7; John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke 2; and Mary, 6 months.
Andrea later confessed that she’d tried to kill them earlier, on May 3, but didn’t
follow through with it. Although her actions were shocking to the nation, her
family had been warned to take care with her mental state. In fact, her
psychiatrist at the time, Dr. Saeed, had advised Rusty not to leave Andrea alone
with the children. He’d been leaving her alone a little every day, trying to make
her more independent with them. Later he claimed that he never thought she’d
hurt the children although he was concerned that she might hurt herself.
Speculation arose as to how seriously Rusty took Andrea’s mental health and if
he unwittingly played a part in the killings. During a broadcast on CNN’s Larry
King Live show, Brian Kennedy, Andrea’s brother, told Larry that in 2001 Rusty
told him that all depressed people needed was a, "Swift kick in the pants”. (Larry
King transcript, 2005) Rusty left for work on June 20
th
, thinking his mother
would arrive within the hour to help out, but it was to be the hour within which
Andrea killed the children.
After drowning each child, she placed them on her bed. When she was finished,
she called the police and then Rusty, simply telling him, “It’s time.”
Once arrested and in jail, Andrea did continue to show signs of psychosis, a fact
to which the psychiatrist at the jail, Dr. Ferguson, testified to at her trial. Andrea
was convinced that Satan was there in the jail with her and even placed her food
tray at a certain angle to “calm the beast”. (Christian, 2002) Dr. Ferguson
claimed that Andrea had no idea how sick she truly was and that she had even
stated that she couldn’t be suffering from depression because she “didn’t cry”.
(Christian, 2002)
The Aftermath
Andrea confessed to killing her children, admitting that she even waited for her
husband to leave because she knew he’d stop her. Texas law required that in
No comments:
Post a Comment