The Cedar Grove community in Shreveport, Louisiana, has been shocked beyond belief after a 31-year-old former soldier killed eight children on 19 April. Seven of whom were his own.
The suspect, , shot 10 people, including seven of his kids, ranging from one to 14 years of age. He also shot his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh, and Christina Snow, the mother of three of his children. Two other people were also shot at, but managed to escape the scene.
The incident, which is considered one of the nation’s deadliest in over two years, spanned across three homes. The suspect was also killed after a chase with the police. Following the incident, his family revealed that there were warning signs all over.
US arrests at least 500 people for filicide each year
The deadliest domestic massacre has left many wandering that how a parent can kill their own child. According to a CNN report, nearly 500 arrests are made every year for filicide — a legal term for parents killing their children. It suggests that the very idea of filicide is so unconscionable because many people assume anyone who commits this crime was driven by mental illness or had a previous history of violence. But research points out that it is not always the case.
Susan Hatters-Friedman, a forensic and reproductive psychiatrist with Case Western Reserve University, told CNN that society has “deeply ingrained views about motherhood (and) fatherhood … this is really hard stuff for people to think about and hear about.”
She added, “It’s so far from people’s minds that this is even something that could happen, that it helps us to categorise it, understand it, and think about prevention.”
Study on parents who kill
Citing a 2014 analysis of 32 years of data on filicide arrests, the report noted that most victims from 1976 to 2007 were between the ages of one and six years old.
It also revealed that the majority of offenders and victims are White, with Black offenders and victims constituting the second most common group. A staggering 90% of the victims were the biological children of the offenders. While research shows that both mothers and fathers kill children at similar rates.
Traits of parents who kill
According to Hatters-Friedman’s research, fathers who kill their children are more likely to have a history of violence, substance abuse, and illness. The research showed that fathers are more likely to kill their spouse and die by suicide after killing their children. This is known as ‘family annihilation.’
Some studies have revealed that mothers who commit filicide are often “younger” than their male counterparts. Mothers, according to Hatters-Friedman’s research, are often struggling with “multiple stressors,” including mental health issues, limited resources, isolation, and substance abuse.
Why do parents kill: Murder motive
Dr Phillip Resnick, a leading forensic psychiatrist at Case Western Reserve University, published a landmark study in 1969, in which he suggested five classifications for the motives that drive filicide.
Here’s a list of five motives behind parents who kill their children:
1. The most common is considered to be fatal maltreatment, typically involving or neglect.
2. Another motive is that of the “unwanted child.” In such a case, parents see the child as a hindrance to something else that they want, for instance, a relationship, money, or a lifestyle change. This category also includes “neonaticide,” which refers to the killing of a newborn within the first 24 hours of life, most often by the mother. According to Hatters-Friedman, such cases frequently involve “hidden pregnancies,” where the mother remains in denial about being pregnant and typically does not seek prenatal care.
3. Partner or spousal revenge is the third motive. While such cases are typically less common, they occur during divorce or in child custody cases.
4. Another motive is linked to the parents’ mental health: Altruistic filicide. In such a case, the parent believes that they are killing the child out of love, to apparently set them free from suffering that’s either real or imagined.
5. The last motive, according to Resnick, is “acutely psychotic.” This is when a parent kills their child during a state of psychosis or hallucination.
In Elkins’ case, his family has now come forward to say that he was suffering from mental health issues and was admitted to a local VA hospital for treatment. However, earlier this year, he tried killing himself, according to the woman who raised him and was not his biological mother. Shreveport is still looking for answers.
