Rkurzynowski's List: My Current Accumulation of Information (it's supposed to rhyme)

• But mothers kill their children in this country much more often than most people would realize by simply reading the headlines; by conservative estimates it happens every few days, at least 100 times a year. Experts say more mothers than fathers kill their children under 5 years of age. And some say our reluctance as a society to believe mothers would be capable of killing their offspring is hindering our ability to recognize warning signs, intervene and prevent more tragedies.

• Police alleged that Schenecker bought a .38-caliber revolver five days before the murders. According to an arrest affidavit, she shot her 13-year-old son, Beau, on their way to soccer practice for "talking back." She then allegedly drove to their home and shot her 16-year-old daughter, Carlyx, in the face.

  • This case is very different from your typical non-neonaticide cases. It was premeditated and the both children were teenagers. In cases where women kill their non-infant children, the child/children are typically under the age of five and the death is commonly caused by excessive beating. The deaths can therefore be considered "accidental" as opposed to premeditated.

• For instance, the finding that women are more often categorized as having mental disturbance is confirmed here. Interestingly, when they kill their spouses, only 6% are declared as having mental illness. When they kill other acquaintances or family, 9% are supposedly mentally ill. But when they violate the maternal role and kill their children, women are declared mentally ill 67% of the time (36% for those committing infanticide).
• Perhaps when mothers kill their children this proportion rises, but it is difficult to believe that it rises to the level indicated by police reports. Instead, it is more likely that killing children is seen as inconsistent with gender stereotypes and with socially understandable behavior (Wilbanks, 1982). It is likely that the tautology "if they killed their kids they must be crazy" is leading police to check off that category on their code sheets.

  • Are we categorizing these women as "crazy" because it makes it easier for us to classify their crime? If we can't understand why a crime is committed, is the criminal then defined as "crazy?"
• A few features that differentiate noninfanticide mothers from those committing infanticide should be mentioned. First, both groups are younger than other female perpetrators of homicide, and those committing infanticide are the youngest group of all. Second, none of those committing infanticide followed their act with suicide, whereas 19% of noninfanticide mothers did so. Third, noninfanticide mothers beat their victims to death, while those committing infanticide use other means. Fourth, most of the noninfanticide mothers are married, while most of those committing infanticide are single.
• Drawing from the results of an analysis of national aggregate data, we find that women who kill their children appear to do so under circumstances quite different from those who kill their husbands and from other groups of perpetrators. Thus, it is clear that female perpetrators of homicide should not be treated as a homogeneous group.

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