ABSTRACT
The killing of a parent is universally regarded as taboo; to kill the people who brought you into this world is widely regarded with perplexity and horror by the general public. The question at the top of the list people have, with the possible exception of those in the inner circle of the killer, is why – why would a son or a daughter, acting alone or with others, kill their mother and/or father? This chapter addresses this pivotal question based on my knowledge of the scientific literature, my clinical experience evaluating approximately 60 individuals involved in killing one or both parents, and consulting on countless other parricide cases. I discuss four types of parricide offenders with special attention to juvenile perpetrators to capture the motivational dynamics behind parental killings. Before presenting my typology of parricide offenders, I briefly discuss terms associated with parricide and its occurrence in the United States and in other countries where incidence data are available. I synthesize some basic characteristics of parricide incidents and address the importance of age in understanding the circumstances of parricide offenders. I conclude by discussing the relevance of parricide offender type to defense strategies, effective intervention, and risk assessment.
