Murder in the Family

Many news stories in December were overshadowed by the ongoing Ferguson controversy, the SONY hacking, and a terrorist siege in Sydney which left fatalities. Two, however, warrant our attention.

In Pennsylvania, Bradley Stone killed his ex-wife Nicole and five of her relatives before turning a knife on himself [1]. Victims included Nicole’s mother, grandmother, sister, brother-in-law, and a 14 y.o. niece. A 17 y.o. nephew is recovering from his wounds. Thankfully, the two Stone daughters were spared.

According to the prosecutor, Stone’s attack was clearly pre-meditated. It has been attributed to a custody dispute. Since Stone was a veteran and briefly on tour in Iraq during 2008, there was speculation that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) might have played a role. The Marines who served with Stone dispute this.

In Australia, a suburban mother (also, wielding a knife) killed seven of her own children and a niece – all youngsters between the ages of 18 months and 15 years [2]. A 20 y.o. sibling found the children. The woman unsuccessfully attempted suicide. She is now under arrest.

Researchers call men who kill this way “family annihilators”, classifying them into four categories [3]. These are self-righteous, disappointed, anomic, and paranoid.

• Self-righteous annihilators seek revenge for some offense or perceived offense.
• Disappointed annihilators feel that their families have somehow let them down.  So called honor killings may fall in this category.
• Anomic annihilators view their families as status symbols.  Financial failure can prompt such individuals to murder their families.
• Paranoid annihilators are likely to suffer from mental illness.  Such individuals may perceive the loss of custody as a threat.

As for women, about 200 each year kill their children [4].  Many raise an insanity defense.  Only 27% of such women are sent to prison, compared with 72% of men who kill their families.

There are no clear lessons to be drawn from these murders in the family. All we can do is bear witness to the carnage.
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[1] BuzzFeed News, “Night of ‘Horrific Tragedy’: Pennsylvania Rampage that Left 6 Family Members Dead” by Tasneem Nashrulla, Claudia Koerner, and Jason Wells, 12/15/14, http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/at-least-five-dead-as-gunman-goes-on-rampage-in-pennsylvania#.twEkVngMX.

[2] Fox News (and Associated Press), “Australian Woman Arrested in Deaths of 8 Children”, 12/19/14, http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/12/19/8-children-killed-in-northern-australian-city/.

[3] Time Magazine, “Family Annihilators:  Understanding What Drives Fathers to Kill” by Kathy Steinmetz, 8/15/13, http://healthland.time.com/2013/08/15/family-annihilators-understanding-what-drives-fathers-to-kill/.

[4] Thought Catalog, “Moms Who Killed Their Kids” by Jim Goad, 4/20/14, http://thoughtcatalog.com/jim-goad/2014/04/20-moms-who-killed-their-kids/.

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