Parricide: Characteristics of sons and daughters who kill their parents

Matricide by sons. Although sons kill their fathers more often than their mothers,¹⁵ authors writing about parricide commonly focus on men who commit matricide. Wertham described sons who kill their mothers in terms of the “Orestes Complex,” which refers to ambivalent feelings toward the mother that ultimately manifest in homicidal rage. He noted that many matricides are committed with excessive force, occur in the bedroom, and are precipitated by trivial reasons. Wertham stated that these crimes represent the son’s unconscious hatred for his mother superimposed on sexual desire for her.¹⁶ Sigmund Freud argued that matricide served as a displacement defense against incestuous impulses.¹⁷

In 5 studies that looked at sons who killed their mothers (n=13 to 58),^5,10-13 most of which examined men residing in forensic hospitals after the crime, perpetrators were noted to be immature, dependent, and passive. In a study of 16 men with schizophrenia who committed matricide, subjects perceived themselves as “weak, small, inadequate, hopeless, doubtful about sexual identity, dependent, and unable to accept a separate, adult male role.”¹¹ Mothers generally were domineering, demanding, and possessive.

Based on our literature review, most men who committed matricide had a schizophrenia diagnosis (weighted mean 72%, range 50% to 100%); other diagnoses included depression and personality disorders. Many men were experiencing psychosis shortly before the crime, and their acts were influenced by persecutory delusions and/or auditory hallucinations. Approximately one-quarter of sons killed their mothers for altruistic reasons, such as to relieve actual or perceived suffering.

Nearly all men in these 5 studies were single and lived with their mothers before killing them, and many of the perpetrators’ fathers were absent. Mothers often were the only victims of their sons’ violent acts. In addition to delusional beliefs, sons were motivated to kill their mothers for various reasons, including threatened separation or minor arguments (eg, over food or money). Many of these homicides took place in the home. Sharp or blunt objects were the most common weapons, but guns and strangulation/asphyxiation also were used. Approximately one-half of the men used excessive violence; for example, 1 victim had 177 stab wounds. After the crimes, the perpetrators generally expressed remorse or relief.

Patricide by sons. Psychoanalysts may consider the Oedipal Complex to be the primary impetus for a son to commit patricide. By eliminating his father the son gains possession of his mother.¹⁸ Three studies looked at sons who killed their fathers; 2 examined 10 perpetrators residing in a forensic hospital after the crimes^8,14 and the third was based on coroners’ reports.¹⁰ Although the sons’ personality traits were not described, the fathers were noted to be “domineering and aggressive,” and their relationships with their sons were “cruel and unusual.”⁸ In our review of these studies, >50% of sons were diagnosed with schizophrenia (weighted mean 60%, range 49% to 80%). Many perpetrators exhibited psychotic symptoms, including delusions and hallucinations. In 1 study, 40% of sons with psychotic symptoms perceived their fathers as posing “threats of physical or psychological annihilation.”¹⁴

In 2 of these studies all of the sons were single or separated from their spouses.^8,14 Most killed only their fathers at the time of the act. Immediately before the crime, one-half of the fathers were consuming alcohol and/or arguing with their sons. Ninety percent of the fathers were killed by excessive violence. Following the acts, the sons described feeling “relief rather than remorse or guilt…leading to a feeling of freedom from the abnormal relationship.”¹⁴ One study noted that, in the course of legal proceedings, one-fifth were deemed competent to stand trial and the others were found to be incompetent and hospitalized.¹⁴

Table 1

Sons who kill their parents: Schizophrenia is common

Daughters who commit parricide

d’Orban and O’Connor conducted the only major study examining women who commit parricide,⁹ a retrospective evaluation of 17 women who killed a parent and were housed in a prison or hospital. The authors highlight the importance of delusional beliefs as a motive for parricide (Table 2).⁹