All articles tagged with #filicide
After a mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s triple-murder case, her defense lawyer Kevin Reddington says Clancy repeatedly whispers, “I want my babies,” and claims she is living with postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors argue the killings were premeditated; Clancy remains in a Massachusetts state psychiatric facility, and it’s unclear whether the case will be retried or resolved through a plea.
After a Louisiana mass shooting where a father killed seven of his eight children, forensic psychiatrists explain filicide through Phillip Resnick’s five motives—fatal maltreatment, unwanted/neonaticide, spousal revenge, altruistic filicide, and acutely psychotic—emphasizing that motives are varied and often tied to mental health, stress, and relationships; the article notes that nearly 500 filicide arrests occur in the U.S. annually and that mothers and fathers kill at similar rates, with cases like Andrea Yates illustrating insanity defenses.
The article explains filicide—the killing of a child by a parent—in the Shreveport massacre, where police say Shamar Elkins fatally shot the mother of his children, another woman, seven of his children, and a cousin. It outlines four main motives experts cite for parental killings: fatal maltreatment, an unwanted child, partner revenge, and acutely psychotic/altruistic acts, and it places the case in historical context with contrasts to the 1987 Ronald Gene Simmons family killings. It also notes Louisiana’s high rate of homicide-related child deaths and that Elkins was reportedly under separation and custody pressures before the shootings.
A mother in the Dominican Republic poisoned her three children and took her own life, amid a series of recent child murders on the island involving parents. Several other cases of suspected filicide have been reported recently, highlighting a concerning trend of parental violence and mental health issues. Authorities are investigating these incidents, which include poisoning, suffocation, and hanging.
A 16-year-old boy was tragically murdered by his father in Lake Wales, Florida. The father, Stephen Thomas Rodda, allegedly used an angle grinder to kill his son, Stephen Lee Rodda. The victim's grandfather discovered the gruesome scene and alerted the police. The suspect fled but was apprehended shortly after. The motive for the murder remains unknown. The father had a history of drug use and psychotic episodes, while the victim was described as a promising young man training to be an electrician. This is the second case of filicide in Polk County within a week.