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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The goal of this article by Heide was to analyze the weapons used in homicides committed by children against parents (parricide).
METHODOLOGY:
A quasi-experimental design was employed for this study. Secondary analysis of FBI Supplementary Homicide Reports from 1977-1986 was conducted. Both adult and children parricide offenders were included in the analysis. Biological parents were analyzed separately from stepparents. Single offender, single victim incidents were the concentration of the analysis. The dataset included 1368 fathers (92% of all fathers killed by children), 887 mothers (86% of all), 562 stepfathers (89%), and 54 stepmothers (73%). Age of offender and method of homicide were examined. Descriptive statistics and chi square were used to analyze the data.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Firearms, knives or cutting instruments, blunt instruments (e.g., hammers), or personal (i.e., bodily) weapons predominated in the slaying of parents and stepparents. 97% of the fathers and stepfathers were killed with one of these weapons; 91% of mothers and 87% of stepmothers were. Fathers were significantly more likely than mothers to be killed by firearms (p<.01) with 65% of fathers killed by firearms of some type. When type of gun was included in the analysis, it was found that fathers were significantly more likely to be killed by both handguns and other firearms than mothers (p<.01). Mothers were more likely than fathers to be killed by knives or cutting instruments, blunt objects, and personal weapons (p<.01). Stepfathers were significantly more likely to be killed with rifles and shotguns than were stepmothers. Juveniles were found to be significantly more likely than adults to use firearms when killing their parents; 82% of juveniles versus 60% of adults used firearms when killing their fathers (p<.01). Juveniles who killed mothers were also significantly more likely to have used firearms (65% versus 34%; p<.01). This pattern applied as well to the killing of stepfathers who were significantly (p<.01) more likely to have used firearms. Juveniles who killed both mothers and fathers as well as stepfathers were significantly more likely to have used rifles and shotguns than their adult counterparts (p<.01), though they were not significantly more likely to have used handguns. Juveniles were significantly less likely than adults to have used knives, blunt objects, and personal weapons to kill their fathers, mothers, or stepfathers (p<.01). Fathers were found overall to be significantly more likely to be killed by firearms by both juvenile and adult offenders (p<.01). A physical strength hypothesis was advocated by the author to explain the findings in which the greater the strength differential (e.g., adolescent male, father) was, the more likely firearms were to be used because of the ability to avoid direct physical confrontation. The percentage of youth who used firearms to kill fathers, mothers, and stepfathers exceeded the overall mean of firearm homicides while the percentage of adult offenders using firearms to kill parents roughly equalled the overall average.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author argued that access to firearms, particularly rifles and shotguns, should be severely restricted. It was also advocated that we try to get more information on the circumstances of the homicides including availability and source of weapons, threat of attack by victim, and possible self-defense. The author argued that the FBI needs to make changes in its data collection procedures including the coding of multiple victim and/or multiple offender homicides to permit linkages of victims with offenders and vice versa.
EVALUATION:
The data used for this study, Supplementary Homicide Reports, exist as the best comprehensive data source for this kind of study. The inability to include multiple victim/offender cases, a weakness mentioned by the author, could provide some weakness to the conclusions, though it is likely that the numbers that were excluded would have insignificant effects on the overall picture. This study provides a useful descriptive analysis of weapons involvement in parricide. Given the dearth in the literature on parricide, particularly that committed by children over 18, this study provides essential information. However, these findings can only be used in a limited way as there was no ability to complete depth analysis of the circumstances which led to the killings, as the author discussed. The availability of weapons, access, and circumstances are critical to an understanding of the role weapons play in parricide. This analysis provides description only due to the natural limitations of the data. Further investigation is desperately needed to connect weapons to the killing of parents.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
Domestic Violence Offender
Domestic Homicide
Parent Homicide
Parent Abuse Offender
Adult Parent
Adult Offender
Adult Violence
Adult Victim
Homicide Victim
Elder Adult Victim
Juvenile Violence
Juvenile Offender
Homicide Offender
Offender Firearms Use
Offender Weapons Use
Firearms Violence
Weapons Violence
Adult Firearms Use
Adult Weapons Use
Juvenile Weapons Use
Juvenile Firearms Use
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