A familicide is a type of

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

or murder-suicide in which one kills multiple close family members in quick succession, most often children, spouses, siblings, or parents. In half the cases, the killer lastly kills themselves in a murder-suicide. If only the parents are killed, the case may also be referred to as a

parricide Parricide refers to the deliberate killing of one’s own father and mother, spouse (husband or wife), children, and/or close relative. However, the term is sometimes used more generally to refer to the intentional killing of a near relative. It ...

. Where all members of a family are killed, the crime may be referred to as family annihilation.

Familicide of others

Familicides were used as an enhanced punishment in antiquity. In ancient China, the "

nine familial exterminations The nine familial exterminations or nine kinship exterminations or execution of nine relations, also known by the names ''zuzhu'' ("family execution") and ''miezu'' ("family extermination"), was the most severe punishment for a capital offense in ...

" was the killing of an entire extended family or clan, usually for treason. Machiavelli advocated the extermination of a previous ruler's family to prevent uprisings in ''

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...

''.

Sippenhaft ''Sippenhaft'' or ''Sippenhaftung'' (, ''kin liability'') is a German term for the idea that a family or clan shares the responsibility for a crime or act committed by one of its members, justifying collective punishment. As a legal principle, it ...

(English: kin liability) was used in Nazi Germany to punish and sometimes execute the relatives of defectors and anyone involved in the

20 July plot On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia, now Kętrzyn, in present-day Poland. The ...

La Cosa Nostra The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its membe ...

began killing the relatives, including women and more recently children, of informants (

pentiti ''Pentito'' (; lit. "repentant"; plural: ''pentiti'') is used colloquially to designate collaborators of justice in Italian criminal procedure terminology who were formerly part of criminal organizations and decided to collaborate with a public ...

) and rivals in the 1980s. It is not incorporated formally into any modern judicial systems, except in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

, where whole-family internment at

Kaechon internment camp Kaechon Internment Camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Kae'chŏn or ''Gaecheon'') is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners and descendants of alleged criminals. The official name for the camp is Kwan-li-so (Penal-labor colony) No. 14. T ...

often ends in death.

Family annihilation

Definition and statistics

Between 1900 and 2000, there were 909 victims of

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

in the US (defined as four victims within a 24-hour period). Of those, more than half occurred within an immediate family. Although the familicide cases are relatively rare, they are the most common form of mass killings. However, statistical data are difficult to establish due to reporting discrepancies.Berton, Justin
"Familicide: Experts say family murder-suicides, though rare, are most common mass killing"
. ''San Francisco Examiner'', June 20, 2007. Familicide differs from other forms of mass murder in that the murderer kills family members or loved ones rather than anonymous people. This has a different psychodynamic and psychiatric significance, but the distinction is not always made. A study of 30 cases in Ohio found that most of the killings were motivated by a parent's desire to stop their children's suffering. According to ABC News contributor and former FBI agent Brad Garrett, people responsible for killing their families tend to be white males in their 30s. Many of these crimes occur in August, before school starts, which may delay detection and investigation. In Australia, a study was done of seven cases of familicide followed by suicide in which marital separation followed by custody and access disputes were identified as an issue. Some common factors such as marital discord, unhappiness, domestic violence, sexual abuse, threats of harm to self or others were found in varying degrees. It was not clear what could be done in terms of prevention.Johnson, Carolyn. ''Familicide and Custody Disputes: Dispelling the Myths''. University of Western Australia,
FamilicideAbstract_CarolynJohnson.pdf
The Director of the

Birmingham City University Birmingham City University (abbrev. BCU) is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic in 1971 and gai ...

Centre of Applied Criminology, David Wilson, co-wrote a study with two others, "A taxonomy of male British family annihilators, 1980–2013", examining British familicides in the period. Newspaper articles were used as references. The study concluded that most of the perpetrators were male. Men who murder their entire families usually do so because they believe their spouse performed a wrongdoing and that the spouse needs to be punished, they feel that the family members caused a disappointment, they feel that their own financial failings ruined the point of having a family, and because they wish to save their family from a perceived threat. Far fewer women commit familicide, and those who do usually have different reasons, including perceived or imagined loss of custody of children. Male family annihilators are typically driven by loss of control, including financial crises, separation or divorce, and may demonstrate evidence for domestic violence, while for women perpetrators, battery, abuse or mental illness is more common, the act itself more likely premeditated and more likely to include victims under the age of one. A literature review done in 2018 noted contextual and offense characteristics of familicide. Among the 63 articles reviewed 74–85% noted relationship problems or separation. This article also found evidence of financial problems, intoxication, and use of firearms. This literature review unveiled that 71% of these offenses were motivated in regard to conflict between parents and 29% associated to the perpetrators' situation in life. Lastly this article reported two studies, one of which found that many of the motives involved feelings of abandonment, psychosis, and narcissistic rage. The other study found that 60% of these perpetrators were suicidal and 40% homicidal.

Narrative

The internal logic for family annihilation can stem from a number of sources. David Wilson of Birmingham City University has divided these cases into four groups:

anomic In sociology, anomie () is a social condition defined by an uprooting or breakdown of any moral values, standards or guidance for individuals to follow. Anomie is believed to possibly evolve from conflict of belief systems and causes breakdown ...

, disappointed, self-righteous, and paranoid. In this typology, the anomic killer sees his family purely as a status symbol; when his economic status collapses, he sees them as surplus to requirements. The disappointed killer seeks to punish the family for not living up to his ideals of family life. The self-righteous killer destroys the family to exact revenge upon the mother, in an act that he blames on her. Finally, the paranoid killer kills their family in what they imagine to be an attempt to protect them from something even worse.

Notable familicides

* George Forster, December 5, 1802,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. Forster allegedly killed his wife and child by drowning them in the

Paddington Canal The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-p ...

. *

Juhani Aataminpoika Juhani Aataminpoika (; born 31 July 1826 in Vesivehmaa, Asikkala – September 1854 in Suomenlinna), alias Kerpeikkari (), was a Grand Duchy of Finland, Finnish serial killer. He killed 12 people in southern Finland between October and N ...

, October 18, 1849,

Heinola Heinola () is a town and a municipality of inhabitants () located in the eastern part of the Päijänne Tavastia region, Finland, near the borders of the South Savonia region and the Kymenlaakso region. It is the third largest municipality in ...

, Finland. Aataminpoika killed his mother, stepfather and their two children, who were his siblings. * Marty Bergen, January 19, 1900, North Brookfield, Massachusetts. Bergen killed his wife and two children with an axe, then slit his own throat. *

James Reid Baxter The Invercargill Tragedy was a familicide that took place in Invercargill, New Zealand on 8 April 1908. James Reid Baxter killed his wife and five children with an iron stove scraper before shooting himself in the head with a shotgun. It was the ...

, April 8, 1908,

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

, New Zealand. Baxter killed his wife and five children, then himself. *

Mateo Banks Mateo Banks y Keena (18 November 1872–28 August 1949) was an Argentine spree killer who murdered six members of his family, in addition to two of the family's employees. The crimes occurred on two of the family's rural estates at Parish, near ...

, April 18, 1922,

Azul, Buenos Aires Azul (, English: "blue", for the stream Azul, which flows through the area) is the head city of the Azul Partido, located at the center of the Buenos Aires Province in Argentina, 300 km south of Buenos Aires. It has 63,000 inhabitants as per ...

, Argentina. Banks shot dead three siblings, two nieces, one sister-in-law and two family employees. *

Charles Lawson Quintin Charles Devenish "Charlie" Lawson (born 17 September 1959) is an actor, from Northern Ireland, who is best known for playing Jim McDonald on the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. Early life and education Lawson was b ...

, December 25, 1929,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, USA. Lawson killed six children and his wife with a 12-gauge shotgun, bludgeoned the bodies to make sure they were dead, and then walked into the woods and shot himself. *

Magda Goebbels Johanna Maria Magdalena "Magda" Goebbels (née Ritschel; 11 November 1901 – 1 May 1945) was the wife of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. A prominent member of the Nazi Party, she was a close ally, companion, and politic ...

and her husband

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, May 1, 1945,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany. The Goebbels fatally poisoned their six children before committing suicide together. *

Troy axe murders The Troy axe murders were a familicide of seven individuals in Troy, Michigan, United States, in September 1964. William G. Gravlin (June 4, 1934–March 1, 1994), a Royal Oak fireman, was convicted of slashing his cousin's wife in 1961 and was ...

, September 28, 1964. William G. Gravlin, a fireman who had recently exited a state hospital after slashing a cousin's wife, murdered Gravlin's wife and his six stepchildren with an axe. *

Charles Whitman Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American mass murderer who became known as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, Whitman used knives to kill his mother and his wife in their respective homes, then went to ...

, August 1, 1966,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. Whitman killed his wife and mother before committing the

University of Texas tower shooting On August 1, 1966, after stabbing his mother and his wife to death the previous night, Charles Whitman, a Marine veteran, took rifles and other weapons to the observation deck atop the Main Building tower at the University of Texas at Austin, ...

, killing 15 additional people and wounding 31 others. * Jeffrey MacDonald, February 17, 1970,

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

, North Carolina. MacDonald has been convicted of killing his pregnant wife and two preschool-aged daughters. * John List, November 9, 1971,

Westfield, New Jersey Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 30,316,Ronald DeFeo Jr. Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. (September 26, 1951 – March 12, 2021) was an American mass murderer who was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters in Amityville, Long Island, New York. Conde ...

, November 13, 1974, Amityville, Long Island, New York. DeFeo killed his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters. *

James Ruppert The Easter Sunday Massacre occurred on Easter Sunday, March 30, 1975, when James Urban Ruppert fatally shot eleven members of his own family in his mother's house at 635 Minor Avenue in Hamilton, Ohio. Ruppert was tried and found guilty on two ...

, March 30, 1975,

Hamilton, Ohio Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Ohio, United States. Located north of Cincinnati, Hamilton is the second largest city in the Greater Cincinnati area and the 10th largest city in Ohio. The population was 63,399 at th ...

. Ruppert killed 11 family members. * Bradford Bishop, March 1, 1976, Bethesda, Maryland. Bishop allegedly killed his mother, wife, and three sons. *

Simon Nelson Simon Peter Nelson (October 2, 1931 – June 18, 2017) was an American mass murderer who was convicted of murdering his six children, aged 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, and 3. He also killed his dog. Early life During his trial, Nelson claimed his fat ...

, January 7, 1978,

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

. Nelson killed his six children and the family’s dog. * James Alan Day, October 18, 1984, Evansville, Indiana. Day killed his six children before committing suicide. *

Ronald Gene Simmons Ronald Gene Simmons Sr. (July 15, 1940 – June 25, 1990) was an American mass murderer and spree killer who killed 16 people over a week-long period in Arkansas in 1987. A retired military serviceman, Simmons murdered fourteen members of his ...

, December 22–26, 1987,

Dover, Arkansas Dover is a really small town in Pope County, Arkansas, Pope County , Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,378 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. Dover is located in the Arkansas River Valley, and is part of the Russellville Mi ...

. Simmons killed 14 family members ranging in age from 20 months to 46 years. *

David Brom David Francis Brom (born October 3, 1971) is an American mass murderer. He killed his parents, brother and sister with an axe in February 1988 in Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of O ...

murdered his mother, father, younger brother, and sister with an axe in 1988. * József Istvan Barsi, July 25, 1988,

Canoga Park Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and t ...

, California. Barsi killed his wife and daughter Judith before committing suicide two days later. *

Ricardo Barreda Ricardo Alberto Barreda (16 June 1936 – 24 November 2020) was an Argentine dentist who was found guilty of murdering his wife, Gladys McDonald, his two daughters, Cecilia and Adriana Barreda, and his mother-in-law, Elena Arreche, on 15 November ...

, November 15, 1992, La Plata, Argentina. Barreda killed his wife, mother-in-law and two daughters. * Jean-Claude Romand, January 9–10, 1993,

Prévessin-Moëns Prévessin-Moëns is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France, in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The residents of Prévessin-Moëns are known as ''Prévessinois'' or ''Prévessinoises'' (feminine). Geography The commune of ...

, France. Romand killed his wife, two children, his parents and their dog, and attempted to kill his ex-mistress. *

Susan Smith Susan Leigh Smith (née Vaughan; born September 26, 1971) is an American woman who was convicted of murdering her two sons, three-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander, in 1994 by drowning them in a South Carolina lake. The case gained i ...

, October 25, 1994, Union, South Carolina. Smith drowned her two sons in a lake and blamed it on an imaginary Black hijacker. *

Freeman family murders The Freeman family murders occurred in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania on February 26, 1995. Two brothers, 17-year-old Bryan Freeman and 16-year-old David Freeman, and their cousin, 18-year-old Nelson "Ben" Birdwell III, brutally ...

, February 26, 1995,

Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Salisbury Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The township's population was 13,505 at the 2010 census. The township borders Allentown (Pennsylvania's third largest city), Bethlehem, and Emmaus, in the Lehigh Valley, which had a ...

. Two brothers and their cousin murdered the brothers’ parents and younger brother. *

Kip Kinkel The Thurston High School shooting occurred on May 21, 1998, at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon. 15-year-old freshman student Kipland Kinkel, who had been scheduled to appear at an expulsion hearing the day prior, murdered his parent ...

, May 20, 1998, Springfield, Oregon. Kinkel killed his parents before committing a school shooting, leaving two additional dead and 25 wounded. *

Vladimir Pokhilko Vladimir Ivanovich Pokhilko (Russian: Владимир Иванович Похилько) (7 April 1954 – 21 September 1998) was a Soviet-Russian entrepreneur. He was an academic who specialized in human–computer interaction. Early life Born ...

, September 21, 1998, Palo Alto, California. Pokhilko bludgeoned and stabbed his wife and son to death before committing suicide by slitting his own throat. * Mark Barton, July 27, 1999, Stockbridge, Georgia. Barton bludgeoned his wife, son, and daughter to death before going on a shooting rampage at day trading places before killing himself. * Phillip Austin, July 10, 2000, Northampton, England. Austin murdered his wife, two children, and the family's two dogs. *

Lundy murders Christine Marie Lundy, 38, and her 7-year-old daughter Amber Grace Lundy were murdered in Palmerston North, New Zealand, on 29 August 2000. In February 2001, after a six month investigation, Mark Edward Lundy (then aged 43), Christine's husband, ...

, August 29, 2000,

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

, New Zealand. Mark Lundy murdered his wife and daughter. *

Robert William Fisher Robert William Fisher (born April 13, 1961) is an American fugitive wanted for allegedly killing his family and blowing up the house in which they lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 10, 2001. Fisher served in the United States Navy and lat ...

, April 10, 2001, Scottsdale, Arizona. Fisher has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder of his wife and two children and one count of arson. He is currently a fugitive from justice. * Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah, June 1, 2001,

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

, Nepal. Dipendra allegedly killed the royal family of Nepal at a family dinner and died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. *

Andrea Yates Andrea Pia Yates ( Kennedy; born July 2, 1964) is an American woman from Houston, Texas, who confessed to drowning her five children in their bathtub on June 20, 2001. She had severe postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and schizophreni ...

, June 20, 2001, Clear Lake City, Texas. Yates killed her five children, aged between six months and seven years. * Bluestone family murders, August 28, 2001, Gravesend, Kent, England. PC Karl Bluestone killed his wife and two of their four children before committing suicide. *

Christian Longo Christian Michael Longo (born January 23, 1974) is a convicted murderer who killed his wife and three children in Oregon. Background Originating from Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, Longo married Mary Jane Baker at age 19 and had three children w ...

, December 18, 2001, Lincoln County, Oregon. Longo killed his wife and three children. *

Marcus Wesson Marcus Delon Wesson (born August 22, 1946) is an American criminal convicted of nine counts of first-degree murder and 14 sex crimes, including the rape and molestation of his underage daughters. His victims were his children, fathered by inces ...

, March 12, 2004, Fresno, California. Wesson killed nine of his children/wives that he fathered through his legal wife and his polygamist wives who were also his daughters and nieces. *

Neil Entwistle Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

, January 20, 2006, Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Entwistle killed his wife and infant daughter. *

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the WWE, World Wrestlin ...

, June 22–24, 2007, Fayetteville, Georgia. Benoit killed his wife and son before taking his own life. * Steven Sueppel, March 23, 2008, Iowa City, Iowa. Sueppel killed his wife, their four children, and himself. * Christopher Foster, August 26, 2008, Maesbrook, Shropshire, England. Foster killed his wife, daughter, horses, and dogs in his luxury home with a rifle before setting the house on fire, dying himself. *

William Parente William M. Parente (July 20, 1949 – April 20, 2009) was a New York real estate attorney who came into the spotlight following the murders of his wife and two daughters and his suicide. At the time, he was also under investigation by the FBI fo ...

, April 19–20, 2009, Towson, Maryland. Parente killed his wife, two daughters, and himself. * Christopher Coleman, May 5, 2009, Columbia, Illinois. Coleman killed his wife Sherri and their sons Garrett and Gavin in the family's home. Coleman was convicted of their murders on May 5, 2011, exactly 2 years after the murders. *

Schenecker double homicide The murders of Calyx and Beau Schenecker occurred on January 27, 2011; 16-year-old Calyx and 13-year-old Beau Schenecker were found dead by police at their home in Tampa, Florida. Their mother, Julie Powers Schenecker, was arrested on suspicion ...

, January 27, 2011, Tampa, Florida. Julie Schenecker murdered her two children while her husband, a U.S. Army officer, was deployed to Iraq. * Dupont de Ligonnès murders and disappearance, April 2011, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, France. The wife and four children of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès were found murdered and buried at the family home. Xavier, the only suspect, disappeared and has never been found. *

Rzeszowski family homicides The Rzeszowski family homicides occurred on 14 August 2011 in Saint Helier, Jersey in the Channel Islands. Damian Rzeszowski stabbed to death six people including four members of his family. He was found guilty of manslaughter with diminished res ...

, August 14, 2011,

St Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

. Damian Rzeszowski stabbed to death his wife, his two small children, his father-in-law, his neighbor, and the neighbor's child. Sentenced to 30 years in prison, died in custody on 31 March 2018. * Powell murders, December 6, 2009,

West Valley City, Utah West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census, making it the second-largest city in Utah. The city incorporated in 1980 from a large, quic ...

, and February 5, 2012,

South Hill, Washington South Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, immediately south of Puyallup. The population was 64,708 at time of the 2020 census, up from 52,431 in 2010. The name describes the area's location above the south side ...

. Joshua Powell murdered his sons Charles and Braden by bludgeoning them and setting fire to the house he was renting in February 2012. He is also believed to have murdered his wife Susan in December 2009. Powell committed suicide at the scene after killing his sons. *

Cairns child killings On 19 December 2014, at 11:20 a.m., police were called to 34 Murray Street in the Cairns suburb of Manoora in Australia, where eight children were found dead. The victims were aged between 18 months and 14 years. The bodies, with stab woun ...

, December 18–19, 2014, Cairns, Australia. Raina Mersane Ina Thaiday (AKA Mersane Warria) was alleged to have drugged and stabbed seven of her children and one of their cousins before attempting to kill herself. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity. *

Van Breda murders The Van Breda murders were the killings of three family members and serious injury of another on 27 January 2015 at a golf estate in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa. After a year and a half of investigations by the South African Pol ...

, January 27, 2015,

Stellenbosch Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

, South Africa. Henri Christo van Breda murdered his parents and brother and severely wounded his sister. * Broken Arrow killings, July 22, 2015, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Brothers Robert and Michael Bever murdered five family members (father, mother and three younger siblings). Two survived the attack, one unharmed. Robert and Michael were each charged with five consecutive counts of first-degree murder. * Joost family murders, February 2016,

Oak Forest, Illinois Oak Forest is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The city is out south-southwest of downtown Chicago in Bremen Township. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,478. History Human habitation in Oak Forest began during the ea ...

, David Joost, 54, strangled his wife Margaret O’Leary Joost, 55, and their son Daniel in their beds then killed himself in the garage. The couple raised 2 children, their daughter, who was 20 was away at college in Decatur. David was said to be distraught over finances after losing his job. * 2016 Spalding shooting, July 19, 2016,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, United Kingdom. Lance Hart killed his wife and daughter before killing himself. *

Hart family murders The Hart family murders was a murder–suicide which took place on March 26, 2018, in Mendocino County, California, United States. Jennifer Hart and her wife, Sarah Hart, murdered their six adopted children: Ciera (aged 12), Abigail (14), Jerem ...

, March 26, 2018,

Mendocino County, California Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish language, Spanish for "of Antonio de Mendoza, Mendoza) is a County (United States), county located on the North Coast (California), North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United Sta ...

. Jennifer and Sarah Hart deliberately drove off a cliff with their six adopted children out of fear that they would be found out as abusive parents. *

Osmington shooting The Osmington shooting was a familicide in Osmington, Western Australia, on 11 May 2018, in which Peter Miles, a 61-year-old retired high school farm manager, shot dead his wife, daughter, and four grandchildren, before calling police and then c ...

, May 11, 2018, Osmington, Western Australia. Peter Miles murdered his wife, daughter, and his four grandchildren before killing himself. *

Watts family murders In the early hours of August 13, 2018, in Frederick, Colorado, American oil field operator Christopher Lee Watts (born May 16, 1985) murdered his pregnant wife Shanann (34) by strangulation, and their two children Bella (4) and Celeste (3) by sm ...

, August 13, 2018, Frederick, Colorado. Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their two daughters. *

Grant Amato Grant Tiernan Amato (born May 20, 1989) is an American murderer who was convicted of a familicide that occurred on the evening of January 24, 2019. Amato shot his father, mother, and brother Cody in the head at their home in Seminole County, Flo ...

, January 24, 2019,

Seminole County, Florida Seminole County (, ) is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 470,856. Its county seat and largest city is Sanford. Seminole County is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-S ...

. Amato killed his father, mother and brother. * Zaman family homicides, July 28, 2019, Markham, Ontario. Menhaz Zaman killed his mother, father, sister, and grandmother inside their family home. * Khen family murders, December 14, 2019, Jenks, Oklahoma, USA. Thang Khen gathered his family in the garage, shooting two of his four children before killing himself. *

Todt family murders The Todt Family Murders was a multiple homicide case that occurred in December 2019 in Disney's planned community of Celebration, Florida. Anthony "Tony" Todt, age 44, confessed to the murders of his wife, 42-year-old Megan Todt, and their three c ...

, December 2019, Celebration, Florida. Anthony Todt confessed to the murders of his wife, 42-year-old Megan, their three children: Alek, age 13; Tyler, age 11; and Zoe, age 4, and the family dog, Breezy. *

Murder of Hannah Clarke Hannah Clarke (formerly Baxter; 8 September 1988 – 19 February 2020) was an Australian woman who was fatally burned in a petrol fire in her car, along with her three children, in a quadruple murder–suicide by her estranged husband, Rowan Bax ...

, February 19, 2020, Camp Hill, Queensland, Australia. Rowan Baxter set fire to the interior of his wife's car, killing their three children, before killing himself. His wife Hannah would die later that day from her injuries. * Walton family murders, February 27, 2020,

Monroe County, Georgia Monroe County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Georgia, central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 27,957. The county seat is ...

, Candace Louise Walton set fire to her home murdering her brother, Gerald Walton, 21, and her mother Tasha Vandiver, 46. She pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentence to life with a minimum of 30 years. * Bascov killings, August 9, 2022,

Bascov Bascov is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bascov, Brăileni, Glâmbocu, Mica, Prislopu Mic, Schiau, Uiasca, and Valea Ursului. The commune lies on the , an area of foothills leading up to the Sou ...

, Arges County, Romania. Viorel Stan, a 52-year-old mentally ill man, killed five members of his family using stones and a hammer. * Milligan Ricker murders, September 9, 2022, Elk Mills, Maryland, US. Marcus Milligan, a 39-year-old violent domestic abuser, murdered four members of his family, his wife, Tara Ricker Milligan, 37, and children, Teresa, 13, Nora , 11, and Finn, 8, before turning the gun on himself. * Gomes family murders, September 28th, 2022,

, Carlos Gomez, 44, shot his estranged wife, Lupe Gomez, 43, and two of his stepchildren, Briana Rodriguez, 22, and Emilio Rodriguez, 20, outside their home. Carlos then barricaded himself inside their home and set the house on fire before shooting himself in the head.{{cite web , url=https://people.com/crime/man-killed-wife-her-children-murder-suicide-oak-forest-illinois , title= Ill. Man Shot Wife and Her 2 Children Before Setting Home on Fire, Turning Gun on Himself. , date=28 September 2022

Related terms

United States family homicides by relationship 1980 2008

Filicide Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child. The word ''filicide'' is derived from the Latin words and ('son' and 'daughter') and the suffix ''-cide'', meaning to kill, murder, or cause death. The word can refer both ...

{{ndash the killing of a child (or children) by one's own parent (or parents) *

Fratricide Fratricide (, from the Latin words ' "brother" and the assimilated root of ' "to kill, to cut down") is the act of killing one's own brother. It can either be done directly or via the use of either a hired or an indoctrinated intermediary (a ...

{{ndash the killing of one’s brother *

Infanticide Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose is the prevention of reso ...

{{ndash the killing of one's child (or children) up to 12 months of age *

Mariticide Mariticide (from Latin ''maritus'' "husband" + ''-cide'', from ''caedere'' "to cut, to kill") literally means the killing of one's own husband. It can refer to the act itself or the person who carries it out. It can also be used in the context o ...

{{ndash the killing of a husband or significant other; current common law term for either spouse of either sex/gender *

Matricide Matricide is the act of killing one's own mother. Known or suspected matricides * Amastrine, Amastris, queen of Heraclea, was drowned by her two sons in 284 BC. * Cleopatra III of Egypt was assassinated in 101 BC by order of her son, Ptole ...

{{ndash the killing of one's mother *

Patricide Patricide is (i) the act of killing one's own father, or (ii) a person who kills their own father or stepfather. The word ''patricide'' derives from the Greek word ''pater'' (father) and the Latin suffix ''-cida'' (cutter or killer). Patricide ...

{{ndash the killing of one's father *

Sororicide Sororicide (from Latin ''soror'' "sister" + ''-cide'', from ''caedere'' "to cut, to kill") is the act of killing one's own sister. There are a number of examples of sororicide and fratricide in adolescents, even pre-adolescents, where sibling ...

{{ndash the killing of one's sister *

Uxoricide Uxoricide (from Latin ''uxor'' meaning "wife" and -cide, from ''caedere'' meaning "to cut, to kill") is the killing of one's own wife. It can refer to the act itself or the person who carries it out. It can also be used in the context of the ki ...

{{ndash the killing of a wife or significant other

References

Citations

{{Reflist

General and cited sources

* Deith, Jane (March 6, 2012)
"What drives a man to kill himself and his family?"

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

.
"Tragic cases of 'family annihilation' in the UK"
''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

''. August 24, 2012. * Pemberton, Max (December 17, 2011)
"What drives a father to kill?"
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

''. * Harrison, Louise (August 2, 2010)
"Family Annihilation: Debt, Depression and the Fragile Family"
Counterfire.

External links

* {{wiktionary inline {{Suicide navbox Family Homicide Killings by type *Familicides