Pedicide, also known as child murder, child manslaughter or child homicide, is the

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

of an individual who is a minor. In many legal jurisdictions, it is considered an

aggravated Aggravation, in law, is "any circumstance attending the commission of a crime or tort which increases its guilt or enormity or adds to its injurious consequences, but which is above and beyond the essential constituents of the crime or tort itself" ...

form of homicide. The age of the victim may constitute an aggravated factor for homicide offenses, or child murder may be a stand-alone criminal offense.

Punishment by jurisdiction

United States

In 2008, there were 1,494 pedicides in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Of those killed, 1,035 were male and 452 were female. About half of the states that maintain the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

have included pedicide to their list of aggravating factors that may make a murder punishable by death. The victim's age under which the crime is a capital crime varies between states. The ages are set between 10 and 17, with 12 being the most common age. Child

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

can result in an aggravated charge in some jurisdictions such as in the

State of Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

United Kingdom

Any murder in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

carries a

mandatory life sentence Mandatory sentencing requires that people convicted of certain crimes serve a predefined term of imprisonment, removing the discretion of judges to take issues such as extenuating circumstances and a person's likelihood of rehabilitation into co ...

. In

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, pedicides involving sexual or sadistic conduct or abduction of the victim can result in a whole life order (i.e. life imprisonment without the possibility of parole) being imposed where the offender is at least 21 years of age. Sentencing guidelines state that where the offender is under 21, the starting point is a minimum term of 30 years.

By other children

In most countries, there are very few cases where children are killed by other children. According to the U.S. Department of Justice statistics for 1996, one in five pedicides were committed by other children. Several pedicides have gained prominent media exposure. One was the killing on 12 February 1993 of the 2-year-old boy James Bulger by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables who were both 10-years-old in

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Bootle (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. It is pa ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

. He was beaten and stoned before his corpse was left on train tracks in order to give the impression that a train had hit him. Bulger's killers became the youngest convicted murderers in the modern history of the United Kingdom. Another notable case in the UK occurred in 1968 in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, when 10-year-old

Mary Bell Mary Flora Bell (born 26 May 1957) is an English woman who, as a juvenile, killed two preschool-age boys in Benwell and Scotswood, Scotswood, an inner suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, in 1968. Bell committed her first killing when she was ten ye ...

was convicted of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility in the deaths of toddlers Martin Brown and Brian Howe. She was released in 1980 at the age of 23. In 1998, 8-year-old Madelyn Clifton was killed by 14-year-old Josh Phillips.

By medical professionals

Children, especially infants, have been killed on purpose by medical professionals. Katherine Ramsland, an expert in serial killers, believes predatory offenders may view healthcare agencies as "places of trust" where they have advantages. While other killers may decide to reduce the workload, or set someone up out of spite, or get

God complex A god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. The person is also highly dogmatic in their views, meaning the person speaks of their personal opinions as t ...

and think they are helping their victims, or be seeking attention, self-empowerment, and thrill. In one such case, neonatal nurse

Lucy Letby Lucy Letby (born 4 January 1990) is a British former neonatal nurse who was convicted of the murders of seven infants and the attempted murders of seven others between June 2015 and June 2016. Letby came under investigation following a high ...

was accused of killing at least 7 infants between June 2015 and 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital and attempting to kill a further 10 more.

Media coverage

In 1992, after the fatal shooting of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis as he left the Cabrini–Green

public housing Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

project for school, the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' put every pedicide on the front page. 62 pedicides were reported that year. Multiple deaths in one incident, such as the 1999

Columbine High School massacre A school shooting and attempted bombing occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 13 students and one teach ...

, 2012

Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Newtown Public Schools, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people. The victims were 20 children bet ...

and the 1996

Dunblane massacre The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and one teacher and injured 15 others before killing himself. It remains the d ...

tend to gather the most media attention but are statistically scarce. File:Police at Sandy Hook.PNG, A photo of the police at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Ended.

Genocide and child soldiers

The military use of children refers to children being placed in harm's way in military actions, in order to protect a location or provide propaganda. This is sometimes referred to as child sacrifice, though not equivalent to the religious variety. It may also refer to the use of children as child soldiers or saboteurs.

Red Hand Day Red Hand Day, or the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, has been observed on February 12 annually since 2002, where pleas are made to political leaders and events are staged around the world to draw attention to child soldiers: ...

on February 12 is an annual commemoration day to draw public attention to the practice of using children as soldiers in wars and armed conflicts.

"Muti killings"

Medicine murder, often referred to as ''muti killing'', is a practice of

human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...

and

mutilation Mutilation or maiming (from the ) is Bodily harm, severe damage to the body that has a subsequent harmful effect on an individual's quality of life. In the modern era, the term has an overwhelmingly negative connotation, referring to alteratio ...

associated with traditional medicinal practices, such as Muti. Victims of muti killings are often children. Organs and/or body parts are usually taken while the child is still alive. An unknown child (referred to as ''

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

''), whose decapitated torso was found in the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 2002 is believed to have been the victim of a muti killing.

Murdered children of royalty

Theodor Hildebrandt - The Murder of the Sons of Edward IV - Google Art Project

Alexander IV of Macedon Alexander IV (Greek: ; August 323 BC – Late summer 309 BC), sometimes erroneously called Aegus in modern times, was the posthumous son of Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon) by his wife Roxana of Bactria. As his father's ...

, 323–309 BC *Two sons of Queen Dowager Zhao of Qin and her lover

Lao Ai Lao Ai (; died 238 BCE) was an imposter eunuch and official of the State of Qin during the late Warring States period. Allegedly falsifying his castration in order to gain entry into the court of Qin, he became the favorite of Queen Dowager Zhao, ...

, † 238 BC *

Hieronymus of Syracuse Hieronymus (; 231–214 BC) was a tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily, Syracuse, Magna Graecia. He succeeded his grandfather, Hiero II of Syracuse, Hiero II, in 215 BC. He was at this time only fifteen years old, and he ascended the throne at a crisis ful ...

, 231–214 BC *

Caesarion Ptolemy XV Caesar (; , ; 47 BC – late August 30 BC), nicknamed Caesarion (, , "Little Caesar"), was the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, reigning with his mother Cleopatra VII from 2 September 44 BC until her death by 10 or 12 ...

, June 23, 47 BC – August 23, 30 BC *

Julia Drusilla Julia Drusilla (16 September 16 – 10 June 38 AD) was a member of the Roman imperial family, the second daughter and fifth child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder to survive infancy. She was the favorite sister of Emperor Caligula, who ...

, summer of AD 39 – 24 January 41 * Diadumenian, Roman co-emperor (May–June 218), September 14, 208 – June 218 * Licinius II, Roman co-emperor (317-324), c. 315 – c. 326 *Gisald (son of

Sigismund of Burgundy Sigismund (; died 524 AD) was List of kings of Burgundy, King of the Burgundians from 516 until his death. He was the son of king Gundobad and Caretene. He succeeded his father in 516. Sigismund and his brother Godomar were defeated in battle b ...

), † 1 May 524 *Gondebaud (son of

), † 1 May 524 *Théodebald (son of

Chlodomer Chlodomer, also spelled Clodomir or Clodomer (c. 495 - 524) was the second of the four sons of Clovis I, King of the Franks. History Clodomir was the eldest son of Clovis and his wife, Clotilde. On the death of his father, in 511, he divided ...

), c. 521-531 *Gunthaire (son of

), c. 523-531 * Tremorus of Brittany (son or stepson of

Conomor Conomor ( ), also known as Conomerus or Conomor the Cursed, was an early medieval ruler of Brittany. His name, which has the Welsh (language), Welsh cognate Cynfawr, means "Great Dog", but could also indicate "Sea Dog" in early Brythonic languages, ...

) - ''Legendary'' (6th century AD) *

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

(son of East-Roman emperor Maurice), † 27 November 602 *Petrus (son of East-Roman emperor Maurice), † 27 November 602 *Paulus (son of East-Roman emperor Maurice), † 27 November 602 *Justin (son of East-Roman emperor Maurice), † 27 November 602 *Justinian (son of East-Roman emperor Maurice), † 27 November 602 *Merovech (son of

Theudebert II Theudebert II () (c.585–612), King of Austrasia (595–612 AD), was the son and heir of Childebert II. He received the kingdom of Austrasia plus the cities (''civitates'') of Poitiers, Tours, Le Puy-en-Velay, Bordeaux, and Châteaudun, as ...

Austrasia Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...

), † 612 * Chilperic, king of Aquitaine, † 632 * Tiberius, Byzantine co-emperor (706-711), 705 – December 711 *

Edward the Martyr Edward the Martyr ( – 18 March 978) was King of the English from 8 July 975 until he was killed in 978. He was the eldest son of King Edgar (r. 959–975). On Edgar's death, the succession to the throne was contested between Edward's sup ...

, c. 962 – 18 March 978 *Several sons of Harald Kesja, some of which might have been minor, were murdered in 1135 *Harald (son of Sigurd Munn &

Kristin Sigurdsdatter Kristin Sigurdsdatter (ca. 1125–1178) was a Norwegian princess and mother of King Magnus V of Norway. Kristin was a daughter of King Sigurd I of Norway and Malmfred of Kiev. She married Erling Skakke (''Erling Ormsson Skakke''), a Norwegian ...

), killed in the 1160s before the

age of majority The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when a person ceases to be considered a minor (law), minor, and assumes legal control over their person, actions, and decisions, thus te ...

* Alexios II Komnenos, 14 September 1169 – September 1183 * Emperor Antoku of Japan, December 22, 1178 – April 25, 1185 * Vira Bahu I, King of Polonnaruwa, 1179 – 1196 * Conradin, Duke of Swabia & King of Jerusalem, 25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268 * Şehzade Halil, probably 1346 – 1362 * Thong Lan, king of Ayutthaya, c. 1373/74 – c. 1388/89 * Chang of Goryeo, September 6, 1381 – December 31, 1389 *Yi Bang-Beon (son of

Taejo of Joseon Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Seong-gye (), later Yi Dan (), was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdi ...

& Queen Sindeok), 1381 – October 6, 1398 *Yi Bang-Seok (son of

& Queen Sindeok), 1382 – October 6, 1398 *

Danjong of Joseon Danjong (; 18 August 1441 – 17 November 1457), personal name Yi Hong-wi (), was the sixth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He succeeded his father King Munjong in 1452, but was forced to abdicate by his uncle, Grand Prince Suyang (f ...

, August 9, 1441 – December 24, 1457 * Alexios V, Trapezuntine emperor, 1454 – November 1, 1463 *

Edward V of England Edward V (2 November 1470 – ) was King of England from 9 April to 25 June 1483. He succeeded his father, Edward IV, upon the latter's death. Edward V was never crowned, and his brief reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle and Lord ...

, November 2, 1470 – c. 1483 *

Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (17 August 1473) was the second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. Richard and his older brother, who briefly reigned as King Edward V of England, mysteriously disappeared shortly ...

, August 17, 1473 – c. 1483 * Lê Quang Trị, Emperor of Annam, 1509 – May 1516 (his two brothers was killed along with Quang Trị) * Feodor Godunov, 1589 – 10 or 20 June 1605 *

Louis XVII of France Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

, March 27, 1785 – June 8, 1795 * Jacques-Victor Henry, Prince Royal of Haiti, March 3, 1804 – October 18, 1820 *

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (; – 17 July 1918) was the youngest daughter of Nicholas II of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), Tsarina Alexandr ...

, June 18, 1901 – July 17, 1918 * Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia, August 12, 1904 – July 17, 1918

References

{{Authority control Killings by type