Familicide#Familicide of others

Familicides were used as an enhanced punishment in antiquity. In ancient China, the "nine familial exterminations" 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.{{cite book |title=The Prince |first=Niccolò |last=Machiavelli |date=1532 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h.htm#link2HCH0004 |at=chap. 4 |access-date=2017-04-26}} Sippenhaft (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.{{cite journal |title=Sippenhaft, Terror and Fear in Nazi Germany: Examining One Facet of Terror in the Aftermath of the Plot of 20 July 1944 |first=Robert |last=Loeffel |journal=Contemporary European History |volume=16 |issue=1 |date=February 2007 |pages=51–69 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S0960777306003626 |s2cid=161527461 |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Sippenhaft.pdf |access-date=2017-04-27}} La Cosa Nostra began killing the relatives, including women and more recently children, of informants (pentiti) and rivals in the 1980s.{{cite news |work=The New York Times |title=As Code of Silence Cracks, Mafia Changes Rules |first=Celestine |last=Bohlen |date=October 11, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/11/world/as-code-of-silence-cracks-mafia-changes-rules.html |access-date=2017-04-27}}{{cite news |work=Mirror Online |title=Children murdered by the Mafia as Italian mobsters sink to new low |first=Tom |last=Parry |date=April 12, 2014 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/children-murdered-mafia-italian-mobsters-3402712 |access-date=2017-04-27}}

Between 1900 and 2000, there were 909 victims of mass murder 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. [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/20/EXPLAINER.TMP "Familicide: Experts say family murder-suicides, though rare, are most common mass killing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320112202/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2007%2F06%2F20%2FEXPLAINER.TMP |date=2012-03-20 }}. 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 strangers. This has a different psychodynamic and psychiatric significance, but the distinction is not always made.Malmquist, Carl P., MD. (1996). Homicide: A Psychiatric Perspective. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, {{ISBN|978-0-88048-690-3}}.

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.{{cite news |author1=Emily Shapiro |title=When people kill close relatives: Explaining 'family annihilators' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/people-kill-close-relatives-explaining-family-annihilators/story?id=57305463 |work=ABC News |date=21 August 2018 |language=en}}

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, [http://www.community.wa.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/06788E97-F3E8-4B83-8D71-335F8FB0AA60/0/DCDRPT FamilicideAbstract_CarolynJohnson.pdf] {{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Birmingham City University researchers Elizabeth Yardley, David Wilson, and Adam Lynes co-authored{{cite magazine|author=Collins, Katie|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/family-killers|title=Family Killers|magazine=Wired United Kingdom|date=2013-08-16|access-date=2020-06-17}} "A taxonomy of male British family annihilators, 1980–2013", examining British familicides in the period.{{cite journal|last1=Yardley|first1=E|last2=Wilson|first2=David|last3=Lynes|first3=A|title=A taxonomy of male British family annihilators, 1980–2013|journal=The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice|publisher=Wiley|date=August 2013|volume=53|issue=2|pages=117–140|doi=10.1111/hojo.12033|s2cid=143252822}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.alphagalileo.org/en-gb/Item-Display/ItemId/102440 |title=Characteristics of Family Killers Revealed By First Taxonomy Study|publisher=Wiley |date=2013-08-15|access-date=2020-06-17}} 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.{{cite web |author=Theen, Andrew |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2018/04/post_296.html |title=Deadly Hart crash stands out for experts who study family annihilators |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=2019-01-30|access-date=2020-06-17}}

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.{{Cite journal|last1=Karlsson|first1=Linda C.|last2=Antfolk|first2=Jan|last3=Putkonen|first3=Hanna|last4=Amon|first4=Sabine|last5=da Silva Guerreiro|first5=João|last6=de Vogel|first6=Vivienne|last7=Flynn|first7=Sandra|last8=Weizmann-Henelius|first8=Ghitta|date=2018-12-06|title=Familicide: A Systematic Literature Review|journal=Trauma, Violence, & Abuse|volume=22|issue=1|pages=83–98|url=https://osf.io/bxjf9|doi=10.31234/osf.io/bxjf9|pmid=30704336|hdl=10138/322649 |hdl-access=free}}

Yardley, Wilson, and Lynes divide familicides into four groups: anomic, 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23686913|title=Criminologists identify family killer characteristics|date=15 August 2013|author=Melissa Hogenboom|work=BBC News}}

{{See also|List of rampage killers#Familicides}}

• George Forster, December 5, 1802, London, England. Forster allegedly killed his wife and child by drowning them in the Paddington Canal.
• Juhani Aataminpoika, October 18, 1849, Heinola, Finland. Aataminpoika killed his mother, stepfather and their two children, who were his siblings.[https://sakenshitti.wordpress.com/2019/12/12/suomenlinnaan-vangittiin-ihmisia-vihaava-peto-juhani-aataminpoika-kierteli-hametta-ja-murhasi-vastaantulijoita/ Suomenlinnaan vangittiin ihmisiä vihaava peto – Juhani Aataminpoika kierteli Hämettä ja murhasi vastaantulijoita] (in Finnish)[https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000000805022.html Suomen historian pahin sarjamurhaaja tappoi 12 ihmistä] – Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish)
• Leah Charlton, May 8, 1890, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Charlton, who had an unidentified mental illness, slit her three children's throats before attempting suicide.{{Cite news|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/they-think-im-spy-chilling-24198956.amp|title='They think I'm a spy': Chilling note left by mum who murdered her three children|work=Liverpool Echo|first=James|last=McNeill|first2=Olivia|last2=Williams|date=12 June 2022|access-date=30 March 2023}}
• Frederick Bailey Deeming, July 26, 1891, Rainhill, United Kingdom. Deeming killed his wife and four children and fled to Australia.
• 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, April 8, 1908, Invercargill, New Zealand. Baxter killed his wife and five children, then himself.
• Mateo Banks, April 18, 1922, Azul, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Banks shot dead three siblings, two nieces, one sister-in-law and two family employees.
• Charles Lawson, December 25, 1929, North Carolina. 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 and her husband Joseph, May 1, 1945, Berlin, Germany. The Goebbels fatally poisoned their six children before committing suicide together.
• John Etter Clark, June 3, 1956, Erskine, Alberta. Clark, a provincial politician at the time, killed five members of his family with a rifle which consisted of his wife, son and three daughters. Among the dead were also a visitor and a hired farmworker.
• Lowell Lee Andrews, November 28, 1958, Wolcott, Kansas. Andrews shot his parents and sister.
• Troy axe murders, September 28, 1964. William G. Gravlin, a fireman who had recently exited a state hospital after slashing a cousin's wife, murdered his wife, daughter, and five stepchildren with an axe.
• Alice Crimmins, July 14, 1965, New York City. Crimmins allegedly murdered her two children with help from persons unknown.
• Charles Whitman, August 1, 1966, Austin, Texas. Whitman killed his wife and mother before committing the University of Texas tower shooting, killing 15 additional people and wounding 31 others.
• Jeffrey MacDonald, February 17, 1970, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. MacDonald killed his pregnant wife and two preschool-aged daughters.
• John List, November 9, 1971, Westfield, New Jersey. List killed his wife, mother, and three children.
• Pietro Giorgetti, July, 1972, Unspecified place in San Marino. Giorgetti, a 35-year-old Taxi driver, first pushed his wife out of a window, before grabbing a hunting rifle and killing his Sister-in-law, he then turned himself in to the Police the next day.[https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=f9BOAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA3&dq=Murder+in+San+Marino&article_id=2616,1348855&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqjvvIjrONAxXiqpUCHdwMHq8Q6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=Murder%20in%20San%20Marino&f=false Slayings Shock Tiny Republic]. Associated Press (July 5, 1972)
• Ronald DeFeo Jr., November 13, 1974, Amityville, Long Island, New York. DeFeo killed his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-16 |title=Amityville Killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. Dies In Prison - CBS New York |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/amityville-killer-ronald-defeo-jr-dies-in-prison/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}
• James Ruppert, March 30, 1975, Hamilton, Ohio. Ruppert killed 11 family members.
• Bradford Bishop, March 1, 1976, Bethesda, Maryland. Bishop allegedly killed his mother, wife, and three sons.
• Simon Nelson, January 7, 1978, Rockford, Illinois. Nelson killed his six children and the family's dog.
• Diane Downs, May 19, 1983, Springfield, Oregon. Downs shot her three children, killing one and leaving the other two permanently disabled, and attempted to blame it on a carjacker.
• James Alan Day, October 18, 1984, Evansville, Indiana. Day killed his six children before committing suicide.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/19/us/around-the-nation-father-kills-6-children-and-himself-police-say.html?sec=health|title=AROUND THE NATION; Father Kills 6 Children And Himself, Police Say|work=The New York Times |date=1984-10-19|access-date=2021-03-07|language=EN}}
• White House Farm murders, August 7, 1985, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, England. Jeremy Bamber shot his parents, his foster sister, and her two children.
• Frances Newton, April 7, 1987, Mount Houston, Texas. Newton shot her husband and two children.
• Ronald Gene Simmons, December 22–26, 1987, Dover, Arkansas. Simmons killed 14 family members ranging in age from 20 months to 46 years.
• David Brom murdered his mother, father, younger brother, and sister with an axe in 1988.
• József Istvan Barsi, July 25, 1988, Canoga Park, California. Barsi killed his wife and daughter Judith before committing suicide two days later.
• Murder of the DeLisle children, August 3, 1989, Wyandotte, Michigan. Lawrence DeLisle drove the family station wagon into the Detroit River, drowning his four children. He and his wife both survived.{{cite news |title= Dad loses drowning case appeal |newspaper= Detroit Free Press |date= December 1, 1998 |page=3B |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18628595/dad_loses_drowning_case_appeal/ |via=Newspapers.com}}
• Lyle and Erik Menendez, August 20, 1989, Beverly Hills, California. The two brothers murdered both their parents.
• Ricardo Barreda, 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, France. Romand killed his wife, two children, his parents and their dog, and attempted to kill his ex-mistress.
• Bain family murders, June 20, 1994, Dunedin. Five members of the Bain family were shot to death, either by Robin Bain, the father of the family, or the eldest son David.{{Cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/david-bain-timeline-of-events-2013062614|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018201404/http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/david-bain-timeline-of-events-2013062614|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 18, 2016|title=David Bain timeline of events|date=26 June 2013|newspaper=3 News online}}
• Susan Smith, 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, February 26, 1995, Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Two brothers and their cousin murdered the brothers’ parents and younger brother.
• Darlie Routier, June 6, 1996, Rowlett, Texas. Routier allegedly stabbed two of her sons to death before staging the scene as a home invasion.
• Christina Marie Riggs, November 4, 1997, Sherwood, Arkansas. Riggs smothered both her children before attempting suicide.
• Kip Kinkel, May 20, 1998, Springfield, Oregon. Kinkel killed his parents before committing a school shooting, leaving two additional dead and 25 wounded.
• Vladimir Pokhilko, September 21, 1998, Palo Alto, California. Pokhilko bludgeoned and stabbed his wife and son to death before committing suicide by slitting his own throat..
• Seth Privacky murdered his family (his mother, father, brother, brother's girlfriend, and grandfather) on Thanksgiving weekend, on November 29, 1998, fearing eviction from his parents.
• 1999 Atlanta day trading firm shootings, July 27, 1999, Stockbridge, Georgia. Mark Orrin 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, August 29, 2000, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Mark Lundy murdered his wife and daughter.
• Robert William Fisher, 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, 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, June 20, 2001, Clear Lake City, Texas. Yates killed her five children, aged between six months and seven years.
• Sef Gonzales, July 10, 2001, Sydney, New South Wales. Gonzales killed his parents and sister with a knife and baseball bat before attempting to frame it as an anti-Filipino hate crime.{{Cite web|url=http://fddp.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/20/1085028464187.html?from=storylhs|title=Man guilty of killing parents, sister – National – www.theage.com.au|website=fddp.theage.com.au|access-date=2016-12-19}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Bluestone family murders, August 28, 2001, Gravesend, Kent, England. PC Karl Bluestone killed his wife and two of their four children before committing suicide.{{Cite news |date=2001-11-06 |title=PC 'killed family with hammer' |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1641255.stm |access-date=2022-09-03}}
• Christian Longo, December 18, 2001, Lincoln County, Oregon. Longo killed his wife and three children.
• Purnell "Rick" Cauley, February 10, 2003, Harris County, Texas. Cauley killed his estranged wife, his mistress, and his three daughters ranging in age from 4 to 10. Cauley went from room to room, shooting each victim point-blank inside his home. Several days later he wounded an officer, then took his own life during a standoff.{{Cite news|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/family-s-massacre-leaves-neighbors-wondering-why-2091245.php|title=Family's massacre leaves neighbors wondering why|first=Lucas|last=Wall|first2=Mike|last2=Glenn|date=February 17, 2003|work=Houston Chronicle}}
• Vincent Brothers, July 6, 2003, Bakersfield, California. Brothers shot his wife, their three children, and his mother-in-law.{{cite news | title=Ex-Vice Principal Sentenced to Death |newspaper=AP Online | publisher=Press Association, Inc. |date=September 28, 2007 |access-date=January 9, 2015 |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1Y1-110799334.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329133307/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1Y1-110799334.html|url-status = dead|archive-date=March 29, 2015}}
• Marcus Wesson, 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.
• Christopher Porco, November 15, 2004, Delmar, New York. Porco murdered his father Peter and severely disfigured his mother Joan in an attempt to cover up his financial problems and exploitation of his parents (see Murder of Peter Porco).
• Dena Schlosser dismembered her baby, Margaret on November 22, 2004.
• Neil Entwistle, January 20, 2006, Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Entwistle killed his wife and infant daughter.
• Richardson family murders, April 23, 2006, then twelve-thirteen-year old - Jasmine Richardson murdered her eight-year old brother - Jacob, mother - Debra, and father - Mark, along with her then twenty-three year old boyfriend - Jeremy Steinke. Jasmine was responsible for her brothers death, while Steike was responsible for both her parents death.
• Christopher Vaughn, June 14, 2007, Springfield, Illinois. Vaughn murdered his wife and three children and tried to frame his murdered wife for the crime.
• Chris Benoit, June 22–24, 2007, Fayetteville, Georgia. Benoit killed his wife and son before later taking his own life.
• Nicholas Waggoner Browning, February 1, 2008, Cockeysvile, Maryland. Nicholas killed his parents and his two younger brothers with a gun.
• Jessie Dotson, March 3, 2008, Binghampton, Memphis. Killed his brother, two of his nephews (also wounding two more nephews and his niece), their mother, and two others.{{Cite news|url=http://www.wmctv.com/story/13312007/jurors-try-to-decide-fate-of-lester-street-killer|title=Dotson sentenced to death for Lester Street murders|work=Action 5 News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130716161445/http://www.wmctv.com/story/13312007/jurors-try-to-decide-fate-of-lester-street-killer |archive-date=2013-07-16 }}
• 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, 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.{{Cite web|date=2021-11-13|title=Shocking messages: An Illinois man's secret life ended in the 2009 murder of his family|url=https://fox2now.com/news/true-crime/chris-coleman-a-mans-secret-life-ended-in-the-2009-murder-of-his-family/|access-date=2021-12-14|website=FOX 2|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Cooperman|first=Jeannette|date=2011-07-22|title=A Family Erased: The Chris Coleman Story|url=https://www.stlmag.com/St-Louis-Magazine/August-2011/A-Family-Erased-The-Chris-Coleman-Story/|access-date=2021-12-14|website=www.stlmag.com|language=en-us}}
• Schenecker double homicide, 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, August 14, 2011, St Helier, Jersey. Damian Rzeszowski stabbed to death his wife, his two small children, his father-in-law, his neighbor, and the neighbor's child.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-19361615|title=The stabbings that shocked Jersey|last=Morrison|first=Ryan|date=2012-08-24|access-date=2019-08-25|language=en-GB}} Sentenced to 30 years in prison, died in custody on 31 March 2018.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-43628344|title=Jersey killer dies in prison in England|date=2018-04-03|access-date=2019-08-25|language=en-GB}}
• Powell murders, December 6, 2009, West Valley City, Utah, and February 5, 2012, South Hill, Washington. 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.
• Trey Eric Sesler, March 20, 2012, Waller, Texas. Sesler murdered his mother, father and brother with a shotgun and a rifle in preparation to perpetrate a school shooting at Waller High School. He was arrested at a friend's house the same day.{{Cite web |last=Bauer |first=Jennifer |date=2012-03-21 |title=Man suspected of killing family captured |url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/2012/03/21/man-suspected-of-killing-family-captured/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=KPRC |language=en}}
• Don Steenkamp, April 6, 2012, Griekwastad, South Africa. Steenkamp raped his sister and killed her and his parents.{{Cite web|url=https://www.news24.com/You/Archive/meet-don-steenkamp-the-griekwastad-killer-20170728|title=Meet Don Steenkamp, the Griekwastad killer|date=2014-08-15|website=News24|language=en}}
• Harok family murder, 22 May 2013, U.S. national Kevin Dahlgren killed his cousin Veronika Haroková, her husband and two sons in Brno, Czech Republic[https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/domaci/olomoucky-soud-rozhodne-od-odvolani-americana-dahgrena-novy/r~74d621dc0fa511e794b9002590604f2e/?_ga=1.224585818.1583613805.1466620372 Aktuálně.cz: Olomoucký soud zamítl Dahlgrenovo odvolání. Doživotní trest za čtyřnásobnou vraždu platí]
• Jason Klaus, December 8, 2013, Castor, Alberta. Klaus and his friend Joshua Frank murdered Klaus' parents and sister and burned the house down in an attempt to conceal the crime.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/joshua-frank-jason-klaus-murder-verdict-1.4480388|title=Jason Klaus, Joshua Frank convicted of 1st-degree murder in killings of Alberta farm family|newspaper=CBC News|first=Janice|last=Johnston|date=January 10, 2018|access-date=March 30, 2023}}
• Timothy Jones Jr., August 28, 2014, Lexington County, South Carolina. Jones strangled his five children to death and drove their corpses round the highway for days before disposing of them in Alabama.{{cite web |title=Timeline of Jones family before deaths of 5 children |url=https://www.wyff4.com/article/timeline-of-jones-family-before-deaths-of-5-children/7010650|website=WYFF4|date=September 15, 2014 }}
• Ryan Champion, October 26, 2014, Cadiz, Kentucky. Champion and his girlfriend Ann Plotkin conspired with an acquaintance, Vito Riservato, to murder Champion's parents and sister, afterwards killing Riservato and attempting to frame him for the crime.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ryan-champion-kentucky-man-who-orchestrated-his-familys-killings-avoids-death-penalty/|title=Ky. man who orchestrated his family's killings avoids death penalty|work=CBS News|date=December 8, 2016|access-date=March 30, 2023}}
• Cairns child killings, 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, January 27, 2015, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/robert-bever-breaks-down-in-tears-on-witness-stand-in/article_c8cf59ba-ccfb-5783-a0a8-76df8ef6c38f.html|title=Robert Bever breaks down in tears on witness stand in younger brother's murder trial, says they acted together but 'in (their) own ways'|first=Michael|last=Overall|first2=Samantha|last2=Vicent|date=4 May 2018 |website=Tulsa World}}
• Joost family murders, February 2016, Oak Forest, Illinois, David Joost, 54, strangled his wife, Margaret O’Leary Joost, 55, and their son, Daniel, in their beds and subsequently committed suicide. Their daughter was not present for the murders. David was said to be distraught over finances after losing his job.{{cite web | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-3-bodies-found-in-oak-forest-home-20160208-story.html | title= Family dead in murder-suicide struggled with financial problems | website= Chicago Tribune | date= 10 February 2016 }}
• 2016 Spalding shooting, July 19, 2016, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. Lance Hart killed his wife and daughter before killing himself.
• Riverview murders, March 18, 2018, Riverview, Florida. Ronnie O'Neal III shot the mother of his children, hacked his daughter to death, and stabbed his son, who survived.{{cite news |url=https://www.fox13news.com/news/convicted-murderer-ronnie-oneal-seeks-new-trial-before-final-sentencing-hearing |title='Worst case I've ever seen': Judge sentences Ronnie O'Neal to 3 consecutive life sentences plus 90 years |date=July 23, 2021 |website=FOX 13 News |first1=Kellie |last1=Cowan}}
• Hart family murders, March 26, 2018, Mendocino County, California. 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.
• Steven Pladl triple murder and suicide, April 11–12, 2018, Knightdale, North Carolina, and New Milford, Connecticut. Steven Pladl, 43, murdered his biological daughter, 20-year old Katie Rose Fusco Pladl, whom he had been engaged in an incestuous relationship with, and her adoptive father, 56-year old Anthony Charles Fusco, in New Milford, Connecticut. He later committed suicide in Dover, New York. He had killed his month-old son Bennett the day prior at his home in Knightdale.{{Cite web |title=Steven Pladl, Katie Pladl incest case: Details emerge in murder-suicide |website=CBS News |date=23 April 2018 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steven-pladl-katie-pladl-murder-incest-case-details-emerge/ |access-date=2023-07-05}}
• Osmington shooting, May 11, 2018, Osmington, Western Australia. Peter Miles murdered his wife, daughter, and his four grandchildren before killing himself.
• Watts family murders, August 13, 2018, Frederick, Colorado. Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their two daughters.
• Grant Amato, January 24, 2019, Seminole County, Florida. 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.{{cite news| url = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/09/24/ive-just-slaughtered-my-entire-family-markham-man-pleads-guilty-to-murdering-his-mother-father-sister-and-grandmother-over-several-hours-last-summer.html| title = 'I've just slaughtered my entire family': Markham man pleads guilty to murdering mother, father, sister, grandmother over several hours last summer | newspaper = The Toronto Star| date = 24 September 2020}}{{Cite web|title=Ontario man who slaughtered entire family in their home gets life in prison|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/menhaz-zaman-sentenced-life-in-prison-1.5793116}}
• Khen family murders, December 14, 2019, Jenks, Oklahoma. Thang Khen gathered his family in the garage, shooting two of his four children before killing himself.{{Cite web|url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/victims-identified-in-jenks-murder-suicide/article_939f040f-4979-5472-b64c-8a4d378d7f68.html|title=Victims identified in Jenks Murder-Suicide|first=Kelsy|last=Schlotthauer|date=16 December 2019 |website=Tulsa World}}
• Todt family murders, 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, 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, Candace Louise Walton set fire to her home murdering her brother, Gerald Walton, 21, and her mother Tasha Vandiver, 46.{{cite web |date=3 February 2022 |title="Evil thing to do" Georgia teen guilty of murdering mother, brother in house fire |url=https://www.wsbradio.com/news/local/evil-thing-do-georgia-teen-guilty-murdering-mother-brother-house-fire/3BMLT464SFCRNGOC2RMOKRGRJ4/}} She pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentenced to life with a minimum of 30 years.{{cite web |date=2 February 2022 |title=Teen admits to killing mom, brother in fire before driving to her boyfriend |url=https://www.newsweek.com/teen-admits-killing-mom-brother-fire-before-driving-her-boyfriend-1675661 |website=Newsweek}}
• Murdaugh family murders, June 7, 2021 Islandton, South Carolina, Richard Alexander "Alex" Murdaugh, a prominent attorney, killed his wife Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh and youngest son Paul Murdaugh at their hunting estate. Motives included financial issues, his addiction to Oxycontin, and impending civil and criminal judicial proceedings involving his son's role in the death of Mallory Beach.{{cite web | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64790627 | title=The story of the Alex Murdaugh trial | date=March 3, 2023 |website=BBC News}}
• Samarate massacre, May 4, 2022, Samarate, Varese, Italy, Alessandro Maja killed his wife Stefania Pivetta and their daughter Giulia. His son survived but was left disabled by the serious injuries he sustained.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-09 |title=Samarate, le armi della mattanza: martello e trapano. Le due vittime sono state sedate? |url=https://www.ilgiorno.it/cronaca/samarate-strage-maja-f632fef0 |website=Il Giorno |language=it}}
• Bascov killings, August 9, 2022, Bascov, Arges County, Romania. Viorel Stan, a 52-year-old mentally ill man, killed five members of his family using stones and a hammer.{{cite web | url=https://www.g4media.ro/five-members-of-a-family-including-a-5-year-old-girl-killed-in-arges-the-suspect-is-a-relatiev-of-the-victims-and-is-suffering-from-mental-disorder-prosecutor-mentions-harrowing-violence-claims-s.html | title=Five members of a family, including a 5-year-old girl, killed in Argeș. The suspect is a relative of the victims and is suffering from mental disorder. Prosecutor mentions harrowing violence, claims suspect had a well-established plan | date=10 August 2022 }}
• Milligan Ricker murders, September 9, 2022, Elk Mills, Maryland. 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.{{cite web | url=https://kutv.com/news/local/maryland-family-five-found-shot-dead-utah-connections-tara-marcus-milligan-kids-homicide-murder-investigation | title=Four members of a family, a mother and her three children murdered by an evil man.| date=9 September 2022 }}
• Gomez family murders, September 28, 2022, Oak Forest, Illinois. 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 news | 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. | newspaper= Peoplemag | date=28 September 2022 }}
• Murder of the Kisliak family, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. On November 30, 2022, Andrei Kisliak killed his mother, Liliana, wife, Vera, and two young daughters before committing suicide.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-24 |title=Husband was desperate, menacing before Buffalo Grove murder-suicide, newly released reports show |url=https://abc7chicago.com/andrei-kisliak-vera-buffalo-grove-murder-suicide-il/13005653/ |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=ABC7 Chicago |language=en}}
• Killing of the Haight family, January 4, 2023, Enoch, Utah. Michael Haight, 42, shot and killed his wife, Tausha, 40, five children, Macie, 17, Briley, 12, Ammon, 7, Sienna, 7, Gavin, 4, and mother-in-law, Gail Earl, 78, before killinghimself inside their home.{{cite web |last1=Ingram |first1=Aleah |title=Husband Kills Wife, 5 Children, & Mother-in-Law in Apparent Murder-Suicide of Latter-day Saint Family |url=https://www.ldsdaily.com/world/husband-kills-wife-5-children-mother-in-law-in-apparent-murder-suicide-of-latter-day-saint-family/ |website=LDS Daily |date=5 January 2023 |access-date=31 January 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Babineau |first1=Andi |last2=Riess |first2=Rebekah |title=Family of 8 found shot dead in Utah home determined to be a murder-suicide |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/05/us/enoch-city-utah-home-shooting/index.html |website=CNN |date=5 January 2023 |access-date=31 January 2023}}
• Teo Ghim Heng, a Singaporean property agent who killed his pregnant wife and daughter, and was sentenced to death.{{cite news|url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/woodlands-double-murder-man-gets-death-penalty-killing-pregnant-wife-4-year-old-daughter|title=Woodlands double murder: Man gets death penalty for killing pregnant wife, 4-year-old daughter|date=12 November 2020|website=Today}}
• Crayton family murders, High Point, North Carolina. In January 2023, a 46-year-old man killed his wife, three children aged 18, 16 and 10, and committed suicide.{{cite news |last1=Ramsey |first1=Mary |title=Father killed wife, 3 kids in High Point shooting, police say. Victims identified |url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article270952487.html |access-date=6 April 2023 |work=The Charlotte Observer |date=9 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109205531/https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article270952487.html |archive-date=9 Jan 2023 |language=en-us|url-status=live}}
• Andover murder-suicide, Andover, Massachusetts On February 9, 2023, Andrew Robinson fatally shot his wife Linda and 12-year-old son Sebastian before calling 911 and shooting himself.{{cite news |title=New Details in Andover Murder-Suicide: Father Believed to Have Called 911 |work=NBC10 Boston |date=22 February 2023 |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/new-details-released-in-andover-murder-suicide-father-believed-to-have-called-911/2980225/}}
• Ferguson, Missouri On February 19, 2024, Bernadine "Birdie" Pruessner intentionally set a mattress on fire killing herself and her four children 9-year-old twins, 2-year-old daughter, and 5-year-old son.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-23 |title=Missouri house fire that killed mom and four children was murder-suicide, police say |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/missouri-house-fire-killed-mom-four-children-was-murder-suicide-police-rcna140195 |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=NBC News |language=en}}
• Nicholas Prosper, September 13, 2024, Luton, England. Prosper allegedly shot his mother, brother, and sister, killing all of them with shots to the head.{{Cite web |title=Luton mother and two children died from gunshot wounds – inquest |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyd78q9242o |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}

• Dae Reh, December 13, 2024, West Valley City, Utah. The father, Dae Reh, is accused of shooting his wife and his three children ages 11, 8, and 2. His son, Sha Reh, survived the initial shooting and was transported to the ICU for treatment. {{Cite web |last=Mejia |first=Garna |date=Dec 19, 2024 |title=Neighbors say murder-suicide victims were found by relatives and church leader |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/51214488/neighbors-say-murder-suicide-victims-were-found-by-relatives-and-church-leader |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=www.ksl.com |language=en}}

• Anthony Nephew, November 7, 2024, Duluth, MN, murdered his ex-wife, Erin Abramson and their teenage son, aged 15, and then went on to murder his wife, Kat Ramsland and their son, aged 7, before turning the gun on himself.{{Cite news |date=2024-11-08 |title=Minnesota man kills wife, ex-partner and two sons before killing himself |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/08/minnesota-man-family-killed |access-date=2025-02-03 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
• The Thiruvananthapuram mass murder took place on February 25, 2025, when 23-year old Afan, a native of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India, killed 5 people. Among the dead were his grandmother, his father's brother Latif, Latif's wife Shahida, his younger brother, and his girlfriend. He also assaulted her mother; however she survived. After the attack, the perpetrator surrendered to the police. The attack was carried out in anger because no one in the family helped him due to financial problems.https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/kerala-horror-23-year-old-kills-six-including-girlfriend-and-brother-surrenders-to-police-1.500045264https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kerala-mass-murder-police-now-suspects-financial-crisis-as-motive-behind-killings-101740583166860.html

[[File:United States family homicides by relationship 1980 2008.svg|thumb|right|Rates of individual homicide involving family members, not grouped by incidents of familicide, in the United States between 1980 and 2008.{{cite report

| last1 = Cooper

| first1 = Alexia D.

| last2 = Smith

| first2 = Erica L.

| date = 2011-11-16

| title = Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980–2008

| url = https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2221

| publisher = Bureau of Justice Statistics

| pages = 11

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180330165915/https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2221

| archive-date= 2018-03-30

| id = NCJ 236018

}}]]

• Avunculicide {{ndash}} the killing of one's uncle
• Filicide {{ndash}} the killing of a child (or children) by one's own parent (or parents)
• Fratricide {{ndash}} the killing of one's brother
• Infanticide {{ndash}} the killing of one's child (or children) up to 12 months of age
• Mariticide {{ndash}} the killing of a husband or significant other; current common law term for either spouse of either sex/gender
• Matricide {{ndash}} the killing of one's mother
• Patricide {{ndash}} the killing of one's father
• Sororicide {{ndash}} the killing of one's sister
• Uxoricide {{ndash}} the killing of a wife or significant other

{{Reflist}}

• Deith, Jane (March 6, 2012). [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17097802 "What drives a man to kill himself and his family?"]. BBC News.
• [http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/tragic-cases-of-family-annihilation-in-the-uk-8079274.html "Tragic cases of 'family annihilation' in the UK"]. Evening Standard. August 24, 2012.
• Pemberton, Max (December 17, 2011). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8961851/What-drives-a-father-to-kill.html "What drives a father to kill?"]. The Daily Telegraph.
• Harrison, Louise (August 2, 2010). [http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/opinion/6148-family-annihilation-debt-depression-and-the-fragile-family "Family Annihilation: Debt, Depression and the Fragile Family"]. Counterfire.

• {{cite journal|author=Scott, Hannah|author2=Katie Fleming|title=The Female Family Annihilator: An Exploratory Study|journal=Homicide Studies|volume=18|issue=1 |year=2014|doi=10.1177/1088767913513152|s2cid=145192746}}
• {{cite magazine

| last= Skipp

| first= Catharine

| url= http://www.newsweek.com/id/233492

| title= Inside the Minds of Family Annihilators

| magazine= Newsweek

| date= Feb 11, 2010

}}

• {{wiktionary inline}}

{{Suicide navbox}}

Category:Family disruption

Category:Homicide

Category:Killings by type

*Familicides