Parricide Prevention Institute

What is Parricide? It is when a child murders his or her parent/s. Accidental deaths do not count.

How does it differ from patricide or matricide? It is the umbrella event for both of these crimes. A child can murder a mother (matricide), a father (patricide), or both. All three are considered to be parricide events.

Is it true that kids who kill their parents were abused? In most cases, no. Research looking at more than 750 youthful parricide offenders indicates that 15% of all parricides were were committed by abused kids. In 6% of the cases, the offender was abusing the parent/s prior to murdering them. Most of these murders are motivated by issues of money and/or control.

Are all offenders alike? No. There are 5 Fatal Personality Types in Youthful Offenders. They are 1) Erratics, 2) Anarchists, 3) Mission Oriented, 4) Tightly Wound, and 5) AlphaBrats. These types were identified through statistical analysis. Additionally Youthful Offenders (murders who are 25 years old and younger) are very different from Adult Offenders.

How often does parricide happen? More often than you’d think! You can see the statistics (by year) at our website – parricide.org. In 2018 there were an average of 6 parricide events each week.

Who is typically murdered? Well, that depends, the primary caretaker is most usually the parent who is murdered.

How long is the sentence for murdering a parent? That depends on the details of the murder, the age of the murderer, the planning that went into the murder, and the laws of the State in which the murder took place. Some parricide offenders are sentenced to life without parole. Kids who are dealt with in the Juvenile Justice system are released when they reach the age of majority (but this is rapidly changing as Blended Sentences are being adopted by more and more States). Most Youthful Offenders are waived into adult court and treated just like an adult who has committed murder.

Why did you start the Parricide Prevention Institute? Parricide is a very misunderstood crime. It’s not a bunch of abused kids trying to escape abusive situations – it’s darker and much more complicated that. By understanding the types of kids who commit these murders, we can determine the best way to handle them. Parenting is difficult – but you should be able to get out of it alive. Once a parricide occurs, the family who is left needs support in legally and emotionally navigating this tragedy.

Is there anywhere the general public can learn more about parricide offenders? Yes! Check out the Parricide Podcast on your favorite podcast platform – or on YouTube.