When Children Kill Their Parents: The Work of Kathleen Heide and Key Psychological Distinctions

When children kill their parents, it’s an act that shakes societal expectations and challenges our understanding of familial relationships. Dr. Kathleen Heide, a renowned criminologist and forensic psychologist, has studied this rare but deeply disturbing phenomenon extensively. Her research differentiates between three types of children who commit parricide (the killing of one’s parents), each with vastly different psychological and environmental backgrounds. These distinctions are essential for understanding both the motives behind the act and the appropriate legal responses.

Dr. Heide's first category includes children who are seriously mentally ill and exhibit gratuitous violence. These are often individuals suffering from severe psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia or delusional disorders. Their violent actions are driven by internal psychotic processes, often disconnected from reality. These children may hear voices or experience hallucinations that push them to kill, and their attacks are often extremely brutal due to the influence of their mental illness.

The second category involves children who exhibit psychopathic traits and antisocial behaviors. These individuals kill their parents not out of mental illness or overwhelming stress but as a manifestation of budding psychopathy. Dr. Heide’s research highlights how such children may lack empathy, show callous disregard for the feelings of others, and commit the crime as part of a broader pattern of antisocial behavior. These cases are often cold and calculated, reflecting deeper personality disorders rather than emotional or psychological trauma.

The third group, perhaps the most tragic, includes children who have been horrendously abused by their parents. These children are often subjected to severe physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, sometimes for years. They kill as a desperate act of self-defense or to escape an intolerable situation. Forensic evaluations in these cases often reveal histories of sustained violence, neglect, and trauma, leading the child to feel they had no other option. It’s not uncommon for these children to be psychologically and medically neglected as well, adding to their vulnerability.

In my own work as a forensic psychologist, I evaluated Anthony Templet, whose case was featured in the Netflix documentary I Just Killed My Dad. Anthony’s situation fell into this third category. He had endured years of abuse at the hands of his father, both physically and psychologically, compounded by medical neglect. Drawing on the distinctions outlined by Dr. Heide, my evaluation was critical to his defense, as it underscored how his actions stemmed from the abuse and control he suffered, not from psychopathy or mental illness.

Dr. Kathleen Heide’s work provides an essential framework for understanding these complex cases, helping forensic psychologists and legal professionals approach child parricide with the nuance it demands. Whether the cause is mental illness, psychopathy, or years of unimaginable abuse, these distinctions shape both the psychological evaluations and legal strategies involved in such cases, offering critical insights for courts and juries to consider.

References
Heide, K. M. (2013). Understanding Parricide: When Sons and Daughters Kill Parents. Oxford University Press.
Heide, K. M. (1992). Why Kids Kill Parents: Child Abuse and Adolescent Homicide. Sage Publications.