The act of murdering one’s own child is something hard for us to comprehend. Societal norms and tradition teach us that parents are to love their children and do everything possible to protect them. When a parent commits the act of murder of their own child everything we are taught about parenthood is thrown into question. In this paper we will define and discuss the heinous act known as filicide. The case of Darlie Lynn Routier, a Texas mother is no doubt one of the most infamous cases of filicide in US history.
Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child. It comes from the Latin word “filius” meaning “son” or filia meaning “daughter” and the suffix - cide meaning to kill, murder, or collide death. Filicide goes back …show more content…
Some reasons one might choose to end a child’s life was based on disability, gender, lack of resources to care for the child, or illegitimacy. In earlier times it was easier to get by with filicidal acts due to inaccurate paperwork. Authorities might overlook these acts due to overcrowding issues and low resources available in unimproved areas (West).
In the 20th century with improvements to economic conditions, changes in societal norms, better healthcare and increased services to the disabled many of the reasons for filicide that seemed reasonable in earlier times now
The Darlie Routier case is one of the most perplexing cases of accused filicide. Routier was accused and convicted of one count of capital murder in the killing of her two sons Damon age 5, and Devon age 6. Routier claimed that an intruder entered her home as she slept in bed with her two sons while sleeping beside her. Routier’s husband Darin and her son Drake (an infant of
7 months at the time) were unharmed in the incident. To complicate matters more Darlie Routier was injured severely in the alleged attack, with several stab wounds and a slashed throat. The facts of this case seemed strange to me and so I decided I would
Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child. It comes from the Latin word “filius” meaning “son” or filia meaning “daughter” and the suffix - cide meaning to kill, murder, or collide death. Filicide goes back …show more content…
Some reasons one might choose to end a child’s life was based on disability, gender, lack of resources to care for the child, or illegitimacy. In earlier times it was easier to get by with filicidal acts due to inaccurate paperwork. Authorities might overlook these acts due to overcrowding issues and low resources available in unimproved areas (West).
In the 20th century with improvements to economic conditions, changes in societal norms, better healthcare and increased services to the disabled many of the reasons for filicide that seemed reasonable in earlier times now
The Darlie Routier case is one of the most perplexing cases of accused filicide. Routier was accused and convicted of one count of capital murder in the killing of her two sons Damon age 5, and Devon age 6. Routier claimed that an intruder entered her home as she slept in bed with her two sons while sleeping beside her. Routier’s husband Darin and her son Drake (an infant of
7 months at the time) were unharmed in the incident. To complicate matters more Darlie Routier was injured severely in the alleged attack, with several stab wounds and a slashed throat. The facts of this case seemed strange to me and so I decided I would