Woman kills her 5 children.

[Guest Moriarty]

Hi. I think most of you remember the 1st season episode "Covenant". We currently have such a case here in Belgium. It is a big timmer on the news today. A woman killed her 5 children (youngest 4, oldest 14) by stabbing them with a knife. Apparently she was suffering from some kind of depression. After killing her kids she stabbed herself several times and she is in the hospital in a critical condition. This case definetly reminded me of the above mentioned episode. Such a tragedy. I wonder we will ever know what was going on in her mind to do such a terrible act. I mean, killing your 5 children with a knife? That's horrible. You know, such things are getting me confused. I cannot understand such an act but on the flipside I want to know the triggers that put this woman to commit such a terrible act. As Marlon Brando says in "Apocalpypse Now": "The horror, the horror...". Any comments here?

[4th Horseman]

Hi. I think most of you remember the 1st season episode "Covenant". We currently have such a case here in Belgium. It is a big timmer on the news today. A woman killed her 5 children (youngest 4, oldest 14) by stabbing them with a knife. Apparently she was suffering from some kind of depression. After killing her kids she stabbed herself several times and she is in the hospital in a critical condition. This case definetly reminded me of the above mentioned episode. Such a tragedy. I wonder we will ever know what was going on in her mind to do such a terrible act. I mean, killing your 5 children with a knife? That's horrible. You know, such things are getting me confused. I cannot understand such an act but on the flipside I want to know the triggers that put this woman to commit such a terrible act. As Marlon Brando says in "Apocalpypse Now": "The horror, the horror...". Any comments here?

M - well, i am certainly not a psychologist or a medical doctor, but there HAD to have been some prior signs leading up to this. In most of these cases, there are telltale occurrences which often time are either ignored or misread. Her youngest, 4 years old, would tend to eliminate PPD...however, each case is different...It would be interesting to see if there is somekind of mental instability either in her past or her family's past...i dont really think we can define the "why"...and as for us not understanding such an act, thats because we are not committing the act itself...

4th Horseman...

[HighPlainsDrifter]

i tend to believe in the notion of the "trigger effect". THis mainly from my studies from college. There are stressors that drives us to kill-rape-kidnap...etc. I know we all dont do these sort of things, but for some people there are triggers that drive them to do the most heinous things. You might be saying "Hey Drifter what are triggers?" Triggers are things that makes us react violently in certain situations. These could be memories, songs or events.

[hippyroo]

Parents killing their children is more common than we'd like to believe. If you search the statistics it is very sobering. Apparently, many murdered children are under 4 and the mental illiness or depression defence for moms is used to justify their actions. It seems the penalties for killing a very young child is much less than say killing your middle school aged child. While I don't share the vies of Tom Cruise, I suspect the mental illness excuse is overused in these instances. And then there are the ideas that "she has suffered enough" or "she must be living in her own hell now". What I am suggesting is that the whole ideas is so tabbo that we don't really study it enough to be helpful before it happnes or after it happens.

Of course, I always suspect that the murderous moms were abused somehow in their youth and that evil begets evil. i have no proof of this. However, I know it to be true with most child abusers, and serial killers. I guess I just assume it must also be true when a mom becomes both;' a child abuser and serial killer. Am I too simplictic in my thinking?

[4th Horseman]

i tend to believe in the notion of the "trigger effect". THis mainly from my studies from college. There are stressors that drives us to kill-rape-kidnap...etc. I know we all dont do these sort of things, but for some people there are triggers that drive them to do the most heinous things. You might be saying "Hey Drifter what are triggers?" Triggers are things that makes us react violently in certain situations. These could be memories, songs or events.

Joe..good points....triggers are often though used for excuses...everyone of us, just like the Old Man said in "Beware of the Dog" are capable of stealing if we are hungry or killing if we are without hope...most of us are able to resist those "triggers" or temptations, or so called "moments of passion" and stop short of carrying out your said "heinous things"....how many times during our week do we say "I'd love to kill that person or this person", a reaction to their actions pushing our buttons or "triggers", yet we do not act out upon those thoughts...this is a very, very complex issue, dealing with a person's childhood, whether or not there was a father figure present, any sexual or physical violence, etc...i know that i, not being a professional in the field, can really only speculate. My hypothesis is, Joe, that anyone who would allow themselves to be controlled by either music, events, etc are ALREADY prone to violent behavior. In fact, there are documented cases of lawsuits charging that such things as Grand Theft Auto or Ozzy Osbourne lyrics made someone either commit murder or suicide..In every case, a full exhoneration was granted, at least indicating that the legal system does not recognize or honor the connection between violent songs/video games and violent behavior...IT IS STILL A DECISION MADE CONSCIOUSLY BY THE INDIVIDUAL...To be frankly honest, educated guesses are the best those who see these conditions everyday can offer...

4th Horseman...

[Guest Moriarty]

Thanks for the comments guys. The woman is apparently not in danger anymore. She had a depression and was handled for it but no one saw this coming. It was a respected family in their neighbourhood with no financials problems. The strange thing is that someone wrote on the front door "call the cops". And it is not the handwriting of the lady who commited the act. Her husband was on a business trip and has nothing to do with it. I am really interested in this case and wonder what her triggers were to do this.

[Guest SouthernCelt]

The strange thing is that someone wrote on the front door "call the cops". And it is not the handwriting of the lady who commited the act. Her husband was on a business trip and has nothing to do with it.

Multiple personality....???? Perhaps Legion is "alive and well" and claiming new victims???

[hippyroo]

the handwriting on the door takes this to a whole new level of mystery

I have to say amen to horseman... it still comes down to a personal repsonsibility.. while we are are capable of evil not all of us follow through

[Guest Moriarty]

Well, they are going to prosecute her for murder. She is not mentally ill so there you go. It seems that here husband is totally devestated and that the classmates of the children need psycological follow up. This case is fenomenal here in Belgium at the moment. Did you guys know that our country is the number 1 when it comes to family dramas? Father killing wife and children, mother killing kids, etc... Scares me because we are one of the smallest countries in the world. And before I forget, no word on the "Call the cops" writing on the door. I wonder if they ever find out who wrote it...

[4th Horseman]

She is not mentally ill so there you go.

Well Moriarty...then by this statement, the act becomes even more heinous...the base alloy of evil, undiluted by personal vectors is the most iniquitous of all...evil for purely evil's sake...

4th Horseman..