Professor Rachel Condry, Professor of Criminology at the Centre for Criminology, has seen her research on parricide gain renewed attention following the Netflix dramatisation of the infamous Menendez brothers case. Speaking to The Telegraph, Professor Condry emphasised that while the Menendez murders have fascinated the public, they are an outlier in the study of parricide.
Drawing on her co-authored journal article Parricide, Mental Illness and Parental Proximity, written with Dr Caroline Miles (University of Manchester) and Elspeth Windsor (doctoral student at the Centre for Criminology), Professor Condry highlights the distinct patterns of parricide in England and Wales. Unlike the calculated and conspiratorial Menendez case, parricides in the UK are more often spontaneous violent incidents that spiral out of control. Contrary to popular assumptions of financial motivation, the study reveals that parricide frequently involves adult children with severe mental illnesses, including delusion and schizophrenia.
The research provides sobering insights:
Mothers are just as likely as fathers to be victims, despite 88% of general homicide victims being men.
Many victims are older mothers in their 60s who have been the primary carers for their adult children, often sons averaging 38 years old.
On average, 21 child-to-parent homicides occur annually in England and Wales, representing 5% of all homicides.
Professor Condry describes parricide as a "taboo subject" that is often misunderstood. "If 21 people died every year in minibus crashes, there would be significant attention to understanding the causes and preventing future tragedies," she remarks. The research calls for better support systems for parent carers and stronger safeguarding measures for families dealing with severe mental illness.
Read the full journal article Parricide, Mental Illness and Parental Proximity.