The Crimes Murderers Commit as Children

Homicide offenders may commonly have interactions with the legal system as children and adolescents

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Ken was not a child who was born whole. Despite being birthed at full term, he was delivered by forceps, weighed just under 6 pounds, and fell victim to placental insufficiency, which induced moderate malnutrition, according to his medical records. However, Ken's misfortunes would not cease after his birth and persisted into his childhood. From infancy or thereabouts, he sadly grew up in a chaotic family system where he witnessed his mother's abuse from his biological father and later from his stepfather, who entered his life at age 3. Ken, too, would incur similar emotional and physical maltreatment weekly. Throughout his early life, up until age 11, Ken also became afflicted with anomalous bedwetting, which—in addition to his hand warts and an undescended testicle—only lowered his self-concept and feelings of ostracisation. During the same time, he was also the subject of bullying and once reacted by shoving a student's head into a locker, which led to a suspension.

His expression of rage, however, would not be constrained to school, as he would also kill two cats during various outbursts when he was age 16, soon dropping out of school and running from home that year. Unlike many his age, his seventeenth birthday would not mark a period of progress. Instead, he was living a transient life in a major city where he started experiencing sadistic fantasies, culminating in him stalking a woman while visiting a boardwalk. Though later reconvening with his parents, he began experimenting with substances, writing bad checks, and peering into women's windows. Ken, now age 20, elected to act on his impulses by kidnapping and murdering a female convenience store clerk with another male accomplice after heavy drinking and substance use. Shortly after being arrested, a jury found him guilty of several charges, and he was sentenced to death.

Understanding the risk factors for extreme violence has always captivated mental health professionals. Among the first practitioners to delineate the developmental risks for serial homicide offending was Dr. John Macdonald, a forensic psychiatrist from New Zealand who conceptualized his renowned “Macdonald Triad.” Though his theory’s validity remains somewhat challenged by modern psychology, it outlines firesetting, animal cruelty, and abnormal bedwetting as foundational deviations indicative of future homicidal behaviour.

In recent years, however, a panoply of criminological analyses of different homicide offenders have yielded unparalleled perceptivity into these factors. After synthesizing numerous studies in their book, The Sexual Murderer, Canadian researchers Eric Beauregard and Melissa Martineau have determined that a compound of risk factors may influence an individual’s proclivity for murder. These abnormalities may include exposure to familial violence and instability, birth and chromosomal abnormalities, parental abandonment, and falling victim to abuse.

Simply because someone may have numerous risk factors for homicidal behaviour doesn’t always mean that individual is destined to commit murder. Of the prominent developmental deviations reported by homicide offenders, however, is criminal behaviour during childhood and adolescence; a fundamental pillar widely recognized by forensic professionals as a potential prognostic indicator for interpersonal violence and homicide. Concerning delinquency in youth as it relates to homicide, Dr. Beauregard says, “the impact of these problematic behaviours was more important than the various experiences of victimization in childhood.”

Concerning shoplifting and stealing, child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Wade C. Myers, who spearheaded an in-depth study on a sample of juvenile homicide offenders, found that 11 of the 16 youths had committed burglary and shoplifting. A similar 2003 research paper which examined hundreds of adult murderers found that—in some samples—upwards of 64% had committed acts of theft during childhood, with another study further noting that between 60-83% had also stolen property as juveniles.

The same study also found that around 40% of the same subjects had also abused animals during childhood. Animal cruelty, a profoundly upsetting crime to most, has been understood as another indicator of violent behaviour towards people. In a 2018 review, American psychologist Scott A. Johnson concluded that many children abuse animals as a venue to express anger or hatred and are usually exposed to animal abuse, domestic violence, and bullying themselves. Although it has been found that only around one-quarter of animal abuse perpetrators also harm people, it has been reported that 43% of school shooters allegedly abuse animals, with a further 21% of serial murderers also committing such offences as youths. “I don’t think we can say that it is always an indicator of homicidal behaviour,” affirms Dr. Beauregard. “However, when it comes to sexual homicide, our findings revealed that cruelty against animals was a factor more associated with sexual murderers compared to the other two groups."

Many youths abuse animals in tandem with a variety of different crimes, such as vandalism and assault. Dr. Myers’ study found that youngsters who commit sexual homicide often have a history of fighting, assaulting others with weapons, and having academic difficulties. Over years of research, he—along with other specialists—have discovered that these youth homicide offenders were often suspended from school, failed at least one grade, achieved a low education level, and nearly all regularly committed truancy, a crime involving a juvenile’s lack of attendance in school.

In addition to problems with scholarly performance, a propensity for fire may also be a risk factor for homicide behaviour. Although most firesetting by juveniles has its origins in curiosity or being accident prone, some children’s incendiary behaviour may express aggression or “a cry for help.” The aforementioned 2003 study also determined that up to one-third of homicide offenders experienced impulse control issues regarding firesetting. Dr. Beauregard remains optimistic about the concept of preventing murder by examining the risk factors in youths. “The goal obviously would be to be able to act on these developmental risk factors when the child is still young,” he declares. “If we can identify early what is going wrong, maybe it will help to resolve some of the issues and prevent the child from choosing a path of delinquency and criminality.”

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