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Child murder

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For practices of systematically killing very young children, see infanticide. For the killing of one's own children, see filicide.
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Homicide
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Note: Varies by jurisdiction

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Non-criminal homicide

Note: Varies by jurisdiction

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Pedicide, child murder, child manslaughter, or child homicide is the homicide of an individual who is a minor. In many legal jurisdictions it is considered an aggravated form of homicide. The age of the victim may constitute an aggravated factor for homicide offenses, or child murder may be a stand-alone criminal offense.

Punishment by jurisdiction

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Albert Fish (1870 – 1936) was a serial killer who murdered children

United States

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In 2008, there were 1,494 child homicides in the United States. Of those killed, 1,035 were male and 452 were female.[1]

In the United States, about half of the states that maintain the death penalty have included child murder to their list of aggravating factors that may make a murder punishable by death. The victim's age under which the crime is a capital crime varies between states. The ages are set between 10 and 17, with 12 being the most common age.[2]

Child manslaughter can result in an aggravated charge in some jurisdictions such as the State of Florida.[3]

United Kingdom

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Any murder in the United Kingdom carries a mandatory life sentence. In England and Wales, murder of a child involving sexual or sadistic conduct or abduction of the victim can result in a whole life order (i.e. life imprisonment without the possibility of parole) being imposed where the offender is at least 21 years old. Sentencing guidelines state that where the offender is under 21, the starting point is a minimum term of 30 years.[citation needed]

By other children

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18th century illustration of William York, age 10, murdering Susan Matthew, age 5, on 13 May 1748, from The Newgate Calendar

In most countries, there are very few cases where children are killed by other children. According to the U.S. Department of Justice statistics for 1996,[citation needed] one in five murders of children were committed by other children. Several murders by children have gained prominent media exposure. One was the killing on 12 February 1993 of the 2-year-old boy James Bulger by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables who were both 10-years-old in Bootle, Merseyside, England. He was beaten and stoned before his dead body was left on train tracks to give the impression that a train had hit him. Bulger's killers became the youngest convicted murderers in the modern history of the United Kingdom. Another notable case in the UK occurred in 1968 in Newcastle upon Tyne, when 10-year-old Mary Bell was convicted of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility in the deaths of toddlers Martin Brown and Brian Howe. She was released in 1980 at the age of 23.[4] In 1998, 8-year-old Madelyn Clifton was killed by 14-year-old Josh Phillips.[citation needed]

By medical professionals

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Children, especially infants, have been killed on purpose by medical professionals. Katherine Ramsland, an expert in serial killers, believes predatory offenders may view healthcare agencies as "places of trust" where they have advantages. While other killers may decide to reduce the workload, or set someone up out of spite, or get God complex and think they are helping their victims, or be seeking attention, self-empowerment, and thrill.[5] In one such case, neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was accused of killing at least 7 infants between June 2015 to 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital and attempting to kill a further 10 more.[6]

Media coverage

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Jammu Siltavuori, also known as "Uncle Jammu", murdered two eight-year-old girls in 1989.[7][8]

In 1992, after the fatal shooting of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis as he left the Cabrini–Green public housing project for school, the Chicago Tribune put every child murder on the front page (generally no murders were front-page news). 62 child murders were reported that year.[citation needed]

Multiple deaths in one incident, such as the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 1996 Dunblane massacre tend to gather the most media attention but are statistically scarce.[citation needed]

  • A photo of Gwen Mayor and her class before the Dunblane Massacre
    A photo of Gwen Mayor and her class before the Dunblane Massacre
  • A photo of the police at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Ended.
    A photo of the police at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Ended.

Genocide and child soldiers

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Main article: Military use of children

The military use of children refers to children being placed in harm's way in military actions, in order to protect a location or provide propaganda.[9][10] This is sometimes referred to as child sacrifice, though not equivalent to the religious variety. It may also refer to the use of children as child soldiers or saboteurs.[citation needed]

Red Hand Day on February 12 is an annual commemoration day to draw public attention to the practice of using children as soldiers in wars and armed conflicts.[citation needed]

"Muti killings"

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Medicine murder (often referred to as muti killing) is a practice of human sacrifice and mutilation associated with traditional medicinal practices, such as Muti(by whom?). Victims of muti killings are often children. Organs and/or body parts are usually taken while the child is still alive. An unknown child (referred to as Adam), whose decapitated torso was found in the River Thames in London in 2002 is believed to have been the victim of a muti killing.[11]

Murdered children of royalty

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A painting from 1835 by Theodor Hildebrandt with the title The Murder of the Sons of Edward IV depicting Edward V of England and his brother Richard of York about to be killed
Diadumenian, killed at the age of nine
Aged 16, Conradin was beheaded.
Jacques-Victor Henry, Prince Royal of Haiti, bayoneted by revolutionaries at the age of 16

See also

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References

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  1. ^ United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2009). Crime in the United States: Uniform Crime Report, 2008. Retrieved from "Expanded Homicide Data Table 2 - Crime in the United States 2008". Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  2. ^ "Use of the Death Penalty for Killing a Child Victim".
  3. ^ The 2015 Florida Statutes
  4. ^ Kuroski, John (2021-10-24). ""Evil Born": The Vicious Crimes Of 11-Year-Old Murderer Mary Bell". All That's Interesting. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  5. ^ Peplow, Gemma (19 Aug 2023). "Lucy Letby: Inside the mind of a serial killer - the psychology behind healthcare murderers". Sky News. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 19 Aug 2023.
  6. ^ Harwood-Baynes, Megan; Parmenter, Tom (17 Aug 2023). "How the Police caught Lucy Letby". Sky News. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 18 Aug 2023.
  7. ^ "Episode 004: Uncle Jammu". True Crime Finland. September 8, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Nodes of Contemporary Finnish Literature - Oapen
  9. ^ "Children at war". History Extra. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  10. ^ UNICEF (2007). "The Paris Principles: Principles and guidelines on children associated with armed forces or armed groups" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Torso murder reward offered". BBC News. 21 December 2001. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
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