Why are some children capable of killing?

Data of clinical interest on homicide committed by minors.

José Rabadán, 16 years old, killed his parents and his sister, who was mentally handicapped, with a katana, because he thought that this way he could live his life in peace. Raquel and Iria, aged 17 and 16, killed a classmate because they wanted to discover what it felt like to kill and make themselves known.

Javier Rosado, 21, along with a 17-year-old friend, killed a randomly selected passerby. "El Nano", 13, stoned to death a 10-year-old friend because the latter had insulted him. Antonio Molina, 14, threw his 6-year-old stepsister down a water distribution pipe where she suffocated to death because he was jealous of her. Enrique Cornejo and Antonio Aguilar, both 16, raped and stabbed an 11-year-old boy.

Murderous children: data and explanation from Psychology

Although each case is unique and each perpetrator had different motives for carrying them out, they all have common elements: The crimes were committed by minors and took place in Spain..

Of course, the aforementioned are not the only cases of murders carried out by minors that have occurred in the country, there are more, although these have gone down in history for the violence exercised and the motivations of the perpetrators.

Why would a minor commit a crime of this magnitude?

It is chilling to think that from such an early age, minors can commit acts of such violence, as manifested in the cases described above and the question we ask ourselves before these events is: How can a minor come to experience such acts of violence?

Scientific evidence: from personality to emotional conflicts

Experts who study these violent phenomena allege various causes. Echeburúa relates two possible hypotheses in this regard, one of them defends extreme impulsivity caused by brain damage that affects the mechanisms that regulate behavior, and the other refers to a Biological or psychological vulnerability.

For his part, Professor Antonio Andrés Pueyo of the University of Barcelona Antonio Andrés Pueyo alludes to personality and opportunity factors.. This author argues that in certain emotional situations a series of violent acts are triggered that can end in homicide without having previously mediated the desire to kill. Other theories affirm that the predictors that explain violence in general are also explanatory for cases that lead to murder or homicide.

Some of these factors are: perinatal factors, very rigid or permissive educational and parenting styles, not having developed a good attachment in early childhood, low self-control, poor academic performance, living in conflict areas, having antisocial attitudes, having been victims of mistreatment or sexual abuse in childhood, alcohol and drug use, and psychological problems or disorders, such as antisocial personality disorder or psychopathy.

Background psychological disorders

In the latter, psychological problems are supported by other theoretical currents that affirm that psychological disorders are the factors that make the difference between those who kill and those who do not kill despite being exposed to the same risk factors (Farrington, 2012).

Other factors that have also been observed are the temperament of minors, moral development, self-esteem, and the absence of empathy, although it should not be forgotten that an adequate and correct education can minimize the harmful effects that the environment and genetic predisposition may have on the minor and thus reduce the predisposition to commit violent acts.

Fact: 54% of homicidal minors suffer from a personality disorder.

A study carried out in Spain with children and adolescents convicted of homicide, provides very revealing data on this subject: 54% of those who had committed a homicide suffered from a personality disorder or antisocial behavior.In addition, 4% had committed the murder under the effects of a psychotic break, and the remaining 42% were normal boys and girls living in apparently normal families.

The conclusion to this phenomenon, as can be seen, is not clear and the literature we find on the subject is varied and alludes to several factors that converge and trigger an act of extreme violence, such as homicide. So we cannot speak in isolation of opportunity for crime, psychological, genetic or environmental factors, but of the confluence of them. And always keep in mind, as Heide concluded, that juvenile murderers tend to have a prior history of crime or antisocial behavior..

Bibliographical references:

• Farrington, D., Loeber, R., & Berg, M. (2012). Young men who kill: A prospective Longitudinal Examination from Childhood. SAGE publicacions.
• Pérez Oliva, M. (2008). why can a child kill. El país semanal.
• Minors and murderers. Relation of crimes recorded in the last 18 years. (2010). El Mundo. Retrieved from: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/04/04/espana/1270373512.html
• Young murderers, the most shocking cases in Spain (2013). Teinteresa.es. Retrieved from: http://www.teinteresa.es/espana/Jovenes-asesinos-casos-estremecedores-Espana_0_958105162.html