Neil S. Kaye, ~ M. D. ; Neal M. Borenstein, 2 M. D.

; and
Susan M. Donnel l y, 3 M. D.
Families, Murder, and Insanity:
A Psychiatric Revi ew of Paternal Neonaticide
REFERENCE: Kaye, N. S., Borenstein, N. M., and Donnelly, S. M., "Families, Murder,
and Insanity: A Psychiatric Review of Paternal Neonaticide," Journal of Forensic Sciences,
JFSCA, Vol. 35, No. 1, Jan. 1990, pp. 133-139.
ABSTRACT: Neonaticide is the killing of a newborn within the first 24 h of life. Although
relatively uncommon, numerous cases of maternal neonaticide have been reported. To date,
only two cases of paternal neonaticide have appeared in the literature. The authors review
neonaticide and present two new case reports of paternal neonaticide. A psychodynamic
explanation of paternal neonaticide is formulated. A new definition for neonaticide, more
consistent with biological and psychological determinants, is suggested.
KEYWORDS: psychiatry, neonaticide, paternal neonaticide
No event ar ouses e mot i ons mor e t ha n t he deat h of an i nf ant . Ev e n ha r de r to expl ai n,
or e ve n c ompr e he nd, is t he deat h of a n e wb o r n at t he hands of a par ent . Re s ni c k [1]
coi ned t he t e r m ne ona t i c i de t o descr i be t he ki l l i ng of a chi l d less t ha n 24 h ol d. Al t h o u g h
this t r agedy is not u n c o mmo n a mong mot her s , it is except i onal l y r ar e a mong f at her s.
Thi s paper r evi ews t he hi st or y of ne ona t i c i de and t he t wo cases of pat er nal ne ona t i c i de
r epor t ed t o dat e [2,3]. I t al so pr es ent s t wo ne w case r epor t s , one of whi ch is bas ed on
ext ensi ve i nt er vi ews c onduc t e d by t wo of t he aut hor s (N. K. a nd N. B. ) . Fi nal l y, an ear l y
hypot hesi s will be pos t ul at ed t o expl ai n t hi s behavi or .
Hi s t or y
The ear l i est r ef er ence t o filicide ( t he ki l l i ng of a chi l d by a par ent ) is t he Bi bl i cal st or y
of t he ne a r sl ayi ng of I ssaac by his f at her Ab r a h a m ( Genes i s 22). Lat er , i n Gr e e k my-
t hol ogy, i t is t ol d t hat Me de a ki l l ed her t wo sons af t er J as on a b a n d o n e d her for t he
daught er of t he Ki ng of Cor i nt h [4], gi vi ng us what si nce has b e e n t e r me d t he Me de a
Compl e x [5]. Un d e r t he Ro ma n Law, patria potestas, t he ri ght of a f at her t o ki l l his own
chi l dr en was pr ot ect ed [6, 7].
Presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Las Vegas,
NV, 20-25 Feb. 1989. This paper was selected by the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Section
of the AAFS as the best paper written by a fellow in forensic psychiatry or psychology from the
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Section of AAFS. Neil S. Kaye, M. D. , is the 1989 winner and
first recipient of this award. Received for publication 21 Jan. 1989; accepted for publication 3 Feb.
1989.
1Assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts School of Medicine,
Worcester State Hospital, Worcester, MA; formerly, Central New York Psychiatric Center, Marcy,
NY.
2Clinical director, Central New York Psychiatric Center, Marcy, NY.
3Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
133
Copyright 1990 by ASTM International
134 JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES
It was not unt i l t he 300s t hat Chri st i ani t y, i nfl uenced heavi l y by Judai c law, began to
r egar d filicide as a cri me. Still, mot her s who ki l l ed t hei r i nfant s or newbor ns r ecei ved
lesser sent ences under bot h t he laws of t he church and t he st at e t han di d par ent s who
ki l l ed ol der chi l dr en [8 - 1 1 ]. The church consi st ent l y deal t l eni ent l y wi t h t hose mot her s
whose chi l dren di ed by "over l yi ng, " an acci dent al deat h by smot her i ng when a sl eepi ng
par ent r ol l ed over on t he i nfant . The opi ni ons of t he church in t hese deat hs reflects an
awareness of one of soci et y' s first at t empt s t o under s t and t he sever e pr obl em of over-
popul at i on and over cr owdi ng [8 - 1 1 ].
Engl and has t r adi t i onal l y vi ewed i nfant i ci de as a "speci al cr i me, " passi ng its first
Infant i ci de Ac t in 1623 under t he St uar t s and mor e r ecent versi ons in t he I nf ant i ci de
Act s of 1922 and 1938 [1 2,1 3]. Most r ecent l y, Engl and passed t he I nf ant i ci de Act of
1978, which allows a l esser sent ence for at t empt ed i nfant i ci de [1 4 ].
Unl i ke Engl and and ot her Eur ope a n gover nment s, t he Uni t ed St at es has not adopt ed
special st at ut es to deal wi t h i nfant i ci de or neonat i ci de. Nonet hel ess, j ur i es and j udges,
as refl ect ed in t hei r verdi ct s and sent ences, have consi st ent l y consi der ed t he difficulties
and st resses of a mot her dur i ng t he pos t par t um per i od.
Crossculturai Aspects
It is i mpor t ant to recogni ze t hat ot her cul t ures have devel oped di f f er ent at t i t udes and
mor es r egar di ng t he ki l l i ng of infants. The Chi nese, as l at e as t he 1800s, sacri fi ced newbor n
daught er s because t hey were unabl e t o t r ansmi t t he fami l y name. Daught er s wer e also
vi ewed as weaker and not as useful in t i me of war or for agri cul t ural wor k. I n t he past ,
Eski mos ki l l ed i nfant s wi t h known congeni t al anomal i es and, oft en, one of a set of twins
[1 5 ], Si mi l arl y, Mohave I ndi ans used t o ki l l all hal f br eeds at bi r t h [1 6 ].
In t hei r 1981 paper , Sakut a and Sai t o [17] r evi ewed i nfant i ci de in J apan and descr i be
t he two di st i nct t ypes of i nfant i ci de commonl y seen. The Mabi ki t ype cor r esponds t o t he
anci ent means of "t hi nni ng out " or popul at i on cont r ol ; t he An o mi e t ype, a pr oduct of
moder n soci et y, cor r esponds t o t he " unwant ed chi l d. "
Neonaticide Statistics
The Uni t ed St at es ranks first in chi l d homi ci de for chi l dr en under t he age of f our years.
Fort y-fi ve per cent of all child mur der s in t he Uni t ed St at es occur in t he first 24 h of life
and t hus can be classified as neonat i ci de [1 8 ,1 9 ]. For t he per i od 1982 to 1987, appr oxi -
mat el y 1. 1% of all homi ci des were chi l dr en under one year of age. Ei ght t o ni ne per cent
of a / / mur de r s ar e of per sons under ei ght een year s of age. Of t hese, al most t wi ce as many
sons as compar ed t o daught er s ar e vi ct i ms of filicide [1 9 ].
In hal f of t he filicide cases, deat h occurs l i t eral l y " at t he hands of " t he par ent . Weapons
are al most never used in neonat i ci de. Dr owni ng, st r angul at i on, head t r auma, suffocat i on,
and exposur e ar e all common met hods [1 9 ].
Maternal Neonaticide
Neonat i ci dal mot her s ar e gener al l y bet ween 16 and 38 years of age, wi t h al most 90%
bei ng 25 year s of age or younger. Less t han 20% ar e mar r i ed. Less t han 30% are seen
as psychot i c or depr es s ed [1 ,1 2,20 ,21 ]. The maj or i t y of neonat i ci dal mot her s ar e unwed,
poor , and have deni ed or conceal ed t he pr egnancy, or bot h, si nce concept i on. They
f r equent l y give bi r t h al one and di spose of t he baby as if it wer e an abor t i on t hat occur r ed
" t oo l at e. "
KAYE ET AL. . PATERNAL NEONATICIDE 135
Paternal Neonaticide
Unl i ke mat ernal neonat i ci de, t here are very few cases of pat ernal neonat i ci de in the
literature. Thus, any st at ement of the demographics of pat ernal neonat i ci de would be
bot h meani ngl ess and misleading, based on too small a caseload to reach statistically
significant conclusions. I n prepari ng for his 1970 paper on neonat i ci de, Resni ck [22]
reviewed the world l i t erat ure from 1751 to 1968 and report ed only two cases. The authors
updat ed the l i t erat ure review, contacted t went y met r opol i t an medical exami ner ' s offices
and found the two addi t i onal cases (Cases 3 and 4) report ed below. Since the original
two cases (1 and 2) are rat her brief, they will be reproduced for the sake of a t horough
review.
Case Reports
Case 1
J. S., born 1879, with positive heredity of mental deficiency, on July 15, 1911, poisoned his
new-born child because he felt that his own poor health might result in his death leaving no
one to provide for his wife and child. Psychiatric examination revealed no evidence of mental
disease, but the presence of mental deficiency. He was considered responsible for the deed and
later sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary. On May 1, 1915, having served three years two
months, he was released on probation. At no time during his penitentiary residence nor sub-
sequently has he shown any symptoms of schizophrenia [2].
Case 2
A bright 26 year old man was forced into marriage by his wife's pregnancy. He saw the
coming child as a bar to his ambition. On one occasion he put poison in his wife's soup hoping
that the infant would spontaneously abort or be stillborn. He strangled the infant while delivering
it himself. Although free of overt psychosis at the time, he developed a clinical picture of full
blown schizophrenia three years later. He too was sentenced to ten years in prison [3].
Case 3
H. was 35 years old when he killed his 5-h-old son in front of the baby' s mot her (his
girlfriend) and a nurse, i n a hospital room, by st abbi ng him repeat edl y with a hunt i ng
knife. H. had pl anned this and went to the hospital expressly for the purpose of disposing
of this unwant ed i nfant .
H. was bor n in 1946 to a rural wealthy family from the Northeast. His bi rt h was
report ed as bei ng normal and atraumatic. There are no materials to suggest any difficulties
in early life or as a youngst er. His mot her admits t hat she never want ed chi l dren and
had children onl y to please her husband.
Aft er at t endi ng t hree different private high schools, H. graduat ed and moved to New
York City, where he studied drafting at an architecture school. He claims to be an
excellent draft sman and in fact designed and bui l t two houses when he was ei ght een to
twenty years of age. He report s t hat the freedom and i ndependence of bei ng a taxi-cab
driver, which he was for about t en years, made that his favorite empl oyment .
However, duri ng this peri od of his life he was not very socially i nvol ved and dr ank
heavily al one to "shut out the rest of the worl d. " He claims that in his early twenties his
dri nki ng ceased to be a probl em and that he cut down significantly. At age 22 he im-
pregnat ed a woman, who consequent l y under went an elective abort i on. His parent s
divorced when he was 26, and his fat her died when H. was 29. Thr oughout his childhood
and adult years, H. was well support ed financially by his family; a trust fund was estab-
lished for him after his fat her' s death.
136 JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES
Psychiatric History- - H. was s een by a psychi at r i st once as a young a dol e s c e nt at t he
r e que s t of his f at her f or be ha vi or a l pr obl ems . Al s o, whi l e l i vi ng al one i n Ne w Yor k Ci t y
he sought pr i vat e psychi at r i c car e, but t he dur at i on and na t ur e of t r e a t me n t a r e unknown.
Hi s first i npat i ent t r e a t me nt was in 1979 whe n he was 33 year s ol d. H. was t our i ng t he
count r y at t he t i me, gat her i ng i nf or ma t i on on r ai l way syst ems i n pr e pa r a t i on f or a book
he was i nt endi ng t o wr i t e. I n Se p t e mb e r of 1979 he was ar r es t ed at a mo t e l in t he Mi dwe s t
f or r eckl essl y fi ri ng a .22 cal i ber Col t s e mi a ut oma t i c pi st ol in his r o o m and i n t he l obby
ar ea, whe r e t wo wo me n wer e wor ki ng. Wh e n que s t i one d why he had be e n s hoot i ng in
t he l obby, he st at ed, " I t was my mo o d at t he t i me . " Wh e n as ked why he was s hoot i ng
in his r oom, he r epl i ed, " Be c a u s e t he per s on upst ai r s was pl ayi ng musi c t oo l oudl y. " As
a r esul t of his be ha vi or in j ai l ( br eaki ng a t el evi s i on and e vi de nc i ng " e r r a t i c b e h a v i o r " ) ,
he was a dmi t t e d f or psychi at r i c as s es s ment and f ound not fit t o pr oc e e d. Th e char ges
we r e di smi ssed.
Al t hough he was not c oope r a t i ve f or full ps ychol ogi cal t est i ng, t he r e c or d r ef l ect s a
hi st or y of homi ci dal t hr eat s , assaul t s on ot he r pat i ent s , and an i nt er es t in l i t er at ur e
per t ai ni ng t o weapons . The t r eat i ng psychi at r i st s f el t he was in ne e d of f ur t he r car e and
ci vi l l y c o mmi t t e d hi m t o a psychi at r i c c e nt e r ne a r e r t o his home . He was t r ans f er r ed in
Ma y of 1980 at age 34 wi t h a di agnosi s of s chi zophr eni a, par anoi d.
Psychol ogi cal t est i ng done at t hat t i me r e ve a l e d a ve r ba l I nt el l i gence Qu o t i e n t ( I Q)
of 108; pe r f or ma nc e I Q of 98; ful l -scal e I Q of 104 We c hs l e r Ad u l t I nt el l i gence Scal e
[ WAI S] ) . A Mi nne s ot a Mul t i phas i c Per s onal i t y I nve nt or y Tes t ( MMPI ) is r e p o r t e d t o
show a " d - 2 " pa t t e r n and was r ead as val i d. The ps ychopat hi c t endenci es we r e f el t t o
be chr oni c and per haps r el at ed t o his al cohol i c hi st or y. The depr es s i on was f el t t o be of
a r eact i ve nat ur e and shor t - l i ved. The Th e ma t i c Ap p e r c e p t i o n Tes t ( TAT) r e ve a l e d shor t
answer s and a sense of def ens i venes s and guar dednes s . He was ne ve r f el t t o be ps ychot i c
whi l e at t he psychi at r i c c e nt e r and was di s char ged in Se p t e mb e r 1980.
Whi l e a pat i ent at t he psychi at r i c cent er , H. me t L. , a not he r pat i ent . The y had pl a nne d
on mar r yi ng af t er bot h wer e di s char ged. Af t e r t hei r r el eas e t hey l i ved t oge t he r of f and
on, but when she b e c a me pr e gna nt he r mo t h e r i nsi st ed t hat she l i ve onl y wi t h H. and
not in t he par ent al h o me . The ma r r i a ge n e v e r t ook pl ace becaus e L. was r ehos pi t al i zed,
par t l y as a r esul t of t he st ress of he r mo t h e r ' s r e j e c t i on. At first H. was happy about t he
pr egnancy, but whe n L. was r ehos pi t al i zed he ur ged he r t o get an abor t i on. He vi si t ed
her onl y once whi l e she was pr e gna nt at t he psychi at r i c c e nt e r be c a us e he " f e l t unc om-
f or t abl e a r ound t he c r a z i e s . " He al so f el t t hat her hos pi t al i zat i on f or he r me nt a l p r o b l e m
mi ght " r ef l ect ba dl y" on his f ami l y becaus e t hey wer e " i nf l ue nt i a l . "
Whe n i ni t i al l y que s t i one d about why he ki l l ed t he ne wbor n, H. e xpl a i ne d t hat he had
been an a dvoc a t e of i nf ant i ci de f or a bout 15 year s. H. has wr i t t en a 24- page, t yped
doc ume nt ent i t l ed " Th e Evi l s of Ov e r p o p u l a t i o n . " Hi s f eel i ngs about t he i nci dent can
be s hown by quot i ng f r om t he d o c u me n t ( wi t h his per mi s s i on) .
Considering the circumstances under which the child was bor n- - L, was in a mental institu-
t i o n - s h e had no plans to return and raise the child with me- - i t becomes obvious that her
pregnancy was not only a great source of embarrassment to me, but it was also a very difficult
thing for L. For as far back as I can remember, I have always felt a profound contempt for
those irresponsible individuals who bring children into the world when they are unfit to do
so. With each passing day of the pregnancy, I was aware of a terrible guilt closing in on me;
I could not bear the thought that I should become the object of rational hate. And I knew
the consequent social stigma that would attach to me would critically impair my ability to
function in society. By destroying the child, I cleared my name and that of my relations, and
I relieved L. of a responsibility that she was in no way prepared to handle. Had I allowed
the child to live, he might have been raised at L' s mother' s house as her mother had suggested;
if so, there never would have been an end to this miserable affair. The child might have been
taken by adoptive parents, but adoptive parents are, in general, inferior to natural parents.
Furthermore, L. is mentally retarded to a moderate degree. I destroyed our child because I
thought he would have inferior racial characteristics.
KAYE ET AL. . PATERNAL NEONATICIDE 137
Good children come from good parents; bad children come from bad parents. Bad parents
are not necessarily bad people. L. and I are good people, but we would have been bad
parents; we would have been unable to take care of our child properly. It follows that f
destroyed a creature of negative potential. My son was an evil child; it was my responsibility
as a parent to destroy him.
In ot her chapt er s of his wri t i ng, H. expl ai ns t hat si nce L. want ed a girl and had sai d
t hat a boy woul d be " t oo har d to r a i s e - - t oo messy, " bot h of t hem wer e in agr eement .
He st at es t hat had it been a gi rl , he woul d not have ki l l ed t he child. I t was upon recei vi ng
a call f r om his si st er i nf or mi ng him t hat L. had gi ven bi r t h t o a baby boy t hat H. went
t o t he hospi t al expr essl y t o kill t he baby.
Fur t her mor e, H. cites t he hi st ori cal basi s of t he i nfant i ci de ar gument . He expl ai ns how
humans as well how ot her speci es use and have used i nfant i ci de as a means of popul at i on
cont r ol , and he even comment s on t he r el at i onshi p bet ween abor t i on and i nfant i ci de.
Last l y, he not es how many pr omi nent phi l osopher s and even some famous l eader s have
advocat ed i nfant i ci de.
H. under went a t wo- mont h i npat i ent psychi at ri c eval uat i on aft er he ki l l ed his son. Hi s
i nt er act i on on t he war d was l i mi t ed, and he spent most of his t i me wor ki ng on his case.
Hi s ment al st at us exami nat i on at t hat t i me was r emar kabl e for fl at t ened affect , social
wi t hdr awal , emot i onal det achment , and no r emor se for his act i on. Specifically, t her e was
no evi dence of hal l uci nat i ons, del usi ons, or i nappr opr i at e t hought processes. H. r ecei ved
no medi cat i ons whi l e in t he hospi t al .
H. was f ound gui l t y of second- degr ee mur der and r ecei ved t he maxi mum sent ence of
25 year s to life. He di d not rai se an i nsani t y defense. He feels " c he a t e d" in t hat he was
not al l owed to ent er a def ense of j ust i fi abl e homi ci de and t her ef or e pr esent t o t he cour t
his vi ew of i nfant i ci de. He is servi ng his sent ence in a maxi mum securi t y pr i son and is
on no medi cat i on. He car r i es a di agnosi s of schi zophr eni a, chroni c, par anoi d, in remi ssi on.
Follow Up- - Si nc e t he t ri al , H. has been admi t t ed to t he St at e For ensi c Hospi t al on
t wo occasi ons. Bot h of t hese admi ssi ons have been for di sr upt i ve behavi or in t he pr i son
associ at ed wi t h psychosi s and audi t or y hal l uci nat i ons. On each occasi on he has st abi l i zed
wi t hout t he use of medi cat i on.
Case 4
In 1983, X. was a 36- year - ol d pr of essi onal resi di ng in t he Mi dwest wi t h his pr egnant
wife and 6- year - ol d daught er . This pr egnancy had been mar ked by acut e pol yhydr amni os
but was not consi der ed t o be a "hi gh- r i sk" pr egnancy nor par t i cul ar l y difficult. A few
days bef or e t he t er m del i ver y, amni ocent esi s was per f or med to t est for mat ur i t y of t he
i nf ant ' s lungs.
Upon del i ver y, with t he f at her in at t endance, it became i mmedi at el y obvi ous t hat t he
baby was not ent i r el y nor mal . The i nfant was cyanot i c and not br eat hi ng. I t t ook about
7 rain of resusci t at i ve i nt er vent i on bef or e t he baby " pi nked up. " The baby boy was
obvi ousl y def or med, wi t h a cleft l i p and pal at e, l ow-set ears, shor t arms, and webbed
hands [23]. 4
Af t e r t he baby was st abi l i zed and pl aced in an i ncubat or , t he obst et r i ci an t ur ned t o
r epai r t he epi si ot omy on t he mot her . The f at her pi cked up his newbor n son, bent down,
and smashed t he i nf ant ' s head on t he floor, ki l l i ng him i nst ant l y. The aut opsy r eveal ed
t hat t he baby had at l east five val vul ar hear t defect s and t hat t he pr es ent at i on was
consi st ent wi t h a di agnosi s of Tr i somy 13, a genet i c abnor mal i t y t hat is essent i al l y in-
compat i bl e wi t h sust ai ned life [23]. '
4R. M. Daley, District Attorney, Cook County, personal communication, Jan. 1988.
138 JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES
X was char ged wi t h mur der , and a def ense of t empor ar y i nsani t y was pr esent ed. The
case has been t r i ed t wi ce and bot h t i mes t he j ur i es have been unabl e to r each a verdi ct .
Recent l y, a j udge has r ul ed t hat X will not st and t ri al agai n; however , t he Di st r i ct At t or ne y
has appeal ed and t he case is still pendi ng [ 23] . 4
X has gr eat r emor se and sor r ow for his actions. He feels t hat he was " unpr e pa r e d for
anyt hi ng out of t he or di nar y" for anyt hi ng but a " nor mal bi r t h and del i ver y . . . . To be
left in a r oom for 30 mi nut es and seei ng t he pr obl ems t he baby had was a t er r i bl e t hi ng
to go t hr ough as a f at her . . . . I ' m sor r y this happened. Gi ven a second chance, it woul d
not happen agai n" [ 23] . 4
Di scussi on
Al t hough numer ous aut hor s have r epor t ed cases of mat er nal neonat i ci de, few have
gone so far as to suggest a psychodynami c expl anat i on for this behavi or . No one has
at t empt ed to expl ai n t he psychodynami cs r el at ed t o t he l i mi t ed number of cases of
pat er nal neonat i ci de. I n cat egori zi ng mat er nal neonat i ci de, Resni ck [I] del i neat ed five
t ypes, i ncl udi ng al t rui st i c (with sui ci de or to rel i eve sufferi ng), acut el y psychot i c, un-
want ed child, acci dent al , and spouse revenge.
Al t hough statistics per t ai ni ng t o mat er nal neonat i ci dal deat hs are i ncompl et e, it seems
r easonabl y cl ear t hat t he " unwant ed chi l d" is t he most common t ype. These women use
deni al as t he pr edomi nant defense mechani sm, a fact whi ch can no l onger be avoi ded
when bi rt h occurs. Thi s sudden di ssol ut i on of t he maj or def ense causes over whel mi ng
fear, par t i cul ar l y f ear of abandonment by t he mot her , f r om whom t he pr egnancy was
hi dden all al ong. Thi s acut e br eakdown of defenses serves t o pr oduce di sor gani zed t hi nk-
ing, i mpai r ed j udgment , and possi bl y even psychosi s.
Usi ng Resni ck' s classifications [1], t he aut hor s woul d cat egor i ze t he f our cases of
pat er nal neonat i ci de as follows: Case 1- - al t r ui st i c; Case 2- - unwa nt e d ( but l at er became
schi zophreni c); Case 3- - ps ychot i c, not acut e; and Case 4- - ps ychot i c, acut e.
By compar i ng t hese four cases wi t h t he most common dynami c f or mul at i on in mat er nal
neonat i ci de, it appear s t hat t he issues of i mpul si vi t y and pr emedi t at i on ar e significant
di st i ngui shi ng fact ors. Onl y in Case 4 was t he pat i ent ' s behavi or consi der ed "i mpul s i ve";
in t he ot her t hr ee cases some degr ee of " pr e me di t a t i on" was i nvol ved. Fur t her t r acki ng
and clarification of this t r end will be i mpor t ant as addi t i onal cases ar e r epor t ed.
The i ssue of pr emedi t at i on is also gi ven consi der at i on by t he cri mi nal j ust i ce syst em.
Thi s may be one of t he r easons t hat fat hers who ki l l t hei r chi l dren ar e far mor e l i kel y
to be sent enced and t o serve t i me in pr i son as compar ed wi t h t he mot her s who ar e f ound
guilty of t he same or a si mi l ar cri me [ 1 9 ] .
Af t er revi ewi ng and anal yzi ng t he f our cases of pat er nal neonat i ci de, t he aut hor s
suggest f ur t her r ef i nement of Resni ck' s defi ni t i on. The first subt ype woul d i ncl ude t hose
killings which occur " at bi r t h. " This is seen al most excl usi vel y in mat er nal cases, si nce
men r ar el y have accessi bi l i t y t o t he newbor n. The " ne ona t a l " per i od shoul d be expanded
to be consi st ent wi t h bi ol ogi cal and psychol ogi cal det er mi nant s. The Amer i can Pedi at r i c
Associ at i on and The Amer i can Col l ege of Obst et r i cs and Gynecol ogy bot h consi der t he
neonat al per i od t o be l onger t han t he first 24 h of life. Some of t hese defi ni t i ons i ncl ude
at l east t he first t hr ee mont hs of life [ 24 - 26 ] . I n psychi at ry, we recogni ze t hat pos t par t um
depr essi on and psychosi s may devel op many weeks aft er bi rt h and may in fact be r el at ed
to weani ng, an event which is qui t e di st ant from t he t i me of bi r t h [27]. The final cat egor y
woul d be t hose cases whi ch occur aft er t he neonat al per i od and shoul d be t er med i nfan-
ticide.
In concl usi on, t he aut hors pr opose t hat i nfant i ci de shoul d be di vi ded i nt o t hr ee subt ypes
as follows: A- - a t bi r t h, B- - b i r t h to six mont hs of age, and C- - s i x mont hs t o one year
of age.
KAYE ET AL. 9 PATERNAL NEONATICIDE 139
Ref erences
[1] Resnick, P., "Child Murder by Parents: A Psychiatric Review of Filicide," American Journal
of Psychiatry, Vol. 126, 1969, pp. 325-334.
[2] Hackfield, A., "Crimes of Unintelligible Motivation as Representing an Initial Symptom of an
Insidiously Developing Schizophrenia. Study of Comparative Effects of Hospital Regime on
Such Cases," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 91, 1934, pp. 639~568.
[3] Pfiester-Ammende, M., "Zwei Falle von Kindstotung in Psychiatrischev, Beurteilung,
Schweiz," Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, Vol. 39, 1937, pp. 373-387.
[4] Hamilton, E., Mythology, Mentor Book, New York, 1942.
[5] Wittels, F., "Psychoanalysis and Literature," in Psychoanalysis Today, S. Lorand, Ed., Boyd
Printing, Albany, NY, 1944.
[6] Black's Law Dictionary, 5th ed., West Publishing Company, St. Paul, MN, 1979.
[7] 142 N.Y.S.2d 163.
[8] Victoroff, V., "A Case of Infanticide Related to Psychomotor Automitism: Psychodynamic,
Physiological, Forensic and Sociological Considerations," Journal of Clinical and Experimental
Psychopathology, Vol. 16, 1955, pp. 191-220.
[9] Langer, W., "Infanticide: A Historical Survey," History of Childhood Quarterly, Vol. 1, 1974,
pp. 354-365.
[10] Kellum, B., "Infanticide in England in the Later Middle Ages," History of Childhood Quarterly,
Vol. 1, 1974, pp. 367-388.
[ll] Hale, M., The History of the Pleas of the Crown, E. R. Nutt and R. Gosling, London, 1736.
[12] Infanticide Act of 1938, 1 and 2 Geo. 6, e36, sec. 1 (1).
[13] Jeudwine, J., Observations on English Criminal Law and Procedure, D. S, King, London,
1968.
[14] Wilkins, A., "Attempted Infanticide," British Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 146, 1985, pp. 206-
208.
[15] Garber, C., "Eskimo Infanticide," Scientific Monthly, Vol. 64, 1947, pp. 98-102.
[16] Devereux, G., "Mohave Indian Infanticide," Psychoanalytic Review, Vol. 35, 1948, pp. 126-
139.
[17] Sakuta, T. and Saito, S., " A Socio-Medical Study on 71 Cases of Infanticide in Japan," Keio
Journal of Medicine, Vol. 30, 1981, pp. 155-168.
[18] d' Orban, P., "Women Who Kill Their Children," British Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 134, 1979,
pp. 560-571.
[19] Uniform Crime Reports (1 9 8 2- 1 9 8 7), U.S. Government Printing Office.
[20] Harder, T., "The Psychopathology of Infanticide," Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Vol. 43,
1967, pp. 196-245.
[21] Turnbull, H. R., "Incidence of Infanticide in America: Public and Professional Attitudes,"
Issues in Law and Medicine, Vol. 1, 1986, pp. 363-389.
[22] Resnick, P., "Murder of the Newborn: A Psychiatric Review of Neonaticide," American Journal
of Psychiatry, Vol. 126, 1970, pp. 58-64.
[23] Albany Times Union, Jan. 1988.
[24] Vaughan, V., Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, l l t h ed., W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1979.
[25] Pritchard, J. A. and Mac Donald, P. C., Williams Obstetrics, 17th ed., Appelton-Century-
Crofts, New York, 1985.
[26] Beischer, N. A. and Mackay, E. V., Obstetrics and the Newborn, 2nd ed., W. B. Saunders,
Philadelphia, 1986.
[27] Susman, V. and Katz, L.0 "Weaning and Depression: Another Postpartum Complication,"
American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 145, 1988, pp. 498--501.
Address requests for reprints or additional information to
Dr. Neil S. Kaye
Department of Psychiatry
University of Massachusetts School of Medicine
Worcester State Hospital
305 Belmont St.
Worcester, MA 01604