Children Who Kill
Inspiration for a teenage psychopath
Inspiration for a teenage psychopath
It is a sad fact that modern western society throws up many examples of young people who have committed manslaughter or murder at an age when other kids are fretting about hormonal acne, or even still cuddling a teddy bear...
While researching psychopathic tendencies in young people, and the genetic links that encourage such behaviour in some children but not others, I decided to develop Billy's character for Gaslighting. It was not inevitable that he would follow in the murderous Leech family tradition but given his traumatic childhood, his father's coldness and, later, his mother's inability to cope with her own PTSD let alone her son's, all combined with his genetic make-up to create the monster in the novel.
I will be adding to this page, but for now here are a couple of examples that will make you wonder about modern childhood. This first example of attempted murder by is shocking, especially as one of the two vicious prepubescent perpetrators explained why they did what they did with this casual comment:
While researching psychopathic tendencies in young people, and the genetic links that encourage such behaviour in some children but not others, I decided to develop Billy's character for Gaslighting. It was not inevitable that he would follow in the murderous Leech family tradition but given his traumatic childhood, his father's coldness and, later, his mother's inability to cope with her own PTSD let alone her son's, all combined with his genetic make-up to create the monster in the novel.
I will be adding to this page, but for now here are a couple of examples that will make you wonder about modern childhood. This first example of attempted murder by is shocking, especially as one of the two vicious prepubescent perpetrators explained why they did what they did with this casual comment:
“Cos there were nowt to do.”
The victims who survived the Devil Brothers.
Who: Two twisted brothers nicknamed “The Devils”
Ages: 10 and 11
The crime: The brothers behind the notorious Edlington attacks already had a reputation for bad behaviour, including animal cruelty, and attacking a teacher and another young boy.
In 2009, the pair, who still cannot be named for legal reasons, took things a stage further. On Saturday April 4 they targeted two boys aged 11 and nine who were out riding their BMX bikes.
The boys – an uncle and nephew – were persuaded to go to a piece of waste ground near Edlington in South Yorkshire, where in a senseless 90-minute attack the ‘Devils’ viciously tortured them.
The victims were beaten, burned and strangled with any weapons that came to hand including sticks, broken glass and barbed wire.
One was stripped naked and forced to perform a sex act. Lumps of a broken sink were dropped on the head of the older boy.
Some of the attack was filmed on a mobile phone. The culprits then fled, leaving the other boys for dead.The younger victim was later found wandering in the street with knife wounds while the 11-year-old was discovered lying face down on a muddy river bank. A doctor described the older boy’s injuries as life-threatening.
How they were caught: The “Devils” were arrested the next day at their father’s allotment.
Confessing to the attack, they told police they had only stopped when they became too tired to continue.
Asked why they did it one said: “Cos there were nowt to do.”
Taken from this Daily Star article on 'Kids who kill.' which contains more examples of actual murderous children.
Who: Two twisted brothers nicknamed “The Devils”
Ages: 10 and 11
The crime: The brothers behind the notorious Edlington attacks already had a reputation for bad behaviour, including animal cruelty, and attacking a teacher and another young boy.
In 2009, the pair, who still cannot be named for legal reasons, took things a stage further. On Saturday April 4 they targeted two boys aged 11 and nine who were out riding their BMX bikes.
The boys – an uncle and nephew – were persuaded to go to a piece of waste ground near Edlington in South Yorkshire, where in a senseless 90-minute attack the ‘Devils’ viciously tortured them.
The victims were beaten, burned and strangled with any weapons that came to hand including sticks, broken glass and barbed wire.
One was stripped naked and forced to perform a sex act. Lumps of a broken sink were dropped on the head of the older boy.
Some of the attack was filmed on a mobile phone. The culprits then fled, leaving the other boys for dead.The younger victim was later found wandering in the street with knife wounds while the 11-year-old was discovered lying face down on a muddy river bank. A doctor described the older boy’s injuries as life-threatening.
How they were caught: The “Devils” were arrested the next day at their father’s allotment.
Confessing to the attack, they told police they had only stopped when they became too tired to continue.
Asked why they did it one said: “Cos there were nowt to do.”
Taken from this Daily Star article on 'Kids who kill.' which contains more examples of actual murderous children.
This is not a solely modern phenomenon - as this case from the late nineteenth century confirms:
Jesse Pomeroy - 14 year old serial killer...
Jesse Pomeroy - 14 year old serial killer...