Child murder, also known aspedicide,child manslaughter orchild homicide, is thehomicide of an individual who is aminor. In many legal jurisdictions, it is considered anaggravated 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.
In 2008, there were 1,494 pedicides in theUnited States. Of those killed, 1,035 were male and 452 were female.[1]
About half of the states that maintain thedeath penalty have included pedicide 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]
Any murder in theUnited Kingdom carries amandatory life sentence. InEngland andWales, pedicides 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 of age. Sentencing guidelines state that where the offender is under 21, the starting point is a minimum term of 30 years.[citation needed]
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 pedicides were committed by other children. Several pedicides have gained prominent media exposure.
One was the killing on 12 February 1993 of the 2-year-old boyJames Bulger by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables who were both 10-years-old inBootle,Merseyside,England. He was beaten and stoned before his corpse was left on train tracks in order 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 inNewcastle upon Tyne, when 10-year-oldMary 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]
One of the most recent cases occurred in May 2021 inSt. Johns County, Florida, when 14-year-old Aiden Fucci fatally stabbed his schoolmate, 13-year-oldTristyn Bailey. Bailey sustained 114 stab wounds in total. In 2023, Fucci pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison.[5][6][7]
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 getGod complex and think they arehelping their victims, or be seeking attention, self-empowerment, and thrill.[8] In one such case,neonatal nurseLucy Letby was accused of killing at least 7 infants between June 2015 and 2016 at theCountess of Chester Hospital and attempting to kill a further 10 more.[9] In another case, French anaesthetist Frédéric Péchier was sentenced for murdering or attempting to murder patients as young as 4 years old, from 2008 to 2017, out of jealousy and disdain for his peers.[10][11]
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.[14][15] 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]
Medicine murder, often referred to asmuti killing, is a practice ofhuman sacrifice andmutilation associated with traditional medicinal practices, such asmuti. 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 asAdam), whose decapitated torso was found in theRiver Thames inLondon in 2002 is believed to have been the victim of a muti killing.[16]
A painting from 1835 byTheodor Hildebrandt with the titleThe Murder of the Sons of Edward IV depicting Edward V of England and his brother Richard of York about to be killedDiadumenian, killed at the age of nineAged 16, Conradin was beheaded.Jacques-Victor Henry, Prince Royal of Haiti, bayoneted by revolutionaries at the age of 16
