‘Just Say Goodbye’ (January 2013 online edition)

Chapter 4‘Suffer for the rest of your life’:Fathers who kill children in thecontext of separationMost research on filicide has focused on mothers, with fewer studiesinvestigating filicides by fathers (Bourget & Gagne 2005). Thislimited understanding of men who kill their children makes itdifficult to determine how these deaths may be prevented ( Johnson 2009).Most research has focused on fatal child abuse filicides – the most commontype of filicide perpetrated by men. As outlined in the previous chapter, researchshows many fathers who kill children in this context have previously beenviolent towards them. The research also suggests that in many instances therehas also been prior violence towards the child’s mother. Fatal abuse cases ofteninvolve stepfathers as perpetrators. In contrast, filicides that are not the resultof fatal child abuse are more likely to involve biological fathers and to occur indifferent circumstances.The review of the filicide research also highlights parental separation as afactor in filicides by fathers. Previous research in Victoria has shown that whenbiological fathers kill their children, it is most often in a context in which theyare separated from the children’s mother or they perceive there is a threat ofseparation (Alder & Polk 2001). Unlike fatal abuse filicides, these cases may notinvolve prior violence towards the children and the killing is often intentionalrather than accidental or reckless. Many filicides by fathers that occur in thecontext of parental separation are motivated by anger against an intimatepartner displaced on to the child (Alder & Polk 2001). The children are seen asan extension of the woman and their death a way of hurting her (Leveillee et al.2007). As noted earlier, these cases are described as ‘retaliatory’ filicides.This chapter examines filicides by fathers that occurred in the context of theparents’ separation. It explores the significance of intimate partner violence,anger about separation and using the children to hurt the mother. It also considersthe role of mental illness and family law disputes in filicides by fathers.37