Why Do People Commit Homicide?

INTRO

“What types of people commit homicide?” This question is asked by psychologists and regular people alike. Could gender play a role? Does the age of a person affect their tendency to kill? How does someone’s financial stability effect whether or not they are a murderer? These thought provoking questions could lead to the answers that people want, but there is a problem which is brought up by forensic psychiatrist Douglas Mosman. “People exhibit different kinds of behavior or thinking patterns that could possibly lead to a violent act…But the problem is that there are hundreds of individuals who display these same patterns, who don’t go on to act violent” (qtd. in Heits 77). Many factors can push an individual to kill. Abuse, mental illness,

16 year old Brenda Ann Spencer fatally shot the school principal and custodian in 1979. She shot the two as she looked through the window of her home. When a journalist called the home and inquired why she murdered the men, Spencer said “I don’t like Mondays” (Brenda np). Mondays are not usually teenagers’ favorite day because it marks not only the end of the weekend, but the start of another week of school. Another incident in which a young adult used depression as a motive to kill was in the case of Colin Kingston. In January of 2016, Kingston went into his ex-girlfriend’s home and stabbed her and her boyfriend to death. It is believed that Kingston committed this crime because of how distraught he was over their breakup. He also told his father that he was contemplating committing suicide before doing so at the scene of the crime (Robinson np). This shows just how much stress and sadness can instigate violence such as murder. Young adults and teenagers’ personalities can be changed by the world around them. Because juveniles can be so easily influenced, media can be to blame in some cases of children committing murders. A popular argument (made most frequently by parents) is that technology makes their children violent. Television, music, the internet, video games, and pop-culture are all blamed for this. Music has the ability to change moods, behaviors, and attitudes in children. Specifically

Even so, they are still murderers like the rest of said population. In the United States, only 875 woman committed murders in 2005 against 7,114 men, but this does not make what the women did insignificant (“Arrests” np). Numerous elements can be reasons for a woman to murder. Substance abuse, isolation, living in poverty, unemployment, relationship problems, and a history of abuse have all been reasons for women killing (Friedman and Resnick np). Tracie Andrews was arguing with her husband in their car. As things got heated, Andrews exited the vehicle and stabbed her husband to death approximately 35 times with a pen knife (Marlowe 15-17). This is an example of how the couple’s relationship difficulties drove a woman to kill. In addition to having relationship struggles, Andrews was also allegedly shamed for her body type after her abortion by her husband, indicating abuse which is another reason why women may murder (Marlowe 18). On the topic of abuse, an example of a woman who murdered because of a history of being sexually and physically abused is Celeste Beard. Beard was sexually abused by her adoptive father and brother at the age of 4. She was also victim to an abusive marriage before divorce. Later in life, Beard became greed and money obsessed. She performed sexual acts for her husband for money. Additionally, she shot and killed her husband in his sleep to receive his money (Marlowe 21-24).