The Virginian-Pilot
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VIRGINIA BEACH
While a mother who kills her own child often gets more media attention, a father is at least as likely to commit what's known as "filicide," according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Cases like that of Andrea Yates, the Houston woman who drowned her five children in a bathtub in 2001, make headlines.
But the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in a report covering 1976 through 2005, said that of homicides involving children 5 and younger, 31 percent were killed by their father and 29 percent by their mother.
Joseph Henry Hagerman III, 33, was arraigned Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 5-year-old son in the Beach.
John Armstrong, whose ex-wife killed their son in 1997, runs a Web site called Brandon's House in memory of his son, and in an attempt to raise awareness of filicide. Armstrong said parents who kill their children often show no warning signs.
Even thinking back, he can remember only that his former wife told their son, "I brought you into this world; I can take you out." He never thought she would act on it.
"It can be any race, any economic background, any part of town, any way," Armstrong said. "They just kill them."
More than 500 children are killed each year by a parent, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Armstrong said the only preven tive measure is: If a parent ever feels inclined, get help. Neighbors, friends, even
family often don't know problems are lurking in someone's head.
"Like that guy down the street," Armstrong said. "You just see him walking in and out every day, then one day he kills his kid. What warning sign was there?"
Lon Wagner, (757) 222-5119, lon.wagner@pilotonline.com
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fathers more likely to kill
Fathers are also more likely to abandon the family and leave the kids for the mother to raise.
This story is very disturbing when you consider a 5 year old boy was decapitated with a kitchen knife.
Was the man mentally ill? I think you would have to be to do such a thing.
I don't see this as a forum for abortions.
INFANTICIDE AND FILLICIDE
I would like to comment on the slightly slanted declaration presented by Lon Wagner titled "Stats: Fathers slightly more likely to kill their young children". While it might well be true that it is possible that fathers on a global level are slightly more responsible for the deaths of their offspring I think that it should be fair to point out that not many men in the world personally undergo abortions. Oh yes, I am well aware of the fact that many people don't exactly consider the consistent murder of the unborn (regardless of how many months the child may be) infanticide, but when I consider the fact that the unborn individual is still a human being nonetheless, I cannot help but to feel that this presentation was a little slanted. I wouldn't mind having a closer look at the stats presented. I suspect Neo-Feminist Misandry is at work here.