OVERKILL MATRICIDE: AN UNUSUAL AND STINGING CASE REPORT

Abstract

Matricide has always been considered one of the most aberrant crimes that can be committed; although known in mythology, it is among the rarest crimes and rarely reported in the literature, for this reason it has been difficult to accumulate sufficient information to determine specific mechanisms and motivations. We present the case of a 73-year-old woman who was killed with extreme violence by her 38-year-old adopted son who had never received treatment for schizophrenia or other psychological disorders. The case can be classified as "overkill", defined as the application to the victim of an action that is excessively harmful in terms of force and ferocity compared to the one necessary to cause death. Of particular interest was the discovery of pins and tailor's needles stuck in the face of the victim. In the unusual case here reported, describing singular method of homicidal action, the crime scene and autopsy results were evaluated along with other relevant data available in the literature.

Keywords

• matricide
• overkill
• forensic pathology
• homicide