A Family Annihilator is an individual who commits familicide, the act of killing his/her own relatives.

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Typology and Motivations of Family Annihilators

Depressed - They are dealing with harsh situations (e.g. financial difficulties, illnesses) and come to see murder as the only way to save their families from "the vale of tears" their lives have turned into.

- They are dealing with harsh situations (e.g. financial difficulties, illnesses) and come to see murder as the only way to save their families from "the vale of tears" their lives have turned into. Pathological Liar - They kill their relatives in order to hide their lies and to "protect" them from the suffering caused by the latters.

- They kill their relatives in order to hide their lies and to "protect" them from the suffering caused by the latters. Psychotic - They kill their relatives because of psychotic disorders.

- They kill their relatives because of psychotic disorders. Libertarian - They kill their relatives in order to get rid of their "oppression".

- They kill their relatives in order to get rid of their "oppression". Drug Addict - They kill their relatives, usually while going through withdrawal, if they're denied the money required for their fix.

- They kill their relatives, usually while going through withdrawal, if they're denied the money required for their fix. Heir - They kill their relatives for their inheritance.

- They kill their relatives for their inheritance. Jealous - They consider their families as their properties, and kill them for jealousy related to an either real or perceived fact.

- They consider their families as their properties, and kill them for jealousy related to an either real or perceived fact. Vengeful/Stalker - They do not accept the end of a relationship, are sensitive to rejection, and can get to the point of committing a familicide.

- They do not accept the end of a relationship, are sensitive to rejection, and can get to the point of committing a familicide. Litigious - They commit familicide during the course of a domestic dispute.

Alternative Typology

Self-Righteous - They hold their wives responsible for the breakdown of the family unit, and are often overly dramatic, choosing to carry out their murders on dates that are important to their families. Unsure in their roles as providers, they are threatened by their wives' careers or financial windfalls.

- They hold their wives responsible for the breakdown of the family unit, and are often overly dramatic, choosing to carry out their murders on dates that are important to their families. Unsure in their roles as providers, they are threatened by their wives' careers or financial windfalls. Disappointed - They believe they have done right by their families, but the family has not done right by them, for example, by opposing to their religious beliefs.

- They believe they have done right by their families, but the family has not done right by them, for example, by opposing to their religious beliefs. Anomic - They see their families as an extension of their own success, so if success eludes the family (e.g. in the form of bankruptcy or a public scandal) they are no longer serving their function.

- They see their families as an extension of their own success, so if success eludes the family (e.g. in the form of bankruptcy or a public scandal) they are no longer serving their function. Paranoid - They perceive a threat to their families (e.g. children will be removed by the legal system, and they will not have access to them anymore), whom they kill as a means of "protecting" them.

On Criminal Minds

On Criminal Minds, the term family annihilator is applied to those who commit familicide (such as Norman Hill), to serial and rampage killers who specifically target families (such as Karl Arnold and Jeremy Sayer, respectively), and to criminals who fulfill both scenarios (such as Jerry Tidwell).

Season One Karl Arnold ("The Fox") - A psychiatrist who targeted families he viewed as dysfunctional. He would stalk them for some time, then hold them captive while they were supposed to be on vacation, murdering them after a few days of acting as the head of the household and making it appear as a murder-suicide committed by the father (the children and mothers were stabbed to death, while the fathers were shot). Cally's Tribe ("The Tribe") - A group of eight people, led by "The Grandfather", who killed their victims via various Native American rituals. Roy Minton and his family were killed in their second massacre, as they viewed Roy as the opposing force in their mission.



Real-Life Family Annihilators

References