Musing on murder

[northernwalker]

So, this weekend I was watching a lot of ID(Investigation Discovery, AKA the true crime crack channel) and it got me thinking about murder. More precisely, about family murders. I can't really picture how I'd react if one of my parents killed the other. Angry? Would I believe it? Would I try to pretend it didn't happen?

Trying to think about how to cope if you were a parent whose child had killed another of your children? I just have no idea how you'd process it. Say that your child is Karla Homolka. She comes to you and tells you that she and her husband have killed three teenaged girls. One of them is her 15yo sister. That death, she tells you, was an accident, caused by the alcohol and drugs they gave Tammy so that Karla's then-fiance could rape her two days before Christmas. What could you possibly say or do then? How do you cope? What do you do with your anger? Do you blame yourself? Do you try and defend her? All I can think to do is get a therapist and a lot of booze.

Comments

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

Okay - both a therapist and a lot of booze? LOL I really think you're supposed to pick one in this sort of situation. Each comes with its own accessories but I'm not sure you're allowed to mix and match.

[northernwalker]

I was thinking of alternating days- therapist, booze, therapist, booze, etc.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

Oh! Good plan; I hadn't thought of that. If you arrange morning therapy sessions they might go more smoothly as you may still be a little drunk from the night before. In fact, this may be the key to successful therapy. If therapists didn't discourage excessive booze on alternate days people might actually finish/leave therapy eventually.

[lemonandgrapes.livejournal.com]

I really feel bad for Karla Homolka's daughter. I hope she is able to find out in a safe place, not from some bully or the press or something, which would make it even worse.

[northernwalker]

You know, I hadn't considered that, but you're right. She's got three kids now, according to my google-fu- what are they going to make of it when they find out? How do you go to your mom and say, "Did you really let your fiance rape Aunt Tammy while you drugged her, and then you did it too?" "So, did you murder those girls?" I know she changed her name, but someone's going to find her again.

[lemonandgrapes.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I can't imagine how I'd cope with that.

I also feel terrible for the families of Eric Harris and Dyaln Klebold, and I really think that the families are forgotten victims in many crimes, which is sad.

[northernwalker]

Yeah, they are. It's complicated, though. On the one hand you can sympathize with them, on the other hand, there's this feeling of, "Your child murdered thirteen people- what right do you have to grieve when innocents are suffering?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/15/opinion/columbine-parents-of-a-killer.html?ref=susan_klebold

http://www.oprah.com/world/Susan-Klebolds-O-Magazine-Essay-I-Will-Never-Know-Why/1

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/02/24/the-last-columbine-mystery.html