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Family homicides refer to murders by one family member of another. Some terms, such as parricides, also sometimes refer to murders of a king or other ruler who resembles a father figure. Family homicides include feticide, filicide, fratricide, infanticide, matricide, parricide, patricide, sororicide, and uxoricide. Each of these forms of murder is defined below.

  • Feticide refers to killing of a fetus and may or may not be by a family member.
  • Filicide is the killing of one's own son or daughter.
  • Fratricide is the killing of one's brother.
  • Infanticide is the killing of an infant and may or may not be by a family member.
  • Matricide refers to the killing of one's mother.
  • Parricide is the killing of one's parents or other close relative.
  • Patricide is the killing of one's father.
  • Sororicide is the killing of one's sister.
  • Uxoricide is the killing of one's wife.
Jeffrey L.Edleson

Further Readings

HeideK. H.PeteeT. A.Parricide: An empirical analysis of 24 years of U.S. data. Journal of Interpersonal Violence22(2007). 1382–1399. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260507305526
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