Children Who Kill

by Davis, Carol Anne

• ISBN13: 9780749006938
• ISBN10: 0749006935
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-06-01
• Publisher: Allison & Busby

Summary

Why would two young boys abduct, torture and kill a toddler? What makes a teenage girl plot with her classmates to kill her own father? Traditionally, society is used to regarding children as harmless - but for some the age of innocence is short-lived, messy and ultimately murderous. Some of the most notorious killings of the 20th century were committed by children, and it is not a new phenomenon. Mary Bell, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables are infamous for their crimes against other children, but many of the studies here will be less familiar to the reader and equally as offensive. Murdered by fire, poison, strangulation or gunshots, victims range from infants to old age pensioners. Children Who Kill is a comprehensive new study of juvenile homicide. Carol Anne Davis sets out to explore this disturbing subject using in-depth case studies of thirteen killers aged between ten and seventeen. Exclusive interviews with experts offer an invaluable insight into the psychology behind these atrocities and a hard-hitting look at the role of society in an area too shocking to ignore.

Author Biography

Carol Anne Davis was born in Dundee, moved to Edinburgh in her twenties and now lives in the south of England. She left school at fifteen and was everything from an artist's model to an editorial assistant before going to university. Her MA degree included criminology and was followed by a postgraduate diploma in Adult and Community Education.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. 15
Preface	p. 17
The Hurting: Jesse Pomeroy	p. 21
Pale Shelter: William Allnutt	p. 33
Substitute: Cheryl Pierson & Sean Pica	p. 37
I Am, I Said: Peter Dinsdale (aka Bruce Lee)	p. 48
Dare To Be Different: Luke Woodham	p. 67
Waiting For A Girl Like You: Cindy Collier & Shirley Wolf	p. 80
Save Me: Robert Thompson & Jon Venables	p. 92
Can't Get It Out Of My Head: Rod Ferrell	p. 108
Don't Cry Out Loud: Mary Bell	p. 120
Under Pressure: Kip Kinkel	p. 133
The Grass Won't Pay No Mind: Wendy Gardner & James Evans	p. 144
Nobody's Child: Sean Sellers	p. 154
Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown: Johnny Garrett	p. 161
Senses Working Overtime: Recognised Typologies Of Children Who Kill	p. 166
Cry MeA River: Further Classifications	p. 173
Heard It Through The Grapevine: Children Who Kill Their Friends	p. 185
Hungry Like The Wolf: Youthful Sex Killers	p. 193
Born To Run: Children Who Kill Their Families	p. 207
Alone Again, Naturally: Children Who Kill Again As Adults	p. 217
Blame It On The Pony Express: The Scapegoats	p. 226
Riders On The Storm: The Myth-Makers	p. 235
She's So Cold: Telling It Like It Is	p. 245
Useful Information	p. 255
Select Bibliography	p. 257
Index	p. 261
Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved.