Julie Schenecker Case: Making Sense of Unthinkable Violence
Feb. 3, 2011 — -- It's normal for parents to feel angry at their children now and then, and experts say those emotions rarely reach a level or a frequency that leads to violence.
But the case of Julie Schenecker, the Tampa, Fla., woman accused of fatally shooting her teenage son and daughter, reportedly because she was tired of them being "mouthy," put the spotlight on the dire results of losing emotional control.
She's not the only parent who made the news recently after allegedly killing a child out of anger.
Stacey Pagli, a mother from Westchester County, N.Y., pleaded guilty to manslaughter this week for strangling her 18-year-old daughter at Manhattanville College in New York after Pagli said her daughter "pushed my last button" and was always disrespectful.
While they have not evaluated Schenecker or Pagli and only can speculate about their motives, psychologists said it could have been a combination of factors, including mental illness, extreme stress and feeling rejected by their children, that led to these mothers' actions.
"While there are common patterns among parents who kill their children, there do seem to be some parents who just 'snap,' like the buildup of stress becomes too much and they can no longer cope," said Kaslow.
Several parents told ABC News while they've never felt the urge to kill their children, they have had trouble coping with anger.
One mother, who didn't want to be identified, knew she needed counseling after she realized arguments with her teenage daughter became too frequent and too loud. She said she they both needed a "sane voice."
Her daughter was dating a boy who had been in trouble with the law, which caused a lot of concern -- and anger.
"I was totally taken aback by the way I frequently got absolutely white hot with rage," she said. "My younger daughter used to dread the ride to school because it would inevitably degenerate into a shrieking match."
