# RO: Mom kills kid. Eats brain **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 27, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471 "2009-07-27T19:27:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/21 "2009-07-27T23:52:58Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Did I mention how much I hate seeing this fucking subject line? It stresses me out just looking at it. Then don’t read it, and stop coming back to the damned thread! What did you think was going to happen, someone was going to post “April Fools!”? Show some fucking self-control. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/22 "2009-07-28T00:07:11Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Then don’t read it, and stop coming back to the damned thread! What did you think was going to happen, someone was going to post “April Fools!”? > > Show some fucking self-control. He’s talking about the subject line, which is visible from the main page of the Pit. He doesn’t have to open the thread to see it. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/23 "2009-07-28T00:18:04Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > He’s talking about the subject line, which is visible from the main page of the Pit. He doesn’t have to open the thread to see it. Yeah, so? Still doesn’t have to read it. He knows what it says. And, again, why come into the thread? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/24 "2009-07-28T00:23:21Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Then don’t read it, and stop coming back to the damned thread! What did you think was going to happen, someone was going to post “April Fools!”? > > Show some fucking self-control. I have to read the title in the BBQ Pit, so that’s not exactly a solution shit for brains. > [@](#): > > And, again, why come into the thread? Because by that point I’ve already read it and the point is moot dumbass. It’s funny that if offends you the way I express that this is truly awful. Maybe you’re here because it tittilates you. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/25 "2009-07-28T00:33:03Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > When I saw the thread title, my first thought was “Wow, bet she’s from Texas.” ☹ > > I know this has probably been discussed here before, but does Texas really have a higher number of women who kill their kids like this? [Andrea Yates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates) was living in Texas when she killed her children. Are there more? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/26 "2009-07-28T00:35:07Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Poor, poor kid. Hope he died instantly. Seriously. I can’t help but be glad that this kid didn’t have to grow up with _that_ for a mother. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/27 "2009-07-28T00:59:09Z")
At least she’s not unreasonable, i mean, it’s not like she [ate his eyes…](http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/jonathan_coulton/re_your_brains.html) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/28 "2009-07-28T01:08:14Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > shit for brains. Very uncool, given the subject matter. The mother was crazy, but not _that_ crazy. 20 lashes for you. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/29 "2009-07-28T01:11:48Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Then don’t read it, and stop coming back to the damned thread! What did you think was going to happen, someone was going to post “April Fools!”? > > Show some fucking self-control. What the hell is wrong with you? It is obvious that the title would be disturbing to anyone. Leave him alone and fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/30 "2009-07-28T09:13:36Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Very uncool, given the subject matter. The mother was crazy, but not _that_ crazy. > > 20 lashes for you. STOP IT! I think I might have just woke somebody up… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/31 "2009-07-28T10:47:12Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > [Andrea Yates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates) was living in Texas when she killed her children. Are there more? From the article: > [@](#): > > Postpartum depression — a pattern? > Postpartum depression and psychosis have been cited as contributing factors in several other cases in Texas in recent years in which mothers killed their children. > > Andrea Yates drowned her five children in her Houston-area home 2001, saying she believed Satan was inside her and trying to save them from hell. Her attorneys said she had been suffering from severe postpartum psychosis, and a jury found Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in 2006. > > In 2004, Dena Schlosser killed her 10-month-old in her Plano home by slicing off the baby’s arms. She was found not guilty of reason by insanity, after testifying that she killed the baby because she wanted to give her to God. So that’s three in nine years (though the word “several” suggests there may be more). The cases do seem similar, but given the time span and the fact that Texas is, I’m given to understand, a largish state, I wouldn’t be inclined to speculate about any kind of trend. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/32 "2009-07-28T13:19:46Z")
I bet she will get life in prison rather than being in a mental instution. What a horror. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/33 "2009-07-28T13:39:20Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > I bet she will get life in prison rather than being in a mental instution. > > What a horror. Are you serious **Shirley**? Would a US court commit someone with such an obviously horrible illness to a prison sentence rather than the custody of a secure psychiatric institution? Please tell me it wouldn’t be so! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/34 "2009-07-28T13:48:43Z")
This may sound a bit odd, but my stomach turns and my sympathies are for the 5 and 7 year old that were present in the house when this occurred. That poor baby is beyond my help or caring (not that it doesn’t make me sick to think about him), but truly, how in hell did this occur with those little people there? I remember well how curious my kids were at that age–they would just walk into rooms (except the bathroom) etc. How does one counsel a child after they witness something like this? ☹ I really want to vomit after reading that article. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/35 "2009-07-28T14:08:17Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Are you serious **Shirley**? Would a US court commit someone with such an obviously horrible illness to a prison sentence rather than the custody of a secure psychiatric institution? Please tell me it wouldn’t be so! ☹ She is serious. And stop calling her…oh, nevermind. What a horrible story, though. I just can’t imagine someone doing something like this. This makes me think of the story about the lady that microwaved her baby. I can’t fathom what gets into people’s heads that would cause them to harm a completely innocent baby. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/36 "2009-07-28T14:23:05Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Are you serious **Shirley**? Would a US court commit someone with such an obviously horrible illness to a prison sentence rather than the custody of a secure psychiatric institution? Please tell me it wouldn’t be so! ☹ [Andrea Yates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates) is now in a mental facility. This I did not know. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/37 "2009-07-28T14:25:01Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > This may sound a bit odd, but my stomach turns and my sympathies are for the 5 and 7 year old that were present in the house when this occurred. That poor baby is beyond my help or caring (not that it doesn’t make me sick to think about him), but truly, how in hell did this occur with those little people there? I remember well how curious my kids were at that age–they would just walk into rooms (except the bathroom) etc. > > How does one counsel a child after they witness something like this? ☹ > I really want to vomit after reading that article. Those were my thoughts exactly. That kind of damage…shit…I don’t know if anyone can come back to Earth after witnessing something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/38 "2009-07-28T14:32:53Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > She is serious. And stop calling her…oh, nevermind. > > What a horrible story, though. I just can’t imagine someone doing something like this. This makes me think of the story about the lady that microwaved her baby. I can’t fathom what gets into people’s heads that would cause them to harm a completely innocent baby. I’m pretty sure The Crazy got into her head. This goes far beyond what a Really Bad Parent Who Shouldn’t Have Kids does. This is beyond the outer limits of Garden Variety post-partum depression. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/39 "2009-07-28T14:33:09Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Are you serious **Shirley**? Would a US court commit someone with such an obviously horrible illness to a prison sentence rather than the custody of a secure psychiatric institution? Please tell me it wouldn’t be so! ☹ The other two mothers mentioned in the article- Andrea Yates and the woman who chopped her infant’s arms off- are both in long-term psychiatric care. Presumably this woman soon will be too. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471/40 "2009-07-28T14:39:07Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > [Andrea Yates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates) is now in a mental facility. This I did not know. Yates received a new trial when the appeals court determined that the prosecution’s expert witness Park Dietz lied on the stand that Yates had based her crime on an L&O episode. At the time of her crime, no such episode existed. She was found NGRI during her second trial. It’s difficult to determine whether the woman in the OP will possibly receive life in a mental facility rather than life in prison. The insanity defense is tricky. Most jurors don’t understand that a person found NGRI doesn’t just walk free out the courthouse front door, and most jurors think NGRI means “the accused didn’t do it.” (cite: many readings I’ve done over the years of jurors on NGRI juries). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-mom-kills-kid-eats-brain/504471.md?page=3)