Why Fathers Kill Their Families

Jan. 14, 2003 -- Like other families who have faced similar situations, the last thing Edward Morris' parents ever expected was that he would be accused of killing his own wife and children.

Authorities seemed to almost immediately suspect Morris when the bodies of his pregnant wife Renee and their three children, Bryant, Alexis and Jonathan, were found Dec. 21 in an Oregon forest, and Edward was nowhere to be found.

A two-week manhunt followed and ended Jan. 4 when two people spotted Morris driving his 1993 Dodge Caravan. He surrendered to police peacefully at a Baker City, Ore., drug store.

Morris' father — and his neighbors — were stunned that he could ever be suspected of killing his wife and children, describing him in reports as a devout Christian and a doting father.

Paul Morris has said that he finds it "incomprehensible" that his son could have committed the crimes he is accused of. There were no apparent signs of domestic discord, no known past threats or incidents that foreshadowed his family's slaying. There were only reports of some financial hardship, but many neighbors described Morris' wife and children as "well-cared for."

Unfortunately, in many cases where fathers kill their families, the slayings take everyone by surprise because, experts say, the warning signs either never surfaced — or were overlooked.

"What we've had is that many times, you'll see families and neighbors say, 'We're shocked. He was such a family man. He was so devoted to his family.' Many of them [fathers who kill their families] come off very well. They seem so normal," said Thomas Gitchoff, professor of criminal justice administration at San Diego State University. "It's the normalcy that's the confusing factor. … We're so used to the stereotype of these men looking scary and many of them look and appear so normal, like any common man."

Experts say it is difficult to categorize fathers who commit "familicide" because the cases tend to be very individualized. However, two factors can fuel a father's slaying of his wife and children: financial difficulty and mounting pressure over the inability to support them and marital problems, combined with the feeling that he is losing control over his family.