A scandalous instance of a man driving his whole family directly into the lake has recently frightened the Arizona community. According to the police reports, the incidents, which initially seemed to be a car accident, was proved to be a deliberate murder. The psychologists wonder how a father can have an urge to kill his children. Besides, it is quite undertaking, from ethics, to judge the man, whose cold-blooded act deprived him of his close people (“Police Say Father Meant to Drive Family into Arizona Lake” par. 2).
The facts that underline the story direct us to the thought that the firm determination of a man to kill his family could not be doubted since the intention is certified by many logical assumptions. Due to the materials of the investigation, the friend of the family, Monika Nathan, states that Donica Baxter, who was murdered in the accidents, intended to divorce her husband just after the trip. The man, however, did not agree with his wife’s decision and, according to the words of Donica’s grandmother, threatened the woman with killing their three-year-old and two-year-old sons (O’Connor par. 3).
In the aftermath of the accident, four people died. These are Glenn Baxter, who provoked the tragic event, his wife Donica, and their three-year-old son. According to medical experts, the youngest member of a family is in an extremely hard clinical condition (Koerner par. 4).
The case has a prominent meaning for the regulation of conflicts in a family since it reveals the nature of human egoism and shows the way, in which a relationship crisis can affect the surrounding community. The material estimations of the car accident equal the value of the automobile, which drowned. Moreover, it is claimed that grandparents of a two-year-old boy, who is currently experiencing complicated surgery, have to pay for the clinical expenses.
In light of the event, it would be appropriate to appeal to the psychology of filicide, which could explain the emotional and emphatic foundation of the thoughts that guided the man. Due to the professional literature, there exists a classification, which emphasizes the major intellectual principles, which can evoke filicide (Farooque and Ernst 91). Thus, it is stated that, in the first place, the parents, who kill their children suffer from mental impairments or emotional instability. Approximately three-fourths of the incidents is accomplished, due to the problem of intellectual disability. Besides, it is claimed that most children with autism and some other physical or mental disabilities are killed in a prevailing number of cases (Wombles par. 12).
However, it is acknowledged that the problem of mental impairment is not the only reason for filicide. Quite often, the tragic event is inflicted by family conflicts, long-term depressions, and psychosis that may be grounded in the various material or private life factors (Friedman, Hrouda, and Holden 2005).
The examination of filicide psychology, thus, relies on the overview of the general family conflicts foundation. In this respect, one differentiates four primary causes that can inflict the consequences, which are similar to those that are presented in the study. Due to the psychologists, a family crisis may be dependent on both internal and external factors. The primary aspect of family life is financial stability and prosperity.
Therefore, a vast number of disagreements, which arise between married people, concern the issue of occupational activity, as well as a lack of money for paying the bills. Thus, if a parent is unemployed, it usually inflicts some stresses that refer to every member of a family and turns into a powerful source of emotional instability. Conversely, an extensive preoccupation with one’s job often leads to cheating suspicions.
Depending on the temperament of the parents, suchlike conflicts can turn in violent acts and children abuse. This aspect of family disagreements may be applied to the analyzed case, for the friends of the murdered woman claim that her husband was extremely obsessed with her activities and often committed the acts of physical outrage against his wife. Second, the conflicts in the family tend to arise in connection with the child’s mistreatment or disagreement in parenting styles. Thus, parents often find it undertaking to reach a single solution on the aspect of treating their children. The concept regards the family of Baxters as well.
The grandmother of the boys acknowledges that small children brought much noise, which irritated their father. Therefore, he often used to detach himself from his kids’ room so that to find solace in quiet places. The act annoyed his wife, who considered that an actual father was obliged to cope with inconveniences that were brought by his sons. Third, modern families tend to suffer from constant interferences that come from the side of relatives. Thus, the couples and their children are likely to be affected by the over-caring parents, who constantly try to influence the personal lives of their kids. Finally, harmful habits, which are adopted by one or two of the parents provides an adverse impact on family life.
For instance, if a husband or a wife embraces an extensive usage of drugs or alcohol, it disrupts the life of a couple, due to the emotional instability that arises with the problem as well as the financial crisis. Since the husband of the killed woman was an alcoholic, the issue applies to the regarded family as well. Therefore, one may conclude that a complex of social and family aspects shaped a serious family conflict, which led to a cruel filicide-suicide.
The prevention of family conflicts includes serves as a powerful tool of filicide preclusion. Thus, one can name several critical steps that have to be embraced by parents, who want to avoid the crisis of matrimony relations. First, it is suggested to treat the problem, except for being hard on the surrounding people. Quite often, the members of the family, which experience some personal difficulties, tend to inflict the consequences on one’s spouses or children.
It accounts for the outbreaks of severe breakages in family relations. Second, the psychologists claim that obedience should never be practiced in families since it leads to the establishment of submissive relations. Instead, married people must listen to each other’s opinions and take crucial decisions together. Third, the members of every family have to express their desires and needs, for ignoring each other is the ground for the development of misunderstandings. Fourth, the spouses have to learn the basis of plausible explaining.
Thus, it is a mistake to interpret every deed of one’s beloved from a negative side. Instead, one has to try to justify the behavior of a husband or a wife so that to establish firm contact with him/her. Last but not the least aspect defines the nature of any human relations and evolves in the form of a dialogue. Thus, the experts explain that every conflict can be resolved through effective conversations.
The investigation of the case with the Arizona tragedy revealed that the event provided a strong impact on the members of Baxter’s family. For instance, the relative of the murdered woman, George Britt, stated that he has always commiserated with the sufferings of Donica, who could not cope with the fierce character of her husband. According to his reports, the man possessed some serious anger management problems.
Therefore, the wife suffered from frequent mood changes and wanted to file a petition for the divorce. George Britt often participated in the family discussions since he used to visit Donica on the weekends. Due to him, the man would never be able to forgive himself the fact that he did not isolate the woman and her children from the company of a man, who suffered from emotional instability (Stellon par. 6).
Moreover, the grandfather of the child, who was killed in the accident, had a heart attack after the event since the loss was immense for him. According to the old man, the incident became a heavy burden for him, and a man can’t recover from the injury until the end of his life. The grandmother of the kid also recounts the shock that overtook her at the moment of disclosing the news. Furthermore, the event inflicted some crucial financial expenses on the old woman, who is responsible for supporting the survived boy. Therefore, it is significant to remember that the outcomes of any family conflict may turn into a grave injury for the relatives of the couple.
Works Cited
Farooque, Ronald and Ernst Francisco. “Filicide: A Review of Eight Years of Clinical Experience.” Journal of the National Medical Association 95.1 (2003): 90-94. Print.
Friedman, Hatters, Daniel Hrouda, and Chack Holden. “Filicide-suicide: Common Factors in Parents Who Kill their Children and Themselves.” The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 33.4 (2005): 494-498. Print.
Koerner, Claudia. Deaths of Family in Arizona Lake Investigated as Murder-Suicide. 2015. Web.
O’Connor, Brendan. SUV Crush into Arizona Lake that Killed Family Being Investigated as Murder-Suicide. 2015. Web.
Police Say Father Meant to Drive Family into Arizona Lake 2015. Web.
Stellon, Tim. Five Arizona Car-in-Lake Deaths Were Possible Murder-Suicide. 2015. Web.
Wombles, Kim. When Parents Kill: Filicide Usually Accompanied by Mental Illness. 2015. Web.