Boy Shoots Father for Being Too Strict
In Belen, New Mexico, a 10-year-old boy was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his father. The boy apparently used his own rifle to shoot Byron Hilburn, 42, and then phoned police to tell them what he’d done. Authorities say that the boy told them the reason he shot his father was that he disciplined him too often and too harshly. (USA Today, 8-31-2009, SA)

Boy Kills His Mother
In Ohio, a 10-year-old boy was charged with killing his mother, 46-year-old Deborah McVay. Police aren’t sure what motivated the attack. The mother was described as a “very loving lady” who ran her own home health care business and served the mentally disabled. (USA Today, 1-4-2011, 3A)

Around 50 kids murder their parents each year, most of them teenagers. From 1976 through 2007, 10 children aged 10-years-old killed their parent. (USA Today, 1-4-2011)

• Between 1976 and 2005, 65 kids ages 7 and 8 were arrested for murder in general. (The Week, 11-21-2008)