Homicide During a Schizophrenic Episode1

The aim of this paper is to put before you some facts for study and discussion which might contribute something to the understanding of the nature of what is sometimes called a 'schizophrenic episode'. Questions concerning the relation between consciousness, memory and ego-control arise naturally out of the consideration of these.

They are taken from the case of a man, to whom I shall refer by the initials K. M., hanged at the age of twenty-six for the murder of his father. In fact, he murdered both parents and threw their bodies over a cliff. He then took his father's car, which he had hoped to borrow for this purpose, and drove to London during the night, making the journey of 245 miles, with several stops, in seven hours, in order to reach a girl, whom I shall call Jennifer, by whom he had become attracted. There was an element of jealousy of a boy of sixteen in this relationship. On the evening of that day, about twenty-four hours after the crime, he was arrested outside the house in which the girl lived.

I was asked to be present at his trial because, as a boy, he had been a patient of mine. The plea was insanity, and two psychiatrists, in evidence for the defence, gave it as their opinion that he was schizophrenic and that the crime had been committed during a 'schizophrenic episode'.

My patient was of rather less than average height. He had a mop of unruly brown hair, was abnormally pale, and looked years younger than his age. By nature he was gentle and rather passive and had never committed any act of violence (except one upon himself, recorded in adolescence) until the evening when he killed his parents in their home.

I will quote from his statement to the police and from another, made to a psychiatrist two months later, and will supplement these from evidence heard in Court.

I will then give a short account of his life and illness gathered from reports sent in to the solicitors for the defence and from other sources.2 A brief description of his analys