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Article: Battered child syndrome is basis for successful clemency petitions.
- Article from:
- Trial
- Article date:
- April 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For many, parricide - the act of murdering one's parents-is society's most shocking crime. Mention of the word alone can conjure up terrifying images - lizzie Borden with her bloody ax or the lifeless bodies of Lyle and Eric Menendez's. parents.
Children who kill their parents have long been accused of committing the ultimate act of betrayal. But recent clemency actions on behalf of children imprisoned for parricide have focused on another type of betrayal - the breach of a child's love and trust by a parent's emotional, physical, or sexual abuse.
Last December, a 36-year-old Maryland woman was released from prison after having served 20 years for the murders ...