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TAMPA — As authorities seek to unravel the case of a woman who police say admitted killing her two teenagers, much of the focus will be on her mental state, how it may have fueled the crimes and how it could affect her fate in the legal system.
Experts who study the phenomenon of women who intentionally kill their children say that in many ways Julie Schenecker — a 50-year-old former Army linguist who spent much of her time in recent years raising her children — fits a familiar pattern. Such women tend to be older, well educated and seemingly devoted parents, until they turn violent.
And they tend to suffer from a mental illness, most often depression, anxiety or schizophrenia. Schenecker's health status hasn't been made public, but the extraordinary crimes, coupled with video of her shaking uncontrollably and muttering to herself have caused speculation.
"It sounds like mom was cracking under pressure here," said Cheryl Lynn Meyer, who has co-written two books on the subject.
Other factors that will be key to assessing Schenecker, experts say, are any history of substance abuse, and whether she had the support she needed to raise Powers Beau, 13, and Calyx, 16.
Her husband is assigned to U.S. Central Command's intelligence directorate and was on temporary assignment in the Middle East during the shooting.
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Meyer, a psychology professor at Wright State University in Ohio, said children die at their mothers' hands for many reasons, including abuse and neglect. In those cases, the mothers tend to be young and poor.
But when the killing appears intentional, the mothers tend to be older, better educated and often mentally ill, Meyer said. They're also likelier to kill more than one child.
Andrea Yates, for instance, was 36 when she drowned her five children in the bathtub of their Houston home in 2001. She was found to be psychotic.
Meyer said what has been revealed about the Schenecker case points to a mother buckling under escalating stress:
• Schenecker's mother, who lives in Texas, called authorities asking them to check on her daughter, whom she believed was depressed.
• Schenecker sometimes was a solo parent, due to her husband's deployment, and told authorities she was frustrated with her kids being "mouthy.''
• Calyx reported in November that her mother hit her, sparking an official inquiry in which the girl said it was unusual for her mom to strike her.
Meyer noted, though, that far more is still unknown — if she struggled with one child, why is she accused of killing both? Did she have other support — "anyone who could give her a break?''
And does she feel remorse, wonders Meyer, who says this emotion could be a sign of anxiety or depression. Lack of remorse, however, could signal psychosis, a break with reality.
Substance abuse could also prove key, experts say. Schenecker was involved in a November vehicle crash where a state trooper said she showed signs of drug impairment, although a blood test was not performed.
Dr. George Northrup, a forensic psychiatrist in Tampa, said that while people rarely become psychotic just from abusing drugs or alcohol, these substances can lower inhibitions.
"It didn't make you think something, but it greased the wheels from thought to action," he said.
Dr. Walter Afield, a Tampa psychiatrist who specializes in evaluating criminal behavior, said his first thought after hearing about Schenecker's case was that she had a physical condition such as a tumor or seizures. After seeing the video, he said drugs also could have accounted for her tremors. "She didn't look healthy," Afield said.
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If mental illness is established, can it pave the way for a successful insanity defense?
Not usually, says longtime Tampa defense lawyer John Fitzgibbons. An insanity defense "is probably the toughest defense to succeed before a jury," and generally has less than a 10 percent chance of success.
In 1990, Hillsborough County's Dorothy Dianne Rose strangled her 13-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son with the sash to her bathrobe, then slit her wrists. Rose was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
But such a defense didn't help Kristina Gaime, a Pasco County mother who is serving time after pleading guilty to killing one of her sons and trying to kill the other in 1999. During court proceedings, Gaime's sanity was an ongoing issue, with medical experts disagreeing.
Similarly, Afield said it may never be possible to fully understand why the Schenecker children died. "I've been doing this for 50 years. No one of us is able to predict who will do this," he said. "Everybody has problems that are crazy, bizarre. We all have skeletons, fantasies, but we don't act on them."
Times staff writers Sue Carlton, Alexandra Zayas and researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Richard Martin can be reached at rmartin@sptimes.com.
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