Family Drama
The Netherlands was recently rocked with family dramas when two families, which happened 1 week apart from each other, fell under the bloody and deadly hands of their own father.
April 16 Saturday: was the day when Hilversum went still and mourned. Hilversum is a charming suburb known for its international expatriate community. The father, a 46 years old head police agent, killed his 42 year old wife and his three sons, ages 3, 6 and 8. After he took their lives, using his service pistol, he ended his too.
April 11 Monday: a 31 year old mother (she was an elementary school teacher) from Zoetermer together with her two daughters, ages 3 and 5 were reported missing. On 22 April, Friday, the husband and father of the two children who reported the missing incident confessed to the killing. He said he killed them a few weeks ago in 6 April. He lead the authorities to Alphen-Chaam where he buried their bodies. He is currently under police custody.
Motives of both killings are still unknown.
Both communities, Hilversum and Zoetermeer are still reeling in shock from the horrible news. Neighbors were said to have seen father and sons taking pictures of a nearby road construction the day before the upsetting incident took place in Hilversum. Co-teachers and children in the Roman Catholic school in Zoetermeer could not understand the atrocities. No one knew if there were internal relationship-family conflicts.
To the outside eye, they were seen as normal families… almost a perfect family.
Children in the affected municipalities are currently undergoing professional psychological help in their respective schools. Parents and teachers alike are riddled on what explanations to give to their children, why a dreadful thing like this can happen. The police on the other hand are extra careful of giving not too much or too much information, all because of the reasons listed above.
What will you say to your child, who, let’s say, is a classmate of one of the slain children, ask this? “Mom, what did they do bad that their Daddy killed them?” and worse… “Daddy won’t do anything like that, right Mom?” Tragic is it, but how can a father (and in this case 2 fathers), with their own two hands, kill their own family in cold blood?
Earlier this year too: a mother also killed her own two children, thereafter she fled to the nearby train tracks and jumped at the first opportunity when a train passed by. She died instantly.
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Revolting events such as these have negative impact on the society. It would be naive to think that there are no families out there who do not have on-going marital problems. With news like these hitting the TV, it can only further cultivate and confirm perhaps the following premises:
1. Heighten emotional battle between partners, or husband and wife
2. Escalate any marital issue towards complexity
3. Give evil ideas
4. Plant fear on the children’s minds
I heard about this, it's horrible and I can't understand it! Apparently these people think that if they take the lives of their little family, they killed everyone that could be emotionally involved when they killed themselves.
ReplyDeleteWRONG! Look at all the kids friends, the rest of the family, even the country! Unbelievable!!
I am too horrified, angered and feeling all sorts of morbid emotions when hearing of children being murdered, so much more in the case where they died in the hands of their own. I cannot conceive of a mother or a father who takes the lives of their own children. These sad incidents remind me of someone I saw before (that's many years ago),the man was a Psychiatric patient who had killed his whole family. He used to be a respectable and successful man and he would be the last suspect of a murder if a gentle look could mean ''harmless''. But he was not convicted after finding he was not in his right mind when he committed the crime and apart from that he could've also killed himself had there been no neighbours who arrived.He just suddenly flipped, he said there was someone whispering in his ears that he had to do it.In some cases these people needed help (say emotional help or a psychiatric help)long before killings like these happen.
ReplyDeleteEva>, The problem in countries here in Europe, such as the Netherlands, there is NO DEATH PENALTY (wont talk about my opinion on this), and NO LIFE SENTENCE. Many countries here in EU are very particular about human rights, even a dog and a plant here have rights. So criminals like these two fathers have their rights to live and only be punished for a several years in prison even if they killed someone. Yeah, they have some sort of distorted justice system here. It's currently being overhauled anyway but it will take a long time. Old habits dont die fast.
ReplyDeleteELJA, WHat touches me so much are the childrens responses, placing teddy bears, candles and flowers by the house of the victims. The whole week last week, the montessori school in Hilversum didnt have classes. The children were all shocked. I wont be surprised if some of them are scared of their own father now, especially after the Zoetermeer event. Echt triest hoor. Onbegrijpelijk.
Ara, Yeah you are right. Since the police were not very cooperative in giving statements to the media, many speculations rose up. People thought that the killer (the 2 fathers) have long been psychologically challenged or perhaps both partners are going through a complex and deep marital problem that destroyed their (his) right sense of judgment and both fathers just flipped. Many actually died because the other "blacked out". But then again, why involved the little angels?
Absolutely disgusting. Just goes to show that there are sickos in every corner of the world. Anyone who would take the life of a child deserves to have his life taken from him.
ReplyDeleteI read this first from the krant at work while taking a break. I saw photos of children lighting candles, placing flowers and stuffed toys in Zoetermeer & the 5 caskets in Hilversum. I've read the children were buried between the parents. Can't say a thing. Just a very heavy feeling. :-(
ReplyDelete:-o :-( :-o :-(
The montessori school where my girls go normally share what's going on around the country - but not these ones. Neither will I. It's soooooooo sad and disturbing.
I'm left to only wish and pray. :-(
MadamE
it's had to think that i'm such a news junkie now, considering that a number of years ago i refused to read newspapers, listen to radios or watch tv.
ReplyDeletei was in santa cruz when the big loma prieta earthquake happened; it was 5:04pm oct 17, 1989 and this date is etched forever as a milestone in my life. the media attention was needed to bring awareness of the situation and federal emergency aid.
i knew a couple of people who died in that earthquake, and the media attention was out of control. sensational journnalism drove reporters to heighten the human drama. those of us who were grieving were not given the opportunity to grieve in peace.
so, i stopped giving the media any attention for a couple of years after. i can't say i remember much in terms of news coverage in the preceding two years. i slowly got back into watching the news; and eventually became a news addict. how ironic, non?
i tend to tune out stories of human disasters and tragedies; but the news always bleed through in different ways (usually through friends).
that is scary news. makes one really wonder how evil some men can be.
ReplyDeleteRik, Well the Hilversum father killed himself, but the Zoetermeer father is still alive. Knowing NL, he is going to live.
ReplyDeleteMadamE, You mean in your kids school they do NOT talk about what happened? Its tragic and most teachers and parents are at a loss on how to explain the 2 incident to the children.
incidentally, i was watching the news today on TV and the stats says that there are less killings in NL (less of 80) than the previous year. hmm...
Nam, The media otherwise known as papparazzis! Media is powerful especially if you are anchoring to ignorant people (um, thats a bit sarcastic).
Hey, what news org do you tune into? Aside from US publications and news agencies, what international orgs/agencies/etc do you frequently visit or tune to?
AnP, I know. It's scary, guess these fathers flipped 360C!
publications that really get my attentions are all listed at www.lamore.net (tab 'contact & resource'); i had a bias for technology news a few years ago. now, i'm very interested in pop science, personalities (a mild fascination with hollywood types - i'll have to tell you about a celeb friend of mine), and environmental issues. i tend to look down on local news; they can seem so trivial when you compare a local shooting to a natural disaster.
ReplyDeletea short list of publications and media outlets i follow almost on a daily basis (in no particular order):
* wall street journal
* business week
* c|net
* the register (uk/online)
* BBC
* NPR
* f@stcompany
* cnn (but i hate bloomberg)
* south china morning post
* the australian
i had to follow breaking media coverage for work-related activities, but not so much anymore. i'm trying to sever my ties to corporate america, it's taken a toll on me.
test post
ReplyDeleteJust last week a man used a hammer to kill his wife and two kids.
ReplyDeleteNow in Jail, they have to isolate him as other inmates threathened to kill him.
what has this world come to when you arent safe from the one who should protect you?
Eva "You couldn't imagine the numbers of murders and rapes of their own flesh & blood in P.I." - This I also saw and heard A LOT. I used to sit as a counselor in a church (my past life haha!), and hearing cases such as this every single day makes me think we lived in a freaked out double standard soceity.
ReplyDeleteNam, I check most of the list you have but I a mainstay of BBC. Corporate America is America's engine and true, Americans are workaholics. I have worked with American companies and American bosses, and they work until late, while they are in vacation (or they almost never take vacation), during weekends, and heck even while driving!
scha, "what sent them over the edge?" - I really have no clue. It is just so sad. The kids were innocent, they were little angels who have to pay the ransom of life because their parents were nuts (or evil).
gia, "Just last week a man used a hammer to kill his wife and two kids. Now in Jail, they have to isolate him as other inmates threathened to kill him" - OMG, that is sick, horrendous! A hammer, how many time did he hammer his wife and kids, sooo gross! But true, statistics say that homicide killers are usually someone the victim knows, and most are done out of passion... by their partner or relative or friend.