Killed During Exorcism

[DrPhil]

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/0...orcism-before/

http://nypost.com/2014/01/18/mom-cha...-exorcism-try/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/attempte...o-md-toddlers/

Originally Posted by Baltimore CBS Local

New disturbing details about the mother accused of killing her children during an exorcism. She belonged to a church group called the “Demon Assassins.”

Police and prosecutors also say she attempted an exorcism the day before the killings.

Mike Hellgren has new insight on this troubled case.
According to prosecutors, the man who was supposed to undergo that exorcism never showed up. The mother and her friend became convinced demons were inside the children.

The issue of exorcism has been discussed and debated for generations. Some people (including some religious leaders) believe it...some people believe it is a diagnosable mental condition on the part of the exorcisor or exorcisee. Either way, it is not covered under the law.

Could these children have been possessed? Will these women (the mother in particular) be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law?

What say you, GC?

[Xidelt]

I don't think the children were possessed. I believe the mother may be mentally ill.

[DrPhil]

I wonder whether her lawyer will use a mental health condition as a defense.

It may not be a (diagnosed or undiagnosed) mental health condition. It could have been a combination of the "church" she attended and something other than mental health. The Exorcist and Poltergeist were both about children--maybe she believed the stories.

[AOII Angel]

It's interesting they are calling this an "exorcism gone wrong" as both children were stabbed multiple times and the 1 year olds neck was snapped. That is a brutal attack and even in the most violent exorcism scenes anyone has ever portrayed on any movie or tv show, the victim isn't stabbed to death. Smothered, maybe. How was this exorcism supposed to go right?

I wonder what the psychiatric diagnosis this mother is suffering from. Schizophrenia doesn't usually lead to organized group play.

[DrPhil]

Technically, it would have to be a mental condition that completely removes the person from reality and places the person in alternate realities, lower self-control, and hallucinations.

But, the mental condition would technically not be what "lead to" since most people with (even undiagnosed) mental health conditions do not go around killing people.

As for stabbing during exorcisms, that may be the idea is that the body will come back to its normal state once the demon is removed. It is like an alternate state similar to when the girl in The Exorcist stabbed herself and did all sorts of violent things but her body was almost normal once the demon was removed.

A man claims he was going to exorcise his son:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/bryan-adams-exorcism-son_n_4658249.html?ir=Weird+News

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Technically, it would have to be a mental condition that completely removes the person from reality and places the person in alternate realities, lower self-control, and hallucinations.

But, the mental condition would technically not be what "lead to" since most people with (even undiagnosed) mental health conditions do not go around killing people.

As for stabbing during exorcisms, that may be the idea is that the body will come back to its normal state once the demon is removed. It is like an alternate state similar to when the girl in The Exorcist stabbed herself and did all sorts of violent things but her body was almost normal once the demon was removed.

A man claims he was going to exorcise his son:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/bryan-adams-exorcism-son_n_4658249.html?ir=Weird+News

Drugs will definitely make you do some awesome things.

[DrPhil]

Remember that man who chewed off another man's face on a bridge? They assumed he was on bath salts but if memory serves me correctly it turned out he wasn't. I don't recall whether he was diagnosed with a mental condition. For some reason I thought of that case. We shall see what is up with these exorcisors.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Remember that man who chewed off another man's face on a bridge? They assumed he was on bath salts but if memory serves me correctly it turned out he wasn't. I don't recall whether he was diagnosed with a mental condition. For some reason I thought of that case. We shall see what is up with these exorcisors.

I do remember that. The story just fell of the radar. It was part of the "Bath Salts will start the Zombie Apocalypse" hysteria then once they figured out it wasn't bath salts...nothing.

[ADPiEE]

What a very sad story. It's a shame that there were not more outside people involved with this family on a daily basis so that maybe it could have been prevented. One thought that came to my mind was that perhaps it was a case of extreme post-partum psychosis since the mother had a one year old. I know post partum psychiatric conditions can happen up until one year after birth and one of the article mentioned that the mother had a history of mental illness. Maybe it was just plain psychosis. On the other hand, since another adult was involved or present, could it have been cult related? Or drug related? Or a combination of all three?
I really feel for the children that survived.

[DrPhil]

"Demon Assassins" is probably cult-like.

[ADPiEE]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

"Demon Assassins" is probably cult-like.

Yes--that was my first thought