10 Killers Who Murdered Their Parents

10 Killers Who Murdered Their Parents

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining the most shocking times someone took the lives of their parents, also known as parricide.

Lowell Lee Andrews

A student at the University of Kansas, Andrews was described as “The Nicest Boy in Wolcott,” his hometown. However, nothing was further from the truth. In 1958, obsessed with getting involved in organized crime and being a hitman, Andrews walked into his family bedroom. After donning a suit, he grabbed a firearm. He ended the lives of his sister, Jennie Marie, and parents, William and Opal, with many, many shots. After making the scene look like a robbery, Andrews drove to the cinema near his college apartment for an alibi. He then returned and called the cops. However, they were suspicious. It took a local pastor to get Andrews to admit what he’d done. In 1962, he was executed for his crimes.

Chandler Halderson

In 2021, Bart and Krista had vanished from their home in Windsor, Wisconsin. Only their son, Halderson, didn’t seem desperate to find them until Krista's colleague intervened. After he went around the neighborhood, asking if anyone had seen his parents, a farmer told the cops they’d seen Halderson several days ago on their property. When officers retraced his steps, they found his father’s remains. Halderson was arrested, but he wouldn’t divulge where Krista was. Using data from his girlfriend’s Snapchat account, they pinpointed his movements and found his mother’s remains. He allegedly did it due to his lies being exposed about dropping out of college and faking an internship and a SpaceX job. In 2022, Halderson was sentenced to life.

Suzane von Richthofen

In 2002, von Richthofen invited her boyfriend, Daniel Cravinhos, and his brother, Christian Cravinhos, into her family home in São Paulo, Brazil, at night. For months, she’d been planning this moment after her partners disapproved of her relationship and had a fortune of millions she wanted to inherit. After the Cravinhos murdered Manfred Albert and Marisia von Richthofen, the trio staged a break-in. Later, when they returned home, von Richthofen got her brother and “discovered” the carnage. However, the disconnected alarm system and von Richthofen hosting her birthday party after her parents’ funeral led cops to arrest her and the brothers. In 2006, von Richthofen and Daniel received 40 years, while Christian got 38 years. In 2023, she was released on probation.

Tyler Hadley

In 2011, Michael Mandell attended a party at his friend’s house in Port St. Lucie, Florida. However, when he took a walk with host Hadley, he confessed to Mandell that he’d killed his parents, Blake and Mary-Jo, and their bodies were in their bedroom, unbeknownst to the guests. For several hours, Mandell played it cool. Once he left, he contacted a crime hotline, and Hadley was soon arrested. With a history of substance use, his parents wanted to send him to inpatient treatment, which angered him. In 2014, due to being a minor at the time of the crime, he was sentenced to two life terms. After it was overturned on a technicality in 2018, Hadley was re-sentenced to life.

Joel Michael Guy Jr.

In 2016, the police arrived at the home of Joel and Lisa Guy in Knoxville, Tennessee, for a wellness check when she didn’t turn up for work. After getting inside, they discovered a grizzly scene as their remains were everywhere. During this time, their son, Guy Jr., was getting medical treatment for cuts on his hands. When he was arrested, the cops found a mountain of evidence, including a notebook documenting his plan. The plastic surgeon student was devastated his parents were retiring soon and moving, taking away the financial aid they’d given him for years. Looking to cash in on his mother’s life insurance, Guy took their lives and attempted to destroy evidence. In 2020, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Bever Brothers

The Bever family in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, were extremely secretive, resulting in their neighbors not knowing their full names as they homeschooled and isolated their children from others. In 2015, 911 received a distressing call from Daniel Bever that his brother was attacking them before the line cut off. When the cops arrived, parents David and April along with children Daniel, Christopher, and Victoria had been slain. Crystal was severely injured and Autumn was unharmed. Teenage brothers Robert and Michael spent months hoarding weapons and armor to attack the family. They claimed their father was abusive, but Robert also stated his desire to be a serial killer. Both received multiple life terms for their actions.

Ronald DeFeo Jr.

In one terrible act of parricide, DeFeo would inspire “The Amityville Horror” film series. In 1974, he ran into a bar near the family home in Amityville, Long Island, New York, to get help. DeFeo led a group home to discover his parents, Ronald and Louise, and his siblings, Dawn, Allison, Marc, and John, had all been fatally shot. While the police were protecting DeFeo, he suggested his family were victims of a mob hit. His story began to unravel, leading to his confession. Over time, DeFeo’s story changed many times, leading some to believe he was set up or questioning his mental health. Regardless, he was sentenced to 25 years to life and perished in jail in 2021.

Jasmine Richardson

With him being nearly double their daughter’s age at 23, claiming to be a 300-year-old werewolf, and wearing a vial of blood around his neck, it’s understandable Marc and Debra Richardson didn’t like their child’s boyfriend, Jeremy Steinke. Yet, grounding Richardson didn’t deter her. Instead, it caused her to create a terrible plan. In 2006, she opened a window for Steinke at the family home in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. He fatally attacked Richardson’s parents and her brother, Tyler. In 2007, Richardson was the youngest person in Canada to be found guilty of multiple murders and sentenced to 10 years. In 2008, Steinke was sentenced to life with possible parole after 25 years. In 2016, Richardson was released from all conditions and rejoined society.

Henry Chau Hoi-leung

In 2013, Chau and his older brother desperately sought their parents, Glory Chau Wing-ki and Moon Siu Yuet-yee, who’d vanished in Tai Kok Tsui, Hong Kong. After going to social media and the press for help, Chau went to the police. During questioning, he told his friends through WhatsApp that he had murdered his parents. Chau blamed his parents for his failures in life. He invited them to Angus Tse Chun-kei’s apartment, where Chau murdered them. Tse then helped get rid of the bodies by making them appear as pork and storing them in lunch boxes. In 2015, Chua was found guilty and sentenced to life, and Tse received 1 year.

The Menéndez Brothers

In 1989, Lyle and Erik Menéndez opened fire on their parents, José and Kitty, at their family home in Beverly Hills, California. When the cops arrived, the brothers stated they were out and came home to discover their parents slain. Erik later confessed to his psychiatrist, and the information got back to the police, who arrested them. While the prosecution pointed at the brothers' greed and wanting their wealthy father’s cash, they had a different story. They spoke about the years of abuse they sustained from José. They feared for their lives after threatening to expose him, leading to them slaying their parents. In 1996, after the first trial was deadlocked, the brothers were sentenced to life without parole.

Which of these stories shocked you the most? Let us know below.