These cases are a problem for both law and religion but neither are the cause. The cause is mental illness.

Mental illness can be caused by either nature or nurture or both.
It could be organic or it could be a learned acquision. For example a normal person can "learn" mental illness as a result of solitary confinment in as little as 90 days.

Religion is no defense for murder but can be instrumental in learning insanity or excusing true insanity as some sort of spritual posession by ignorant church authorities.


For a judge weighing the possibliity of learned insanity from an organic disease, the most humane sentence for those involved in murdering a child is a life sentence to a psychiatric prison hospital with the possibility for parole.

Many psychotics and social psychopaths have a very high self esteem, controling behaviors and claim a personal relationship with god, or the devil.

Their defense is typically "God (or the devil) told me what to do".

The least humane punishment is the death penalty which is too deeply flawed to ever be enforced justly.


A jury trial may give results far afield from law or proof.
Somtimes the law is ignored and a community agreement on punishment or innocence is as simple as "he had it comin" which has been a very successful defense for some admited killers in Texas.