The act of a child killing their father is known as patricide and the killing of a mother is known as matricide. You may also hear the term parricide which can mean the killing of either parent by a child.
These types of murders make up between 2 – 3 % of all US murders each year. The more than 300 parricides occurring in just the U.S. each year means there are 6 or more parricide events, on average, each week.
The murder of Karly Cantrell
We got word this month that one of the members of our Facebook group was murdered by her son.
Karly Cantrell joined TCS on June 26, 2020.
Karly lived in Idaho with her husband Kevin Kline. I believe she had four children – Levi (26), Cody, Jackson, and Tam. At least two of the children were still teenagers at the time their Mom died – aged 15 and 17.
We will start with some background into Karly:
Karly Anne Cantrell was born on February 12, 1978 in Kalispell, Montana. She was the oldest of four children, and she was a protective big sister. As an adult, Karly met and married Kevin Kline, and together they raised four sons. Family trips camping and exploring Disney Land were among some of her favorite ways to create memories.
Karly’s love of animals began as a child. Her favorite books were about animals, and she constantly followed around the family dog. Growing up, she always knew she wanted a career around animals.
Originally, she considered becoming a veterinarian, but she ended up working with animals in a different way. Karly started a career at the animal shelter, later renamed West Valley Humane Society. She worked at the ground floor, cleaning kennels, and she eventually became the executive director.
Her work at West Valley was incredible as she was a leader in transforming the shelter into a private non-profit that implemented programs to protect and honor animal lives in her community. She made connections outside of her area so she could find the right home, program, or placement for every animal. Karly’s passion for animals benefited her entire community and her family. She also made sure her parents, brother and sisters adopted the perfect animal additions to their families as well.
People who knew Karly, knew that she was very private. She stayed away from the spotlight, preferring to let her work speak for itself. However, she was a loyal friend, a fantastic sister, a wonderful daughter, a devoted mom, and a loving wife. Karly made every occasion special. Her love of cooking and baking made everyone’s birthday feel like a magical event and every holiday warm and welcoming. She made sure the people around her felt comfortable, and she was that rare person who could listen to a problem without ever offering judgment or harsh criticism.
Karly was murdered by her 26 y/o son Levi on Monday October 10, 2022.
Karly’s husband Kevin told police that he left home at around 6.30am that morning. Their usual routine was that Karly would get ready for work around 7.30am. Two of Karly’s teenage children said they last heard from her at about 7.35am.
The 15-year-old boy texted Karly saying he’d forgotten a school project, and she responded saying she would drop it off, according to the affidavit. At 9 a.m., the boy texted his mom again, but the message showed as “not delivered,” the affidavit said. The 17-year-old boy said he texted his mom at 2:30 p.m., but she didn’t answer.
It seems like Karly was murdered not long after her teenagers left the home.
At 7:54 a.m., a next-door neighbor said they saw a blue hatchback-type car parking in the driveway of Karly’s home, and that car was gone by 9 a.m, the affidavit said. Karly’s son Levi drove a blue 2008 Chevy Aveo, according to police.
According to the affidavit, another neighbor had video footage of a small blue car leaving the house at 8:20 a.m.
One of Levi’s acquaintances told police that Levi showed up at his home at 9am “with what appeared to be blood on his pants” and asked to use his shower, the affidavit said. Levi told the man that he had stabbed himself.
The acquaintance told Levi to leave.
Karly’s husband Kevin came home around 3.35pm that day and found Karly laying in a pool of blood. She was dead on the scene.
The next details are quite graphic to TW – Karly had chunks of her skin and hair missing.
Deputy Prosecutor Sean Jorgensen said the details of Karly’s death are ‘truly horrific’. He also said that Karly’s murder involved “one of the most horrific fact patterns I’ve had to read in my time in this role,” KTVB reported.
After Karly was discovered, police went to the halfway house where Levi had been living and found his vehicle nearby. In the backseat of the vehicle in “plain view” were a pair of waffle-soled shoes and white pants that appeared to have red stains on the legs.
Police said they also found clothing with blood on it at the halfway house after they executed a search warrant.
Levi was taken into custody at 11.15pm on Monday night. The affidavit said he had a “deep laceration” on his upper right thigh, a 3-inch scratch on the top of his left hand and potentially a circular burn mark on his left inner bicep.
Levi told detectives during an interview Monday that he woke up at 10:30 a.m and that no one had used his car, according to the affidavit.
“Levi (Davis) showed no emotion when talking about the death of his mother,” according to the affidavit.
He also “pretended to fall asleep” during the police interview, according to the affidavit, KTVB reported.
On Tuesday October 11, Levi was second-degree murder as well as a parole violation.
Police believe that Levi’s motive for killing his mother may have been related to the fact that she recently kicked him out of her home for ‘poor behavior’.
“Karly was the heart and soul of West Valley Humane Society and a fierce advocate for both animals and people in need,” the humane society said in its post. “She was a kind, compassionate and empathetic friend, mother, wife, grandmother and daughter. Her impact on the world moves far past the animal shelter and directly into the hearts of the many she took under her wing.”
Michelle Roenz was murdered by her son Tyler
On October 14, we learned of a case of two missing people – Michelle Roenz (49) and her son Tyler (17). The two were apparently last seen at their home in Humble, Texas on October 13, 2022. The police alert said that they may be driving a 2011 black Mazda and asked people to be on the lookout for them.
The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a CLEAR Alert for the mother and son. A CLEAR Alert is issued when law enforcement needs help locating and rescuing missing, kidnapped or abducted adults or adults who are in immediate danger of injury or death, as well as aid in locating any potential suspects.
Just for some background into the family, Michelle had been married for 23 years to Manfred Roenz, and they had two children together. Tyler, and an older daughter Briana.
Manfred got home at around noon on October 13 and noticed that the Mazda was missing.
He said Tyler drove it to and from school sometimes, but Tyler was “prohibited from traveling in the vehicle outside of Harris County.”
When Manfred went into the garage, he reportedly saw a human tooth and a “trail of blood from the garage to the master bedroom,” where he found at least four more human teeth on the carpet. He saw Michelle’s purse and cellphone in the bathroom, and after understanding no one else was home, he called 911.
Manfred reportedly tried tracking Tyler and Michelle’s whereabouts on an app, but Tyler’s tracking had been deleted and his phone appeared to be turned off.
The responding Harris County deputy went to the Roenzs’ residence on Birch Arbor Court and reportedly noticed “other signs of apparent foul play in the home.”
Charges on Michelle’s credit card were pinged in Humble, Texas; Richardson, Texas; Atoka, Oklahoma; and Chetopa, Kansas. Documents revealed the car’s license plate also pinged on a reader near Dallas.
Police spotted the car and there was a brief chase of speeds up to 110mph that resulted in a crash. The Mazda reportedly attempted to slow down but struck the rear of a semi-truck, left the roadway, and hit a tree in a ditch near Aurora, Nebraska.
Tyler suffered serious but non life threatening injuries in the crash. Michelle’s body was found in the wrecked vehicle. Initial reports indicate she died from strangulation and blunt force trauma. Her body was found in the trunk of the vehicle.
Tyler was reportedly out on bond after he was arrested in April for allegedly sexually assaulting another high school student. Court documents cited by KHOU report Tyler allegedly picked up the girl from school and took her phone away from her. When she tried to take it back, he allegedly bit and punched her, ripped off her shirt and bra, then groped her. Tyler also reportedly attempted to take her pants off, then pushed her out of the car and kicked her in the face.
The kick caused a cut that required stitches.
The young woman told officers she felt like she was going to die.
Tyler has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence in his mother’s death, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Michelle reportedly had ligature marks on her neck as well as a broken hyoid bone, “both of which are indicative of strangulation.”
Harris County Sheriff’s Office detectives reportedly interviewed Tyler at the hospital in Omaha and he allegedly “refused to provide any details of [Michelle Roenz’s] injuries, other than admitting that he did not only use his hands” and that she “did not get into the trunk of the vehicle on her own.”
The complaint says Tyler drove northbound with his mother in the trunk and “felt no emotion.”
Tyler is currently being held in Nebraska. He will remain in the Hall County Jail until a full extradition hearing occurs on November 30.
This is Michelle’s obituary:
On October 13th, 2022, Michelle Roenz, loving wife and mother of two children passed away at the age of 49. Michelle was born September 28th, 1973 in Mullen, Nebraska to Everet and Sheila Bainter. She was a spunky middle child, a loving wife and mother, a kind and generous aunt and the sweetest friend to so many.
Known for her kindness to all, Michelle had a passion for animals. As a child, she would “save” the local Horned Toads and make little houses for them in the backyard, and her love of animals continued well into adulthood. She helped local rescues by fostering, donating, networking, cleaning the kitty cages at Pet Smart and taking pictures of adoptable animals for their profile pictures. Always willing to help a pet in need, one of Michelle’s newer hobbies was photography. She could often be seen taking pictures at sporting events and would share them with other parents. Michelle also embraced physical fitness and loved to work out. While many slept-in on a Sunday, she would be doing early morning runs with her friend. She enjoyed participating in different 5K and 10K races and even competed in several half marathons.
A dedicated mother that helped with girl scouts – including tent camping – Michelle took her kids to all their activities and sporting events, and made the best cheesecakes around. A “throw your hands high in the air on a roller coaster” kind of girl, Michelle slid down waterfalls and climbed up mountains. Known for her perseverance, kindness, and helpfulness, Michelle saw the good in people — always — and had a loving heart that will be missed by so many. Upon the children graduating and moving along with their own lives, Michelle and Manfred’s dream for the future included volunteering for animal rescue groups and animal shelters near their kids.
After high school, Michelle graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Chadron State College and received her CPA soon after. She was currently working at McCall Gibson Swedlund Barfoot as an audit manager.
Michelle is survived by her husband of 23 years, Manfred, her two children, Briana (21) and Tyler (17); her parents Everet and Sheila Bainter; her sister Lori Bainter-Ratzlaf and her brother Todd Bainter. She also leaves behind her dear cats; Holly and Farrah and Hershey; and three fosters, Leo, Coco and Zoey.
Logan Lopez killed his mother Mary Beth with a claw hammer
On July 16, 2022, Logan Lopez (24) asked his mother Mary Beth (53) to go to his apartment in Clearwater, Florida. He asked her to drop off his mail and told her that he wanted to show her some furniture.
Major Natalia Illich-Hailey with the Clearwater Police Department detailed what happened after Mary Beth entered Logan’s apartment.
“As she came inside, he closed the door, he came up behind her, and he struck her with a hammer. “
“You see the worst of people, but you don’t see this brutality very often,” the major said.
This info about the attack is from the arrest report:
He struck “Mary Beth Lopez in the head with a claw hammer multiple times and stab her in the neck with a knife several times,” killing her.
It said he “struck her on the right side of her head several times with a hammer until she collapsed in the living room.
“The defendant then continued to strike Mary Beth Lopez in the head with the hammer for a period described as 15-20 minutes while periodically taking breaks.
“The defendant altered between striking Mary Beth Lopez with the hammer and stabbing her in the neck, two or three times.”
Then, the report said Logan “admitted to initially calling Mary Beth inside the apartment for the purpose of ‘putting an end to her’ and had been planning to do so for a year.
“The defendant further stated that prior to Mary Beth Lopez’s arrival, he concealed the hammer by an ottoman in the living room for the purpose of striking her with it.”
It seems like Logan fled but was arrested within an hour. He was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond. Logan has no criminal history but has been Baker Act’ed in the past.
According to University of Florida Health, “The Baker Act is a Florida law that enables families and loved ones to provide emergency mental health services and temporary detention for people who are impaired because of their mental illness, and who are unable to determine their needs for treatment.”
When he was questioned, Logan said that he had killed his mother because she had ‘enslaved’ him.
Mauri Belarmino strangled her elderly mother to death
The next case is a little different. It seems like it’s usually teens or adults in their early 20’s who kill their parents. In this case, we are going to discuss the murder of Sherylyn Bailey (74) by her daughter Mauri Belarmino (40).
Mauri is a former NYPD officer who retired from the police force in 2016. I believe that she had lived with Sherylyn for around ten years – they lived with Mauri’s son and a man who has been reported to be Mauri’s partner. At the time of this incident, Mauri was working as a paediatric nurse for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Mauri made the following social media post on her birthday this year, in which she discusses her love for her mother.
Despite this seemingly close relationship, the mother and daughter did have a volatile relationship. Police had been called to their home over the years, but say the last time they attended for reports of a conflict was in 2018. They were called to the home on July 30 this year, after there were reports that Mauri was ‘ emotionally disturbed.’
A neighbor has said that he noticed Mauri had not been around and he asked Sherylyn where she was. “I asked Sherry one day, where’s Mauri?” said the neighbor Frank. “She said, ‘she’s in the hospital, she went off her medicine.’”
Frank said he never suspected any health issues prior to that conversation.
“She didn’t seem sick,” he said. “I never thought she was mentally ill.”
Sherylyn was a valued member of her community. She had beaten cancer twice, was a teacher and also a member on the Historic Richmond Town board. This info about Sherylyn is from SILive.com:
Sherylyn was a Rocco Laurie Intermediate School (I.S. 72) social studies teacher for nearly two decades before retiring. She was renowned for her ability to connect the community to the classroom. She would later become a dean of students at the school.
A coordinator for Strides Against Breast Cancer coordinator for the United Federation of Teachers since 2003, Bailey took part in fundraising efforts aimed at breast cancer research and advocacy. She also served as a lawyer and was an active member of a retired teachers’ chapter for the United Federation of Teachers.
Sherylyn was found dead in her home on Saturday September 10, 2022. I am not quite sure what the process was following her death, but Mauri was definitely not arrested straight away. The day after her mother died, Mauri posted this on Facebook:
Sherylyn had been strangled to death and it wasn’t long before Mauri was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and first-degree strangulation.
She told police that her fights with her mother had gotten physical in the past. “It got physical,’’ a criminal complaint quotes Mauri claimed to not remember the murder. “I just blacked out. I strangled her for about two minutes. I probably did it like this, like a chokehold.”
Mauri appeared in court on September 14 for the first time and her behavior was unusual. The judge ordered that a psychological exam be conducted:
This info is from SILive.com:
Mauri Belarmino audibly greeted the courtroom as she entered for her arraignment in Richmond County Criminal Court before appearing to nervously scan the ceiling and walls.
She shook her hands throughout the entirety of her time and sang something indistinguishable during the appearance before Judge Ann Thompson, who noted that Belarmino did not make eye contact during the proceeding.
“It does not necessarily appear she is participating in the proceedings,” said Thompson when granting the prosecution’s request for a 730 exam, a psychological exam that will determine Belarmino’s ability to understand the charges lobbied against her.
Mauri was due back in court on October 19, 2022 but I cannot find any updates as to if this happened or not.
This is Sherylyn’s obituary:
Sherylyn Marie Bouldin Bailey born August 27, 1948, was the second child and only daughter of the late Ethel Marie Hall Bouldin and the late Charles Bouldin, Sr., and was the younger sister of the late Charles (Chuck) Bouldin, Jr.. Although born in Manhattan, Sherylyn spent most of her childhood and youth in Brooklyn, New York, where she attended P.S. 224, George Gershwin JHS, and graduated from St Michael’s High School for Girls, before going on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College, majoring in dance. After a brief stint at New York University, where she continued studying dance, she set her sights on the study of the law. This took her to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she pursued her Juris Doctor at the University of North Carolina School of Law. As fate would have it, there was that time when her car suffered a flat tire—and she gained the help and attention of her future husband, Ronnie Charleston Bailey, whom she married on Valentine’s Day, 1979, and from which union came the couple’s daughter, Mauri Yolanda Bailey. For Sherry, as she was affectionately called, teaching was a siren call, and in 1990, she began her teaching career. Upon her moving to Staten Island in 1996, Sherry began working at IS 72, in the Island’s Heartland Village section. It was here that she blossomed as a teacher, becoming not only a dean, but a civic leader, engaging her student in activities that promoted their understanding. This devotion to civil society showed itself in her long association with the United Federation of Teachers. There is perhaps no more poignant manifestation of her view of civil society and civic duty than her novel Protect the Butterflies (2013). Sherry was a “doer”. For at least the past 15 years, she was not only a UFT delegate and rally participant, but she was also one of the main coordinators for the Staten Island UFT’s very visible participation in the annual Breast Cancer Walk. A two-time cancer survivor, for Sherry, this annual walk was part of her very being. Sherry corralled monetary support for breast cancer research, with the funds going to the American Cancer Society. In the recent years before her retirement, Sherry engaged herself in the efforts to reclaim several of Staten Island’s forgotten burial grounds, some of which have been built over, she engaged even more with the larger Staten Island community, joining the board of directors of Historic Richmond Town. She fully immersed herself in its activities, ultimately rising to serve as the organization’s second vice president. And so we bid good-bye to Sherylyn Bouldin Bailey, who for many was a solid friend and staunch ally, a most dedicated and unique teacher whose curiosity never piqued, and a sister of choice with the listening ear of a second mother. Sherylyn is survived by her daughter, Mauri Yolanda Bailey-Belarmino; her son-in-law Gavin Belarmino; her grandson, Anakin Gavin Belarmino; her nephews Brett Bouldin, Sean Bouldin, Kwasi Boyd Bouldin, and Ian Bouldin; her sister-in-law, Sandra Bouldin; a host of friends, family, and colleagues; and, of course, her many students to whom she imparted her passion for passion for inquiry and excellence.
Hend Bustami called 911 and said ‘ I think I killed my mommy.’
On Wednesday October 26, 2022, Hend Bustami (29) called 911. She told the dispatcher that she had killed her mother, Afaf Hussanen (61). The murder happened in the home they shared together in Las Vegas,
Hend called 911 at around 2.30am and she said ‘I think I killed my mommy.’
“Why do you think you killed your mom?” the dispatcher asked.
“Because I did. I murdered her,” Hend said.
“What did you do to her?” the dispatcher asked.
“I killed her,” Hend said.
“How did you do that?” asks the dispatcher.
“I broke the table on her head and I broke it,” the caller appears to say, though some parts of the audio are difficult to decipher.
“How did you kill her, you said something about a table?” says the dispatcher.
“I broke the table on her head. I broke the table on her head and I cut her neck off,” the caller responds.
“And you cut what?” the dispatcher asks.
“Her neck off,” the caller replies.
She hung up the call and fled the scene. Police found her driving near Barstow, California and she was covered in blood.
Hend told police that she had gotten into a fight with her mother and that she had stabbed her with shards of glass.
Hend was arrested back in August this year on an unrelated charge. She allegedly did not pay her bill at a restaurant and violated airport rules at Harry Reid International Airport. She told police officers at the time that she was under arrest because she was too good looking.
This info is from documents about this incident:
“[O]fficers working D gates were notified by TSA that [a] female matching that description was observed sleeping near the security checkpoint, hindering their operations,” a probable cause affidavit said.
Hend was later located near the baggage claim area where she was allegedly “belligerent with officers, saying she was being harassed because cops [had] never seen anyone as pretty as her,” per the report. While being placed under arrest, Bustami allegedly said that “she was going to spit on all [the officers] and that officers were perverts and were trying to rape her because they [had] never seen anyone as good-looking,” police reportedly wrote.
There was a warrant for Hend out of Las Vegas. She was accused of battery against a security guard at a business in the Arts District in June. The arresting officer noted Hend could not sign the citation he wrote against her because she was intoxicated.
She failed to show up to her arraignment in July, which led to a judge issuing a bench warrant for her arrest.
Hend appeared in court on Sept. 2 and was ordered to be released pending trial. A bench warrant was then again issued for her arrest on Sept. 27.
It seems like the relationship between Hend and her mother was very volatile. Hend made this post on social media in May, insinuating that her mother was very controlling.
Las Vegas Metro police received 12 calls for service at the home in 2022. Most of these calls, seven, were for “family disturbances,” among others for reports of a missing person, civil matters and a suicide attempt.
Another 911 call includes a friend who asked police to check on Afaf, saying the mother feared returning home as Hend had allegedly threatened to kill her.
SOURCE LIST
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/idahostatesman/name/karly-cantrell-obituary?id=36798100
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/crime/article267159091.html
https://nypost.com/2022/10/13/idaho-man-charged-with-murder-of-mom-karly-cantrell/
https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/26159706/michelle-rene-roenz
https://people.com/crime/florida-man-allegedly-beat-stabbed-mother-death-plotting-kill-her-year/
https://nypost.com/2022/09/14/retired-nypd-cop-mauri-belarmino-allegedly-strangled-elderly-mom/
https://www.stradfordhomeforfuneralsandcremationsinc.com/obituary/Sherylyn-Bailey