There are several areas that are considered when trying to solve the mystery of why kids kill.

Severe mental illness can trigger homicide, including bipolar spectrum disorder.

If a kid is psychotic, hallucinating, or delusional,

they may think something has happened,

like aliens invading or the person killed is doing something to them.

Biological factors are also looked at,

including brain damage, head trauma, and lower intellectual and emotional

functioning, as well as drugs, alcohol, and even fetal alcohol syndrome.

Social factors like how you grew up, and social messages can be an influence.

If you were born in a lower class neighborhood,

as opposed to a well-to-do neighborhood, even your religious beliefs can play a role.

We know these kids are usually very angry. There's always a preoccupation, one psychologist says. They have a higher rate of acting

out behavior and oppositional defiance. The family environment can also play a role in why some

children are able to kill. If there is violence in the home, there is a certain risk factor. The usual result is

kids doing more hitting of other kids in the family and other unrelated kids, as well as attacks

on their parents. The single biggest predictor of when kids hit parents is how much the parents are hitting

the child under the euphonism of spanking.

Some experts even suggest that watching violence on television and in video games promotes

aggression in children, although that research is controversial.

A West Point military psychologist who trains health professionals on how to prevent killing

contends violent programs desensitized children to violence.

One former police officer who wrote the book stopped teaching our kids to kill.

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