Geneviève Lhermitte, a Belgian woman who killed her five children in 2007, has been euthanised at her own request.
On 28th February 2007, Lhermitte killed her children, aged three to 14, by slitting their throats with a kitchen knife she had stolen from a local grocery store. Her husband was visiting family in Morocco at the time of the murders.
After killing her children, Lhermitte attempted to take her own life, but the suicide attempt failed. She was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder.
Throughout her trial, psychologists and psychiatrists testified that Lhermitte was suffering from a severe mental disorder.
Lhermitte claimed that she was driven to kill her children due to troubles at home, including living with an outsider who financially supported the family.
In December 2008, Lhermitte was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. However, in 2019, she was transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where she remained until her death.
Belgium allows people to choose to be euthanised if they are deemed to be suffering from “unbearable” psychological suffering that cannot be healed.
Lhermitte’s request for euthanasia was granted, and she was euthanised on Tuesday 28th February 2023, exactly 16 years after she murdered her children.
