Monday, December 05, 2005

“I can’t believe I killed my whole family”

"I have problems. I can't believe I did what I did … I want everyone to know I loved my family. I miss them and I love them."

Richard E. Henderson, 20, confessed to killing his parents, his grandmother, and his 11-year-old brother – beating them all to death with a metal pipe on Thanksgiving Day.

The Bradenton Herald says: “ … it's obvious from his record that he is a very troubled young man who did not get the help he needed. Not that his family didn't try. Friends and relatives say they continually sought treatment for his drug and mental problems. But for whatever reason - his own refusal to take medication for his bipolar condition being the chief one - he fell through the cracks.”

According to the American Psychiatric Association, family members are often the most at risk of a violent act committed by someone with a mental illness.