Murder of Mother in Medan: Children in Conflict with the Law Not Always Driven by Mental Problems
JAKARTA - The murder case of a mother who occurred in Medan, North Sumatra has become a public concern. The police have determined that the perpetrator is the victim's biological child with the initials A. He is only 12 years old.
The case of the death of a housewife in Medan finally got legal certainty. The police determined the victim's child as a child in conflict with the law (ABH) in the case.
This case previously shocked the public on December 10, when the victim, FS (42), was found dead with dozens of stab wounds. At that time, his youngest son who was still 12 years old was suspected of being the perpetrator of the murder.
After conducting a series of examinations, Polrestabes Medan officially named A as the main perpetrator.
From the results of the examination, it was revealed that the motive for the murder was because A was upset with her mother because she often received physical and verbal violence. In addition to A, his brother and father also often experienced similar things. The culmination was when the victim committed violence against his brother. In addition, the victim also deleted online games on his mobile phone.
According to a number of studies, the case of children killing their biological parents is a rare case in general murder. This case, usually only in the range of 1.7 percent to four percent of the world's murder cases.
The motives are varied, ranging from revenge to mental disorders. Even so, forensic psychologist Reza Indragiri Amriel emphasized that it is not easy to detect or prevent children from taking extreme actions, because the symptoms do not always appear before the time of the incident.
Psychological Stress AccumulationThe determination of the suspect surprised the public, especially for residents around who know A as a sweet child.
In a press conference held on Monday (29/12/2025), professional psychologist Irna Minauli revealed the results of the examination of A. The results, A is known to have a superior level of intelligence.
"This child is very smart. He is able to learn music and art self-taught. His achievements so far are also very proud," said Irna Minauli, Director of Minauli Consulting.
Despite taking extreme action, based on psychological examinations it shows that A does not suffer from mental disorders such as schizophrenia or depression. Psychologists also did not find signs of hallucinations, delusions, or strange behavior that usually accompany cases of matricide or murder of the biological mother.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Medan Police, Kombes Pol Jean Calvijn Simanjuntak, revealed that according to the results of the investigation, the family was far from the impression of harmony.
The testimony of witnesses and suspects said that this action was allegedly due to psychological pressure that had accumulated over the past three years. A was said to often witness domestic violence in the house.
"The suspect saw his brother being beaten with a belt until he was bruised and blue. He also saw the victim scolding him, his brother, even his father," said Kombes Pol Jean Calvijn at a press conference, Monday (29/12/2025).
Forensic psychologist Reza Indragiri Amriel explained that, in general, criminal acts are motivated by two possible motives, namely instrumental motives or emotional motives.
In the case that occurred in Medan, Reza suspected that the dominant motive was emotional. That is, someone commits an act of violence because of the overflow of negative feelings towards the target.
"You can be angry, vengeful, hurt, hateful, or other negative feelings," said Reza.
Feelings of anger, hurt, or feeling vengeful, are actually feelings that humans often experience. However, when the perpetrators of the murder are children who are still in their teens, Reza encourages that the examination be carried out in more detail.
Need Detailed ExaminationIn a number of murder cases, the perpetrators are the closest people, even the biological family, often associated with psychiatric problems suffered by the perpetrators.
One of the similar cases that also came into the spotlight was the murder of a child with the initials MAS (14) against his father and grandmother in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta in November last year. In this case, the other victim was the biological mother who suffered serious injuries from the perpetrator's stabbing.
According to the results of forensic examination from the Indonesian Forensic Psychology Association (APSIFOR), the perpetrator who was then in grade 1 of high school was indicated to have mental disabilities. This is what motivated the judge to only give a two-year rehabilitation sentence to the perpetrator.
In addition to having mental conditions or history, in order for the punishment to be comprehensive, Reza encourages the police to conduct more detailed checks, including the pattern of expressing problems by the perpetrator. In addition, it is also necessary to delve into the possibility of the perpetrator's violent fantasies.
"What he reads, what he watches, what kind of games he plays, what is the theme in his dreams," explained Reza.
Another factor that needs to be studied is the independence or independence of the person in terms of academics, whether there is a possibility of many problems at school but exploding at home.
Finally, what needs to be studied is independence in terms of social, stability, domicile, and finances. To see how far the nutritional adequacy and also the acceptance of the social environment.
"If all these factors can be examined in detail, hopefully it can be known what the most dominant factor is, what factors are the side causes," he explained.
Although the perpetrator committed an extreme act that many people consider beyond common sense, Reza said in many cases, ABH does not show strange behavior. That is why, said Reza, there is no single recipe to prevent extreme behavior in children.
"Every child has uniqueness, the correlation with parents also has uniqueness, that is what must be managed as well as possible," he said.
"In this case in Sumatra, I understand that there is a correlation of violence that takes place between parents and children, then try to neutralize the child by trying to commit violence against his parents," continued Reza.