Genevieve Lhermitte: Mother who 'slit throats' of her 5 children euthanized after 16 years on anniversary of the murders
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: Sixteen years ago, a Belgian woman slit the throats of her five young children and on Tuesday, February 28, the very same woman died after expressing her desire to be euthanized. Genevieve Lhermitte, 56, murdered her five children with kitchen knives in their family home, located at the town of Nivelles, while their father had gone away to meet his parents in Morocco. She has been in prison since 2008 and was moved to a psychiatric hospital in 2019.
Lhermitte did not stop after killing her children- she even tried to kill herself, but ended up calling for medical assistance when her suicide attempt went awry. Lhermitte, the “perfect mother,” has since been divorced from her husband. News of her being euthanized comes after her lawyer, Nicolas Cohen, had confirmed her death to the local media. He had informed that she had died on the sixteenth anniversary of the killings. Daily Mail reports that her funeral service had taken place on Wednesday. She died at the Leonardo da Vinci hospital in Montigny-le-Tilleul.
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Genevieve Lhermitte’s last days
The murder of Yasmine, 14, Nora, 12, Myriam, 10, Mina, 7 and Mehdi, 3, had left a void in the hearts of everyone who heard about the children’s deaths and Lhermitte has spent the days of her life after the murder in prison. In her last days, it seems that Lhermitte was intent on taking her life and ending it all.
Belgian law allows the choice of euthanasia if person was deemed to be going through ‘unbearable’ psychological suffering that cannot be healed. Said person must also be conscious during the decision and must also be able to ask for it in a reasoned and justified manner. Lhermitte is said to have done the same. “It is this specific procedure that Mrs Lhermitte followed, with the various medical opinions having been collected,” her lawyer had said.
The quintuple murders of Nivelles
On the day of the murders, Lhermitte stole two kitchen knives from a local store and had been cooking a family lunch. She then proceeded to lock the doors to the home and started going on a killing spree, slitting all her children’s throats. When asked about the motivation behind the murder at the trial, she had stated that she felt ‘desperate and trapped’ at home with her kids.
She also admitted to the killings and said, “I gave [my husband] a son and killed him. I’ve lost all my children through my own fault. They never deserved it…I shall suffer to the end of my days- that is my punishment.”