Belgian mother who murdered her five children euthanized at own request

A mother who murdered her five children has been euthanized at her own request, her lawyer confirmed.  The euthanasia of the mother took place on the 16^th anniversary of when she murdered her children.

Genevieve Lhermitte, who is from Nivelles in Belgium, slit her children’s throats with a kitchen knife in their family home.  The children’s father was out of town when the murder took place.

Lhermitte attempted to take her own life, but her suicide attempt failed, and she was charged with the murders of her children.

Psychologists and psychiatrists told the jury that Lhermitte had severe mental health issues when she murdered her children.

She was however convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison in 2008.  She was transferred to a psychiatric hospital in 2019.

Lhermitte died at Leonard de Vinci hospital in Montigny-le-Tilleul, as reported by Belgian news site Sudinfo.

Under Belgian law people can ask to be euthanized if it is believed that they are suffering from “unbearable” psychological, and not just physical, suffering which can’t be healed.