"Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity": Common Characteristics in Six Homicide Cases from Hatay, Turkey

Background: Not guilty by reason of insanity is a court verdict, meaning the defendant is not responsible for the crime because of his or her mental illness. In this article we aim to describe six not guilty by reason of insanity judged homicide cases in our province and discuss their features which are globally common. Methods: We collected data from the crime court records of the Hatay province in Turkey concluded between 2009 and 2013 (both years included). Results: Five of the victims were blood relatives and one was the spouse of the perpetrator. All victims were co-living with the perpetrator. None of the perpetrators used firearms. Three victims were children killed by their mothers. Conclusion: Not guilty by the reason insanity is a specific and rare judgement in criminal courts, whereas there are some characteristics which are universally common and predominant.